Spain Demands WAR Upon The Rest Of Europe
The Market Ticker ® - Commentary on The Capital Markets
Posted 2012-08-18 17:22
by Karl Denninger
in International
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Spain Demands WAR Upon The Rest Of Europe
 

This is a demand for economic warfare:

MADRID (Reuters) - The European Central Bank must take forceful and unlimited steps to buy sovereign debt to help Spain reduce its refinancing costs and eliminate doubts over the euro zone's future, Spain's economy minister said in comments published on Saturday.

"There can be no limit set or at least (the ECB) can't say how much they will use or for how long," when it buys bonds in the secondary markets, Luis de Guindos told Spanish news agency EFE.

So let's dissect this and see what this statement means.

Were the ECB to do this then it would be a monetization of the government's profligacy in Spain.  But the cost would fall upon all European nations and their people.

This is theft of property at gunpoint by unelected, unapproved people (the ECB) at the direction of a government beyond the victims' borders (Spain.)  The Spanish could not complain as they have the right to vote out of office the Spanish ruling class involved.

But the rest of Europe does not have any such right.  This would be, literally, the theft of their property (the value of their accumulated money denominated in Euros) at the point of a gun.

The people of Europe, other than in Spain, are thus as of today entirely justified in both moral and legal terms to rise and depose the leadership in Spain by any means necessary, and since they cannot vote in Spanish elections this leaves them only two options: Depart the Euro or invade Spain and depose its government by force.

Luis de Guindos may not understand the implications of what he said, but the people of Europe damn well ought to.  He has declared economic war upon the rest of Europe and European nations are well-within their rights to respond either economically or kinetically as they, and only they, see fit.

No nation has the right to demand that the citizens of another nation bear the brunt of their debts, nor the cost of their social and other government spending programs.  There is nothing different in fact or in theory between invading a nation and seizing its property and seizing its wealth through other, back-door means.  Both are identical in their intentions and effects; the people who have no voice, who are not represented, who have no right to kick out the leadership that is acting contrary to their wishes are effectively enslaved.

It was exactly this sort of economic slavery that led to the American Revolution, and with just cause.  The Founding Fathers were right -- they were being enslaved economically by Britain far more than in any other form or fashion.  They revolted, as was their right, and now we have The United States.

A currency union agreed upon on the premise that the central bank shall not buy the debt of any of the sovereigns, that joint and several liability for debts shall not be imposed and that governments shall not run deficits of material proportion is a binding contract upon the participating governments.  Those who then seek to unilaterally violate that agreement must understand that enforcement is the right of each and every nation and person who is so-aggrieved, and that aggression of this sort is legitimately seen as an act of war.

Spain's economic minster, in short, has declared war upon the entire European continent. 

Whether that will prove to be wise I shall leave for historians to write about when the dust finally settles.

Discussion below (registration required to post)
 

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User Info Spain Demands WAR Upon The Rest Of Europe in forum [Market-Ticker]
Bagbalm
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But didn't they all agree to slavery already? Not some silly referendum of course...Slaves don't get those.
Bearshort
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The Germans whom control the checkbook of the ECB will only do what is in their best economic interest, and I'm sure limitless buying of Spanish bonds is not what they are going to do.

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"How long to the point of know return?"
Enemies of the State: Bernanke, Geithner, Frank, Dodd, Greenspan, Paulson.
Andysvw
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Before any body starts shootin. They could maybe hang some of their central bankers first. Germans could do Smerkle before she helps the spanish central bankers do this. War just helps central banking. They win every war in modern history. Because they finance both sides. If working people are going to be doin the shootin and bleadin. They should make sure they are shootin the right ones.

At any point central banks could have done the wise thing. Level the playing field. Thats all they had to do to avoid all this mess. When its time to start shootin? Do what is right for all of us for generations to come.

Hang the central bankers. All of them. You want sound money or not? The reason we dont have sound money is central banks are crooks. One and all.

Smerkle is not king of the German people who the f@#$ does she think she is?
Eaglewwit
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How is this any different than all the other quotes we have gotten out of various Eurocrats. They are just waiting for the German court to give the green light. And they will, because the banks say so. It is inevitable. Just as it was in the USA, QE is the end game, and it will last far longer than you think before it collapses.

Just like in America, the people are too stupid in Europe to realize they are getting screwed. They cannot connect the dots between the ECB buying bonds and there loss of purchasing power. If they start to connect the dots, all that is needed is a good propaganda campaign to end the dissent.
Azusgm
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It is not as if the Europeans have the power to vote the Eurocrats out of office.

For much of this Ticker, you could replace "Spain" with "Eurocrats" and have another bit of truthiness.
Flappingeagle
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More like: Spain Demands the Rest of Europe Commit Financial Suicide.

I'm sooooo mad that I demand that you kill yourself, or at least beat yourself up very badly.

Flap

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Here are my predictions for everyone to see:
S&P 500 at 320, DOW at 2200, Gold $300/oz, and Corn $2/bu.
"You can't build a house of cards on a shaking table." - Tony Johns
The January 2015 AMZN put at $130 (cost $4.25) will be a winner.
Sean
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bilge

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* I think Ann Barnhardt is more and more right. God help us!
* Progressives / Marxists / Communists are many things, STUPID and IMPATIENT are not two of them.
* A hot civil war is coming.
* And people wonder why I prep!

Bagbalm
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The Germans recently decided that old relic of a law from WWII that the German Army could not bring guns out on German soil was no longer needed.
They have gone full circle from the Nazis.
Our guys are ordering ammo. They can proceed directly to cattle cars.
Randy123
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I can't believe there are still people who think that Europe won't break up.

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China is the Enemy. Wake Up.

New Normal. Same As The Old Awful.
Bertdilbert
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Spain is right, the Euro countries need to put up or shut up. Since they can't kick Spain out the rest can leave if they don't like it.

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Dear Euroland: Relax, Germany has a plan for your money!

Political Capital Defined: We are out of money but will tax our citizens for whatever it takes to "SAVE" the Euro.
Ghopper
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Spain understands what Greece does not.
They have the power to destroy.
Now does Europe call them on it? The other PIIGS are watching...
Financial
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The US pretty well screwed Europe with the change from the gold standard to the Treasury Bill standard. They tried to fight back with a common currency but are showing that they don't have the fiscal solidarity to pull it off. But I think the problem should be reframed as the 99% against the 1%. Austerity programs for the EU, US, China and Africa for the 99% and bailouts and tax havens for the 1%. Fighting the kleptocracy seems to be the major issue.
Krs
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This just in, floating more ideas and spinning previous statements and actions to justify a desired outcome...
Quote:
BERLIN (Reuters) - The European Central Bank is considering setting interest rate thresholds for any purchases of struggling euro zone country's bonds so that it would buy such bonds if their interest rates exceeded a certain premium over
German bonds, a German magazine reported.

Germany's weekly Spiegel magazine, which did not name its sources, said on Sunday that the ECB would decide whether to implement such thresholds at its September meeting.

Saying something while saying nothing!
Quote:
The German Bundesbank has opposed the ECB's buying of sovereign bonds to bring down the borrowing costs of struggling states because it treads too close to the central bank's ultimate taboo of state financing.

German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble on Saturday rejected the idea of financing state debt via the European Central Bank: "If we start doing that, we won't stop. It's like when you start trying to solve your problems with drugs," he said.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel however voiced support on Thursday for Draghi's crisis-fighting strategy.

Make it sound like Merkel supports this rumored action when in fact she has committed to no such thing.

Crap like this will ramp the markets for another week so hold on to your hats, new highs here we come.

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/ecb-mullin....

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Fog, smoke, and mirrors... perhaps those tin-foil-hat wearing digital dickweeds were on to something?
Tyler Durden on the Fed – Feb 28, 2013
Azusgm
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So what is being proposed? Should Germany blow itself up issuing German debt in order to buy PIIGS's debt?

Sure. Why not.

If the economies of the PIIGS nations (with the term "nation" used advisedly) seize up, Germany's manufacturing sector loses much of its customer base. Allegedly, much of that German export business is built on vendor financing. If so, the pain of austerity imposed on other countries will skewer Germany.

Germany directs its own fate by having the ability to pick its poison.
Krs
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Azusgm wrote..
If the economies of the PIIGS nations (with the term "nation" used advisedly) seize up, Germany's manufacturing sector loses much of its customer base.

If?

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Fog, smoke, and mirrors... perhaps those tin-foil-hat wearing digital dickweeds were on to something?
Tyler Durden on the Fed – Feb 28, 2013
Azusgm
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Okay, Krs. As the economies of the PIIGS nations...

You're right.
Kajet
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Quote:
The people of Europe, other than in Spain, are thus as of today entirely justified in both moral and legal terms to rise and depose the leadership in Spain by any means necessary, and since they cannot vote in Spanish elections this leaves them only two options: Depart the Euro or invade Spain and depose its government by force.


Beg to disagree. First, the "other nations", including France and Germany, have long violated the same Maastricht criteria (including the 3%-of-GDP limit on fiscal deficits) that Spain now is guilty of infringing. And that was before the credit crisis, not only during or after.

Second, Spain is a sovereign nation and they can do what the heck they want. There is no or else in the Maastricht treaty, at least no substantial "or else". If the Northern nations were gullible enough to expose themselves to this kind of hostage situation (a currency union with no substantial sanctions), they will have face the consequences. For now, they can and should to refuse to dilute the currency any further, and this alone will speed up the necessary shrinking of the eurozone.

As a side note, Germany has run persistent current account surpluses for years. It has been a beneficiary of the flawed structure of the eurozone, and the Southern countries, unable to devalue, have in many ways been the victims. This is not a simple game of good and bad guys. A low pain mechanism that used to prevent Spain and Greece from living beyond their means (devaluation) has been disposed of, and now they're going through tough times at their own accord. Michael Pettis at mpettis.com has excellent insight into this issue.

Reason: clarity
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