“nothing but contempt” for Anglo tapes – Merkel

German chancellor Angela Merkel has described the leaked Anglo Irish Bank phone conversation recordings as “damaging democracy, the social market economy and everything we strive for”.

Answering journalists at an EU leaders summit, she said she regarded the content of the tapes which was released by the Irish Independent with “contempt”.

She talked about how hard it was to understand for people who “get up every day to do their work and pay their taxes”.

The damning recordings included former Anglo executives singing the German national anthem and laughing about abusing the bank guarantee.