If it was only the Daily Mail it would have to treated with a certain amount of skepticism and great caution for journalistic licence. But in fact the original article about the drunken behaviour of Jean-Claude Juncker who is expected (with the support of Merkel and Hollande but against the wishes of Cameron) to become the next President of the EU Commission comes from Der Spiegel.
And Der Spiegel is nothing if not staid and politically correct. So when the usually circumspect magazine states that Juncker’s normal state is one of being inebriated and where he is a problem “not with alcohol but only without alcohol” then it gives a lot more credibility to the extravagant claims in the Daily Mail.
I suppose the EU and the EC have both sunk so low that having a drunk as President cannot bring them further into disrepute.
Der Spiegel: Achtung, Alkoholkontrolle!
The more often Juncker’s name is mentioned, the more the questions which arise as to whether he would be robust enough for the office of President. Long-time companions report a string of human weaknesses almost unknown to the general public. .. Juncker threatens to be something of a political alcohol-test.
… The journalist Pascal Steinwachs wrote in “Lëtzebuerger Journal,” mischievous tongues said, Juncker was actually not a problem with alcohol, only without...”
Daily Mail: ‘A drunk who has cognac for breakfast’
……. a Mail on Sunday investigation uncovered a number of fresh reports about his drinking:
- A senior diplomatic source told this newspaper: ‘Mr Juncker reportedly has cognac for breakfast’.
- He was allegedly ‘blind drunk’, acted in a ‘vulgar’ way and repeatedly used the f-word in a meeting.
- A respected German news journal claimed he had ‘drunk too much for years’ in an article headlined Achtung, Alkoholkontrolle! (Attention. Breathalyser Test!).
- A top Dutch politician called him a ‘stubborn drinker’, forcing Mr Juncker to issue an angry denial.
An EU envoy told The Mail on Sunday: ‘Juncker and his boozing is the worst-kept secret in Brussels. He is politically and personally unsuited to run the EU.’
His supporters, however, claim he is the victim of a dirty-tricks campaign. One said: ‘He has a proven track record in taking tough decisions.’
I like my occasional cognac as well. But cognac for breakfast does seem a bit much.
Hollande and his mistresses and Merkel and her drunks. Add to that a drunken EC President who is not elected but instated by consensus and it makes a wonderful advertisement of European democracy at its best!
The k2p blog 