It HAS stopped making cars…

August 1, 2023 By Hermann Observer in Hard Facts, Heconomy, Helplessness, Hideology Tags: Automobile Industry, Automobiles, Cars, Ecars, Germany, Industry Leave a comment

Real cars. And with that, the fun for Germany has only just begun.

What if Germany stopped making cars? Imagine Volkswagen goes the way of Nokia.

“The future of the vw brand is at stake.” When Thomas Schäfer, the mass-market marque’s newish boss, gave a presentation to his management team in early July, he did not sugarcoat its problems. High costs, falling demand, growing competition—the list goes on. “The roof is on fire,” he warned, echoing one of the most noted alarm calls in recent business history—from Stephen Elop, who in 2011 compared his company to a “burning platform” shortly after taking the helm at Nokia, then the world’s largest maker of mobile phones…

Russia’s Economy Growing More Than Germany’s

July 31, 2023 By Hermann Observer in Hard Facts, Heconomy, Helplessness, Hideology, Hurt Feelings Tags: Dependency, Energy, Germany, Greens, Ideology, Nuclear energy, Renewables Leave a comment

Which isn’t hard to do. Germany’s economy isn’t growing at all.

Let’s call it the German Green New Deal.

Germany expected to be only major economy not to grow this year – According to the latest figures from the International Monetary Fund, Germany’s GDP is forecast to drop 0.3% this year while other countries continue to grow.

The German economy is still failing to grow, figures showed on Friday, as the country that should be the industrial powerhouse for all of Europe struggles with high energy prices, rising borrowing costs and a lagging rebound from key trading partner China…

In Germany, the economy has been buffeted by several challenges. Above all, its long-term dependence on Russian natural gas to fuel industry backfired when the invasion of Ukraine led to the loss of most of Moscow’s supply and to higher costs for energy-intensive industries such as metals, glass, cars and fertilizer.

Let’s save the planet!

July 30, 2023 By Hermann Observer in Hard Facts, Heconomy, Helplessness, Hideology, Hurt Feelings Tags: Germany, Greens, Industry Leave a comment

By destroying our country’s main pillar of industry.

And thus setting an example for the rest of the world. Of what not to do. Glad we could help. We’re the Greens.

Germany’s auto industry: suppliers’ confidence waning – German car manufacturers and suppliers have been financing the development of new e-car models with profits from the combustion engine business. But this is being cut back more and more. And many fear for their jobs.

The best we can offer you is five

July 28, 2023 By Hermann Observer in Habitudes, Hard Facts, Heconomy, Helplessness, Hideology Tags: CO2, Energy, Greens, Nuclear power, Pipelines, Renewables Leave a comment

Although originally shooting for at least ten, Germany’s Greens must now sheepishly admit that the best they can offer the country is five tough years of economic stagnation.

Germany faces 5 tough years, economy minister warns – Berlin should borrow money to subsidize energy for companies or risk losing its industry, Robert Habeck.

Germany faces five difficult years of green industrial transition that “will put a burden” on people, Economy Minister Robert Habeck warned — while urging his government to approve fresh subsidies to safeguard the country’s industrial base.

When German cars are no longer German cars…

July 25, 2023 By Hermann Observer in Hard Facts, Heconomy, Helplessness, Hideology Tags: BMW, E-cars, Earnings, Market Share, Mercedes, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, Tesla Leave a comment

Nobody wants them.

Tesla is lapping German automakers in the global EV race – even in Germany.

Germany’s automakers announced bold plans the last several years to shift to electric cars and challenge Tesla Inc.’s dominance. Instead, they’re only falling further behind.

Tesla delivered 889,015 cars in the first half of this year, more electric vehicles than Volkswagen AG, BMW AG, Mercedes-Benz Group AG and Porsche AG sold combined.

Inflation and the what?!

July 16, 2023 By Hermann Observer in Habitudes, Hard Facts, Heconomy, Helplessness, Hideology Tags: Food Banks, Germany, Inflation, Poverty, Refugees Leave a comment

How on Earth did this get through the German Media Brain Police Censorship Office?

German food banks in crisis – Inflation and an influx of refugees have put growing pressure on food banks. Will the German state step into the breach?

But why do food banks exist in a country like Germany in the first place? Can the German state step in to explain that?

German food banks are there to help people living in poverty, namely those who have less than 60% of the median net income at their disposal. In Germany, going by this definition, around 13 million people are considered to live below the poverty line.

Weapons orders? Bitte!

July 7, 2023 By Hermann Observer in Habitudes, Hard Facts, Heconomy, Home Cooking, Hypocrisy Tags: Armies, Arms exports, Business, Defense, Germany, Military, NATO, Profit, Ukraine, Weapons, Weapons industry Leave a comment

Please! By all means.

But to be willing to actually use them ourselves? Nein, danke!

German Defense Companies Could Be Europe’s Arsenal of Democracy – But for the Bundeswehr to fight will take a culture shift, not just weapons orders.

More than a decade ago, the German government made the deliberate decision to kill the ability of the Bundeswehr, Germany’s military, to fight a conventional land war in Europe and strip it of the equipment, manpower, and resources to do so. In 1990, as the Cold War was ending, the then-West German Bundeswehr alone was still able to field 215 combat battalions in a high state of readiness. Today, Germany has around 34 battalions, and the word “combat” is a bit of a misnomer. They are at such a low state of military readiness that when the 10th Tank Division conducted an exercise late last year, its entire deployed fleet of 18 Puma infantry fighting vehicles broke down…

It’s not a slowdown…

July 6, 2023 By Hermann Observer in Hard Facts, Heconomy, Helplessness, Hideology, Hysteria Tags: Climate, Consumers, Cost, Courts, Economy, Energy, Gas, German, Germany, Greens, Language, Laws, Politicians, Renewables, SPD, Tricks Leave a comment

It’s more like a Vollbremsung. That’s German for full braking or emergency stop.

Germany’s highest court just cancelled the Green’s latest rush-rush trick, I mean plan to save the planet at German taxpayers’ expense.

Germany’s Green Slowdown – While voters may still broadly support net zero goals, they’re not necessarily on board with the escalating costs of the transition.

… Today, it’s the Greens’ proposed ban on new gas boilers in homes that’s causing trouble. Against a backdrop of sliding poll ratings, the party’s partners in the coalition forced a dilution of the plan last month in a package that also included a massive road-building program.

In another blow to the policy — dubbed Habeck’s Heating Hammer by the opposition — Germany’s constitutional court has made a highly unusual intervention in the legislative process and ordered the government to give parliament more time to scrutinize the plan.

Just like Germany reduced its dependency on Russian gas…

July 5, 2023 By Hermann Observer in Habitudes, Hard Facts, Heconomy, Helplessness, Hideology, Home Cooking, Hurt Feelings Tags: Blackmail, China, Dependency, Exports, Gallium, Germanium, Germany, Industry, Trade Leave a comment

Before the war in Ukraine. Not.

What could possibly go wrong this time? China being Germany’s biggest trade partner, I mean.

German industry urges reduced dependency after China export controls –
German industry on Tuesday warned that Europe must become more self-reliant in the hunt for raw materials needed for cleaner, more digital economies, after China caused alarm by announcing restrictions on some metals used for semiconductors.

China’s commerce ministry said on Monday it would require export permits for eight gallium products and six germanium products from Aug. 1 to protect national security.

The Surge Is On

June 30, 2023 By Hermann Observer in Hard Facts, Heconomy, Helplessness Tags: Germany, Inflation Leave a comment

And it ain’t over till it’s over. If ever. Over.

German inflation surges more than expected to 6.8% – Spain becomes first major eurozone economy to beat ECB’s 2% target in almost 2 years.

German inflation was higher than forecast this month, even as Spain became the first major eurozone economy to beat the European Central Bank’s 2 per cent target in almost two years.

The divergence between Germany’s 6.8 per cent rate for June and the 1.6 per cent recorded by Spain highlights the dilemma faced by the ECB, which is focused on core inflation, which excludes volatile energy and food prices.

Observing Hermann

“Was interessiert mich mein Geschwätz von gestern?”

Category Archives: Heconomy