Germany wants the EU to take over Greece.

There are moments when it becomes obvious that the Europe has gone insane. Today was one such occasion. The Financial Times reported that the German government wants to appoint an external budget Commissioner for Greece. This unelected official would have the power to veto budget decisions taken by the Greek government and Parliament. This bureaucrat would approve all major public expenditures. To further extend effective EU control over the Greek government, Greece would also have to adopt a law that required external debt service had first claim on tax revenues.

Meanwhile, in Athens, no one knew about the German plan to end Greek independence. A senior Greek finance ministry official said he was unaware of the proposal.  Imagine that, one country proposes the terminating the independence of another country, and can't even be bothered to tell them.

There are so many reasons why this mad idea cannot work, it is difficult to know where to start. Let's just focus on one potential problem. While Greece may be a chaotic place, it remains a country based on the rule of law. It has a constitution. That document defines the powers and responsibilities of its parliament, the Cabinet and its president. It has no provision for an outsider to come in and take over the government in return for an EU loan.  This proposal is simply illegal.

This proposal smacks of desperation, weak thinking, and a detachment from reality. It is, quite simply, an insane idea.