David McWilliams explains:
Ireland thrives when Germany is weak and falters when Germany is strong.McWilliams explains how we have gained so many benefits from Germany's troubles - low interest rates, a weak currency and cheap labor from the east. What's not to love?
The reason for this is that we have for years been the jockey riding two horses - the European nag and the American jennet. We are financially and politically tied to the EU and Germany via our currency and EU membership, but are culturally tied to the Anglo/Americans via our business culture, trade flows, investment decisions and language.
When both horses are going together all is well for the jockey, but when the horses move apart the jockey's position gets very uncomfortable. Over the past ten years Europe and America have drifted apart economically and politically and a pattern has emerged that makes Ireland unique in Europe. We are the only EU nation that does better when the EU is weak rather than strong.
So we should applaud German fragility and fear German strength.
McWilliams finishes with this hope (from yesterday's paper before the election had begun)
A hung, indecisive Bundestag would be good news for us. To paraphrase the old nationalist slogan: Germany's difficulty, Ireland's opportunity.
