Here’s a question for you, especially if you are English; which country/nation/people do you most, well, dislike? Put it another way, which national team would you most enjoy seeing beaten by England in the World Cup final? I’m guessing that the vast majority of us will instinctively say Germany. Am I right?
Please don’t get me wrong I’m not trying to be jingoistic. If you asked the Dutch the same question they’d probably give the same answer. Mind you ask the Scots and they’d probably say England. Ditto the Welsh and the Irish, the French and Australians and many more no doubt. Everybody has a bogey nation – it’s a consequence of history. Ours just happens to be Germany because they always beat us at penalties, they cannot admit when a ball crosses the line, they are a nightmare on the beaches, oh and a small matter of two World Wars.
But before everybody accuses me of hateful nationalism, here’s the thing. Tucked away in the depths of my newspaper earlier this week was an item confirming that Germany had made their final payment of reparations laid down under the Treaty of Versailles to the victorious nations following WW1. Almost 100 years following the War to end all Wars, for which Germany was found to be solely to blame under an overly-punitive Treaty which laid the seeds for the discontent which led directly to WW2, they’ve continued to make reparations and now the slate is clean. Isn’t that a reason to be positive and to offer respect to the German nation? Well I think it is. It doesn’t mean that I’ll ever forgive Ozil for choosing Real over Man U but I admire people who pay their debts. Germany; du bist OK.
pp
No, still can’t stand them. It’s taken them 100 years to pay it back (RBS were never that lenient on my overdraft) and they still put their beach towels on all the sunloungers. And don’t get me started on armpit hair…
Hel
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come on hel, we’re all europeans now esp after winning the ryder cup eh!
pp
Hi Paul,
Yeah, absolutely we are… especially after this weekend’s nailbiter at Celtic Manor. The comments were tongue in cheek mischief making at the expense of our European neighbours. I’ve seriously had some great times in Germany… lovely people, beautiful country and damn they’re not bad at football either. Their cars are pretty cool too (still in hope of one day owning a Porsche Boxster)
atta girl hel
das ist der spirit!
pp