The influential tabloid Bild newspaper is headlining every single mishap in Greek-German relations, be it the untimely complaints about reparation payments dating from Nazi atrocities in World War II during debt discussions, to Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis’ alleged middle finger against Germany, which got the tag #fingergate on twitter. It seems no day can pass by without a new twist in the saga, irritating both the German intelligentsia and main street.
Germans have lost faith and patience with Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and his team. More than 80 percent are against sending any more money to Greece, according to Forsa polling institute.
Furthermore, a majority of Germans – 52 percent – would like Greece to leave the euro zone, up from 41 per cent in February, a ZDF opinion poll on Tuesday showed.
This is a message Merkel understands. She has never acted against opinion polls in the past–but she also wants to keep the euro zone intact. Tsipras is in for a serious meeting next week when he meets her in Berlin on Monday and all eyes will be glued to see if the Greece-Germany relationship can be saved.
