In this cartoon from The Daily Express Paul Thomas uses a medical metaphor to comment on the crisis facing the European Single Currency, aka, the euro. The ailing euro is shown in a hospital's intensive care unit. A sign at the end of the bed reads, "Do Not Resuscitate".
COMMENTARY
Politicians and journalists often use medical metaphors to comment on the eurozone crisis. On Monday former Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said, "Since the euro in its current form is going to collapse, is it not better that that happens quickly rather than it dying a slow death?". Leader of the UK Independence Party Nigel Farage warned, "A fresh bailout for Greece should not involve the UK. Repeated transfusions will not resuscitate a corpse and the euro is dead." And this from The Economist, "If Greece were to turn its back on its current arrangements with the EU, the IMF and the euro-zone, and yank out the life support tubes that connect its banking sector to the European Central Bank in Frankfurt, where would Greece get the money, tomorrow or next week, to pay the salaries of policemen, firemen or teachers, or pay pensions?"
VOCABULARY
If you resuscitate (pronounced 're-suss-i-tate') someone who has stopped breathing, you cause them to start breathing again.
ALSO SEE
• Beware Eurosceptics bearing gifts (The Economist)
• Timeline: Greece's journey to the edge of euro disaster (The Guardian)
