"I'll bet the Irish, Portuguese, Greeks, Italians and Spaniards never thought they were hiring an imperial master when they joined the Euro-zone, not to mention France. Maybe no one noticed because they did not have to learn German. "

Germany did not have a trade surplus then.

But indeed, had the Schröder policies been spelt out clearly ahead of the integration, it's unlikely that it would have gathered much support in Europe. The point was felt to be strengthening the European model (of decent social protection, for a start), not killing it, which is the apparent target at the moment.

Earth provides enough to satisfy every man's need, but not every man's greed. Gandhi