I call Godwin!

I would be very careful with that call. Were one to ignore the rampant short-sighted, self-serving stupidity employed by so many in their response to the Irish debt crisis, one could construct a narrative composed of the long litany of macro-economic policies and ECB decisions that have consistently been favorable to Germany and unfavorable to the periphery that Germany is attempting to achieve by economics what they could not achieve by military force 70 years ago. That would be worthy of a Godwin call. (I in fact believe that it is a group of wealthy individuals and those who serve them in several countries that, not entirely coherently, is advancing such a goal in their somewhat collective self interest.)

"It is not necessary to have hope in order to persevere."