Some ‘individual responsibility for the Irish crisis cannot be denied’

Every nation has its own obsessions, creeds, and taboos. Germany’s taboo is criticising the European project. Still being haunted by the excesses of extreme nationalism, Germans are obsessed by the idea of a united Europe.

They strongly believe there is only one way to prevent the peoples of this continent from slaughtering each other again: building a functioning EU.

Therefore, Germans reacted enthusiastically to the decision to grant the Nobel Peace Prize to the EU.

The euro crisis has nonetheless generated some scepticism. But that is far too weak to be called a political movement, let alone a harbinger of an anti-European party like the UK Independence Party. Some don’t want Germany to be Europe’s paymaster. They’re with Angela Merkel on austerity. But they’re still patient.

Another German obsession is Ireland. In German towns you find more Irish pubs than in the land of their origin. When travelling in Ireland, I’ve always been surprised at how many Germans actually moved to the island. Therefore the Irish enjoy an unusual credit line: Not in a strictly financial sense, but in more general terms.

In the hypothetical case that the EU would have to lose member states, Ireland would be amongst the last ones on the list. But again: Germans want the European idea to succeed.

To keep this enthusiasm alive, it is crucial no further sense of inequality arises: No discomforting notion that some pay for what others have frivolously spent. By no means is anybody in Germany suggesting the Irish do so.

But a certain amount of individual responsibility for the Irish crisis cannot be denied. It hasn’t gone unnoticed that, during the Celtic Tiger years, the Irish were in a buying binge. In Germany there is a strong sense of fairness in that there is also individual responsibility for getting out of one’s mess.

For the past decade or so German workers and unions have abstained from significant wage increases. Which means that, given the inflation rate, Germans earn these days less than they used to 10 years ago. That is one of the factors why the German economy is doing comparably better than others. People don’t like that, but they accept it as a necessity.

The same goes for being a net contributor in Europe: People don’t like it but accept it. As long as they’re not suspicious someone might capitalise on their expenses, that probably won’t change.

But the aggressively anti-German protests in Athens and other places in Greece disgruntled many Germans: To pay for the mess of others and being spat at by the very same people didn’t go down well with them.

Of course Ireland is a different case. Shortly after the bailout there was an open discussion about Ireland’s low corporation tax and whether it should be elevated — to generate more income and write off the debt faster. That is off the table — in part because Enda Kenny has successfully convinced Ms Merkel how important tax incentives are for the Irish economy. That means Germany is still open for any suggestion how to increase speed on the path of recovery. I just hope the Euro crisis and mismanagement won’t deepen in a way that would seriously challenge Germany’s euro creed.

*Sebastian Hesse-Kastein is a journalist with MDR Radio