Slayed in Germany —
VW bruises the nation's pride
VW stands a synonym for what's best in Germany - honesty, reliability and efficiency. The People's car has, without doubt lied to its lovers on both sides of the Atlantic. A serious blow to the "Made in Germany" label leaves the nation's pride very bruised.As little "Mutti” Merkel, steps generously from opening her purse for Greece’s life stylers, to Syrian refugees strolling penniless across her borders, her best intentions are sliced to pieces on the world stage as a few arrogant engineers in Wolfsburg completely bury Germany's moral compass with their monumental lie.
“Mutti’’ Merkel
With Volkswagen contriving to fit its rule breaking gadget to 11,000,000 cars under the noses of regulators before it was discovered, you have to wonder how much are the company brands of a country and their citizen integrity implicit to a nation's image. Since the second war and the horrors of Hitler, in yearning for global redemption, Germany's gone well beyond the call of duty in becoming a compassionate and caring nation, and now this.
The new definition of TDI
The car industry is not alone in this behaviour, it happens in many industries from banking to pharmaceuticals. One starts to bend the rules and then we see regulators turning a chummy blind eye. Rivalry creates even more ambition and sooner or later one goes too far. When questioned corporates invariably reply with grade like answer "But we don't behave as badly as our rivals". Some of our favourite phrases "clean diesel" "green energy" that even now "corporate responsibility" are just contradictions in terms. We the customer to often complacently accept green scamming promises and become gullible partners which just makes us willing fools.
Ethics should be absolute not comparative when it becomes a significant national interest matter
Ethics should be absolute not comparative when it becomes a significant national interest matter. Regulators hold a great deal of responsibility to ensure products and services deliver the promises they make. A nation's brand has no manager, there’s the pity. It is the sum of the parts and its greatest contributors or detractors are more often its corporate's, its sports people and cultural behaviours.
A nation's brand has no manager, there’s the pity
No country to my knowledge has a set of brand guidelines or overarching principles about how they wish to be perceived and why shouldn't it? In past times there were Guilds, cultural attaches, societies with foundation charters and principles which we seemed to have departed from. I’m saddened by an increasing world of bent moral compasses of self interest as opposed to national interest.