'We give you cash, you give us Corfu!' German MPs suggest Greece sell its islands (and the Acropolis) to pay off its debt

 

 

By Allan Hall

Last updated at 3:43 PM on 04th March 2010

 

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The feud between Germany and Greece ratcheted up a notch today when two MPs in Berlin suggested Athens sell some of its islands to pay down the country's staggering deficit.

'The Greek state must sell stakes in companies and also assets such as, for example, unpopulated islands,' said Frank Schaeffler, a member of parliament for the pro-business Free Democrats.

A legisltator in Chancellor Angela Merke;s conservative CDU party, Marco Wanderwitz, said Athens should provide 'collateral for any money it receives from the European Union to help it out of its debt crisis - in this case, certain Greek islands also come into question.'

 

Assets: The Greek island of Corfu. German MPs have helpfully suggested Athens sell off some of its uninhabited islands to pay its debt. Greek officials have dismissed the suggestion as 'inappropriate'

 

'We give you cash, you give us Corfu!' said the racy Bild national newspaper in a tone which many suspect was only half in jest.

 

That the suggestion came from Germans has only added more fuel to the fire raging between the two countries, with thrifty Teutons calling Greeks lazy spendthrifts and the Greeks retaliating by calling them Nazis with no compassion.

Berlin is seen as key to any eventual bailout if the Greek economy continues to crumble, thus threatening the beloved euro project at the heart of German politics since the end of WW2.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, shown here at a press conference today, is to meet with Greek leader George Papandreou tomorrow

 

Greeks have been angered by what they perceive as a threatening line from a country which occupied their homeland and ravaged it during their stay in the 1940's.

Greece's deputy foreign minister, Dimitris Droutsas, was asked about the sale of the islands in an interview with Germany's ARD TV.

 

'I've also heard the suggestion we should sell the Acropolis,' Droutsas said drily.

'Suggestions like this are not appropriate at this time.'

Greece has around 6,000 islands off its coast, of which only 227 are inhabited, according to the country's National Tourism Office website.

Flogging them off to developers would alleviate some of the pressures that Greece faces as it enters a new round of draconian austerity measures aimed at reining in a budget deficit more than four times above EU limits and staving off bankruptcy.

The Socialist government increased sales, tobacco and alcohol taxes and cut public sector holiday allowances to save 4.8 billion euros, equal to about two percent of gross domestic product (GDP), pensions in the public and private sector were also frozen and civil servants had their bonuses for holidays scrapped.

Mrs Merkel is set to hold crisis talks with Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou tomorrow to discuss the situation in Greece.

 

She is under pressure from German Chambers of Trade to get Greece to call off a boycott of German goods that got underway as soon as the mudslinging about national virtues occurred.

German car dealerships, a supermarket chain and even a pet food distributor from the Fatherland are all feeling the fury of the Greek response to German view of their national crisis in reduced sales.

 

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1255449/We-cash-Corfu-German-MPs-suggest-Greece-sell-islands-Acropolis-pay-debt.html#ixzz0hEmiLGP3

Oh fuck, the Bild and the Daily Mail have finally joined forces.

 

And can't they ever just use a normal, respectable photo of someone?

 

 

What IS that!

I think it's a great idea! The Greeks will never be able to pay off this debt otherwise.

 

Socialists need to learn there's no such thing as a free lunch.

And can't they ever just use a normal, respectable photo of someone?

 

 

What IS that!

 

They don't like Germans in those journals.

 

:lol:

 

 

What IS that!

 

A pitbull?:rolleyes:

Actually I wasn't referring to Merkel, just the fact they showed such an odd picture of her.

 

But go on Mark, call her fat too, you love judging womens looks. Throw old and wrinkly in there too, why not.

Actually I wasn't referring to Merkel, just the fact they showed such an odd picture of her.

 

But go on Mark, call her fat too, you love judging womens looks. Throw old and wrinkly in there too, why not.

 

Well if you find her attractive, that's up to you........................ :stunned:

Mark you look like a tortoise without it's shell.

 

Sorry, I'm just giving back what you randomly attack women for.

 

Just because they can't respond back doesn't make it any more right.

Did this come from the Onion? :wtf:

Did this come from the Onion? :wtf:

 

I wish they didn't actually write stories. The headlines are hilarious then they get less funny the more you read.

It's incredible how some people get so wound up over nothing.:rolleyes:

It's incredible how some people get so wound up over nothing.:rolleyes:

 

Define nothing.

this thread:

 

:facepalm::facepalm::facepalm:

 

germans demand Corfu from Greece??????????WTF???

 

Bild Zeitung demands Corfu from Greece.....

 

and this well chosen pic of Angela Merkel:

 

:facepalm::facepalm::facepalm:

:laugh3:

Mark, when you look at yourself in the mirror what do you see?

 

WTF hahahahaha :laugh3: !!

Well if you find her attractive, that's up to you........................ :stunned:

 

Because I think you're being a sexist superficial idiot, that means I'm attracted to her? There's no way you are this stupid and 2-dimensional.

 

Eh, guess so.

 

No, actually just explain. This is what I wrote:

 

"Actually I wasn't referring to Merkel, just the fact they showed such an odd picture of her.

 

But go on Mark, call her fat too, you love judging womens looks. Throw old and wrinkly in there too, why not."

 

How did you get from THAT, the impression that I'm attracted to her, just please underline that part. Remember you didn't even ask if I'm attracted to her after reading that, you thought that I meant I was, from this quote.

 

Please explain.

this is sad, not funny

WTF hahahahaha :laugh3: !!

 

Exactly. That's precisely how it should be viewed.:lol:

Exactly. That's precisely how it should be viewed.:lol:

 

There ya go, fucking cling on to that.

? i thought the pic was funny, i don't care about the rest of that arcticle, didn't even read it :rolleyes:

? i thought the pic was funny, i don't care about the rest of that arcticle, didn't even read it :rolleyes:

 

Exactly, only a cretin would take the article seriously.:lol:

erm nobody takes that article seriously....it just isn't funny at all since it is "Bild Zeitungs-Niveau".....I am not that fmailiar with the daily mail, but obviously the daily mail is the british Bild Zeitung....so why is this section spammed with those things?:freak:

There ya go, fucking cling on to that.

 

Exactly, only a cretin would take the article seriously.:lol:

 

Nice.

Some people clearly need to get over themselves before they explode.:lol: