France and Friends: Merkel Increasingly Isolated on Austerity

France and Friends: Merkel Increasingly Isolated on Austerity

The debate over Germany’s insistence on euro-zone austerity has flared anew as an ailing France continues to demand economic stimulus. The European Central Bank may now be siding with Paris, leaving Merkel looking increasingly alone.

The chancellor peered at her impassioned interviewer as if he were some kind of rare insect.