Whilst reading my way down the comments to an Evans-Pritchard piece on Spain growing a pair and making a “sovereign decision” to tell the EU where to stick it’s austerity demands, I came across the following comment which was part of an exchange between English and German readers :

Ah, methinks the Herr doth protest too much….

Now look here my good fellow, in 1914 I think we can probably agree that the Austrians had as much to do with things kicking off, so I won’t hold you and your lot entirely at fault, but you have to admit that it was your lot and the good old Schlieffen Plan that really got the party started, even if you did get held up by the French Army and the British Expeditionary Force pretty early in the game.

As for 1939, now I know that you must have been smarting from getting your leiderhosen-covered behinds handed to you on a plate by the Allies but that was really no excuse to invade Bohemia and Poland, and France, and Austria and then to go around using Jews as firelighters was it?

I sense a certain twinge of resentment on your part that we engaged the services of the Americans – well sorry old fruit, but all’s fair in love and war and a victory aided by an additional ally is a victory nonetheless.

I don’t think that one would have lasted more than 30 seconds on a BBC article given the third paragraph ending but it seems to have survived over at the Torygraph.

As an aside, I am surprised the declaration by the Spanish Premier didn’t get more attention in the news or perhaps thats actually the whole idea these days?

I woudl suggest that you have a read at the article (link above) but here is a teaser anyway :

The Spanish rebellion has begun, sooner and more dramatically than I expected.

As many readers will already have seen, Premier Mariano Rajoy has refused point blank to comply with the austerity demands of the European Commission and the European Council (hijacked by Merkozy).

Taking what he called a “sovereign decision”, he simply announced that he intends to ignore the EU deficit target of 4.4pc of GDP for this year, setting his own target of 5.8pc instead (down from 8.5pc in 2011).

In the twenty years or so that I have been following EU affairs closely, I cannot remember such a bold and open act of defiance by any state. Usually such matters are fudged. Countries stretch the line, but do not actually cross it.

With condign symbolism, Mr Rajoy dropped his bombshell in Brussels after the EU summit, without first notifying the commission or fellow EU leaders. Indeed, he seemed to relish the fact that he was tearing up the rule book and disavowing the whole EU machinery of budgetary control.

Interesting stuff – just a shame Cameroid doesn’t have a pair to grow in the first place.

Finally, if you are wondering what on earth the STFU is in the title then the answer is right here.