If an unexpected guest arrives at your house, you will do the 15 second tidy up, papers under the cushions, kick the remains of the dog biscuits under the carpet, and then open the door with a welcoming smile and say how wonderful it is for them to drop in unannounced!
Does this strike a chord with any of you? It should do, since it is happening in Europe almost every single day between various countries. When the Troika arrive in Athens, it happens, when Mario Draghi arrives in Madrid, it happens. Everything is almost all sweetness and light.
I stumbled on a very interesting fact during the week. We have believed that the very crux of the EU was Germany & France, ever since De Gaulle and Adenauer signed the Treaty of Friendship in those heady days of 1963. However, in a recent French poll by IFOP, only 31% of French see Germany as their preferred partner, and a miserly 18% of Germans see France as their preferred partner. This is not a recent change, but a figure that has been declining since 2003.
If the very heart of Europe is slowly moving apart, what happens to its limbs? Be in no doubt that whilst other EU leaders come up with ideas and come up with suggestions, the two crucial leaders are Merkel and Hollande. The ball is now very much in their court, but which one will lift the carpet and sort out the mess? Only time will tell,…. but is that the door bell?
Coming back on last weeks blog, Oak has been approached by three large pan european companies to assist in their european equipment leasing programmes.
I must also say thank you to the hundreds of people that comment on this blog. I cannot always reply individually, but please just accept this as a big thank you to you all.