Category Archives: Habitudes

No German Going-It-Alone Here

November 24, 2022 By in Habitudes, Hard Facts, Helplessness, Hideology, Hypocrisy Tags: , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

They have another word for it. It’s called Alleingang.

That means going-it-alone, of course. Although that is something Germans regularly claim they would never ever do. Apparently, only Germans are capable of believing such nonsense.

Olaf Scholz Is Undermining Western Unity on China – The German chancellor’s go-it-alone approach has alienated domestic, EU, and international partners.

The German chancellor sought to get ahead of the pack. Scholz argued it was time to speak directly with Xi after a three-year hiatus in such bilateral meetings due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The chancellor said he sought to confront issues in the Germany-China relationship precisely because it isn’t business as usual. In an op-ed in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Scholz wrote that “as China changes, so must our approach to the country.”

Because The Harsh Realities Of Life Keep Raising Their Ugly Little Heads?

November 22, 2022 By in Habitudes, Hard Facts, Helplessness, Hideology, Higher Education, Home Cooking Tags: , , , , , , Leave a comment

Like the cold of winter? Unaffordable energy bills? Renewable energy pipe dreams that will never succeed? You know. Stuff like that? That’s why.

Why can’t Germany break up with nuclear energy? – Germany has spent 25 years flipflopping on nuclear power. An energy crunch caused by the war in Ukraine is the latest reason to reconsider the technology.

“Really, I think of myself as against nuclear energy, but I have to admit that you see the situation a bit differently now.”

“We Must Not Make This Mistake Again”

November 21, 2022 By in Habitudes, Hard Facts, Heconomy, Helplessness, Hideology, Home Cooking, Hurt Feelings Tags: , , , , , , Leave a comment

While making this mistake again. The dependency mistake. See the Russian energy dependency mistake. This time it’s the hooked on China mistake.

China is a key market for German automakers including Volkswagen, BMW and Mercedes-Benz. If not the key market. And it will remain that way, despite the German government’s latest public relations move.

German auto industry could face tougher rules over China relations – Germany’s auto industry could face tougher rules on disclosing information over its China relations.

Germany’s foreign ministry plans to tighten the rules for companies including automakers that are deeply exposed to China, making them disclose more information and possibly conduct stress tests for geopolitical risks.

Free Speech Is A Frightening Prospect

November 20, 2022 By in Habitudes, Helplessness, Hideology, Hurt Feelings Tags: , , , , , , , Leave a comment

For the German government. Look, if we allow people to say and to think anything they want, well, they just might.

And if we can no longer ensure that German citizens think the correct thoughts, they might just refuse to do what we tell them to do. And who knows where that could lead to?

Germany watching developments at Twitter with growing concern – The German government is watching developments at Twitter with growing concern, a government spokesperson said on Friday.

“Of course, we are observing this with great interest and growing concern … but at the moment there is no new (government) position,” the spokesperson told a regular government news conference.

German Of The Day: Ringtausch

November 18, 2022 By in Habitudes, Hard Facts, Helplessness, Hideology Tags: , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Some say it means “ring exchange” (not the wedding kind). Others say it means being chicken shit.

With Slovakian deal, Germany expands three-way ‘Ringtausch’ dance to arm Ukraine – Under the Ringtausch program, Germany has sent newer equipment to Slovakia, Greece, Slovenia and the Czech Republic, with those countries shifting older gear to Ukraine.

The Germans have a specific word for an exchange between at least three parties: “Ringtausch.” So it makes sense that is what the German government has named its procedure to gift modern military equipment to former Soviet-bloc countries who, in turn, gift their Soviet-era equipment to Ukraine.

Germany Should Also Airlift All “Climate Migrants” Coming To Europe Directly To Berlin

November 17, 2022 By in Habitudes, Hard Facts, Heconomy, Helplessness, Hideology Tags: , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Why didn’t anyone think of this in the past? Why did we have to wait until the Greens are in power before finding such simple and effective solutions?

Nothing like good old-fashioned German megalomania.

Germany should help poor countries bear climate change costs – Germany needs to help countries that cannot afford to pay for the losses and damage caused by climate change, Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said on Wednesday at the COP27 climate summit in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt.

Dozens of developing countries have called for a deal at COP27 on a funding facility where rich nations would provide loss and damage cash to vulnerable states.

We Germans Condemn The Iranian Regime’s Brutality Toward Protestors

November 15, 2022 By in Habitudes, Hard Facts, Heconomy, Helplessness, Hideology Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

As well as their open hostility toward Israel.

But boy oh boy their gas sure doesn’t stink.

Germany in secret talks to buy Iranian oil amid Russian war sanctions – The chief economist for the partially state-owned bank LBBW in the southwestern German state of Baden-Württemberg announced that Germany is engaged in secret talks with the Islamic Republic of Iran to buy Iranian oil.

“Intensive talks are already being held behind the scenes with Venezuela, Iran or Algeria to cover Germany’s oil and gasoline needs.”

Mixed Signals

November 7, 2022 By in Habitudes, Hard Facts, Heconomy, Helplessness, Hideology, Hurt Feelings Tags: , , , , , , Leave a comment

And all of them bad.

The next German Alleingang (going it alone).

European Commissioner for Industry and the Internal Market Thierry Breton, a Frenchman, warned Scholz: “The time for naivety is over. We must be on guard.” The behaviour of the individual EU members towards China must be coordinated and not decided alone, “as China apparently prefers.” French President Emmanuel Macron suggested that he and Scholz should fly to China together at a later date to demonstrate European unity, a suggestion which Scholz ignored.

Christian Democratic Union (CDU) foreign policy expert Norbert Röttgen also attacked Scholz sharply. He accused him of damaging Germany’s foreign policy during his trip, “because it costs us our partners’ trust. It does not even strengthen our reputation with the Chinese, because they only react to strength and despise weakness.”

German Of The Day: “Keine Deutsche Sonderwege”

October 27, 2022 By in Habitudes, Hard Facts, Heconomy, Helplessness, Hurt Feelings, Hypocrisy Tags: , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

That means no (more) Germany going it alone.

That’s a very popular political mantra here. You normally hear it right before Germany goes it alone again.

France and Germany’s relationship questioned as Scholz goes alone on policy – Germany has been criticized for approving a 200 billion euro ($200.2 billion) rescue package.

Fresh tensions between France and Germany are challenging their relationship at a time when their unity is critical for broader European policy in tackling the energy crisis.

The leaders of the two nations will meet in Paris on Wednesday, but this encounter almost got canceled.