Ha, Ha, Ha

May 31, 2020 By Hermann Observer in Hard Facts, Heconomy, Helplessness, Hideology, Home Cooking, Hurt Feelings, Hypocrisy Tags: Angela Merkel, Corona, Debt, Economic Stimulus, EU, EU Presidency, Europe, Eurozone, German, Germans, Germany, Language, MAGA, Slogans Leave a comment

A new slogan will make “Europe strong again?” Gemeinsam. Europa wieder stark machen.

Back off, Trump. Germany wants to Make Europe Strong Again. Berlin’s EU presidency motto has echoes of MAGA.

Slogans, as we all know, are merely slogans. The track record here is what you have to go by and it ain’t pretty. The Eurozone hasn’t even begun to deal with Brexit while Angela Merkel signals submission to France to accept a Schuldenunion (a debt union – paying the debt for Southern European countries – yes, they have a North and a South problem here too) when all of a sudden this little thing we call Corona has prompted Brussels to suggest an $826 billion economic stimulus plan (even more debt) for a “union” of countries that can’t even protect their borders and that only appears to be unified when it comes to supporting anything that weakens the United States (see China) and on and on we go but together they will make Europe strong. Again. Again?

Make Europe Strong Again. MESA? All I see is a MESA problems that nobody is prepared to fix.

It’s Magic!

May 28, 2020 By Hermann Observer in Hard Facts, Heconomy, Helplessness, Home Cooking Tags: Corona, Coronavirus, COVID-19, Economy, Employment, German, Germans, Germany, Growth, Industry, Jobs, Recession, Recovery Leave a comment

It’s as if none of this Corona crap ever happened at all!

Maybe that’s because none of this Corona crap ever did happen. Not like it was supposed to happen, I mean. Not that anybody ever really knew how it was supposed to happen but everybody knows now that it simply didn’t happen that way. Folks sure got riled up though, didn’t they?

Germany poised for big economic recovery – The German economy is expected to shrink by more than 6% this year. But a new study found the country could be in for a big economic recovery next year.

In a best-case scenario, the economy could recover in about five months, the institute said. This would result in a more mild economic slump of just 3.9% in 2020.

But in a worst-case scenario, the recovery could also take as long as 16 months. The economy could then shrink by 9.3% this year, with growth of 9.5% forecast for 2021.

“In that case, the recovery would stretch into 2022.”

If We’re Really Lucky, June Is Going To Suck

May 26, 2020 By Hermann Observer in Hard Facts, Heconomy, Helplessness, Hurt Feelings, Hysteria Tags: Corona, Coronavirus, COVID-19, Economy, Exports, German, Germans, Germany, Industry, Mood, Optimism, Pessimism, Trade Leave a comment

May was REALLY awful.

And we don’t even want to talk about June.

The mood among German exporters recovered somewhat in May after a “catastrophic” April, the first full month of coronavirus lockdown measures in Europe’s largest economy, the Ifo institute said on Tuesday.

“Virtually every sector still expects further declines, yet these will be less sharp than had been expected in the previous month,” the Munich think tank said in a monthly release.

The Ifo export indicator, based on a survey of around 2,300 manufacturing businesses, rose in May to -26.9 from -50.2. It is a net reading for respondents expecting an increase minus those who see a decline.

Austria Doing Germany’s Job Again

May 24, 2020 By Hermann Observer in Habitudes, Hard Facts, Heconomy, Helplessness, Hideology, Home Cooking, Humility, Hypocrisy, Hysteria Tags: Austria, Budgets, Corona, Debt, EU, Eurozone, France, Germany, Kurz, Macron, Merkel, Rescue Funds, Spending, Waste Leave a comment

Frugality? Refusing to pay other countries’ debts? That was “old Germany.”

Now the Germans need a country like Austria to take care of the problem for them – just like the Austrians took care of Merkel’s migrant madness by closing their borders way back when.

‘Frugal four’ nations counter Franco-German EU initiative – Four EU countries have teamed up, rejecting Macron and Merkel’s persistent lobbying for a €500 billion rescue fund. Instead, they have their own scheme on how to save Europe from economic fallout amid the pandemic…

The four countries also indicated that they will neither agree to a mutualization of debt nor an increase in the EU budget. Their draft proposal was seen by the German Press Agency (DPA) on Saturday.

“Our objective is to provide temporary, dedicated funding through the EU budgetû and to offer favorable loans to those who have been most severely affected by the crisis.”

German Of The Day: Wiederaufbaufonds

May 19, 2020 By Hermann Observer in Hard Facts, Heconomy, Helplessness, Hideology, Hurt Feelings, Hustle (Hoax), Hypocrisy, Hysteria Tags: Corona, Coronabonds, Debt, EU, Eurobonds, European Union, Eurozone, France, Germany, Government Waste, Language, Macron, Merkel, Pandemic, Spending Leave a comment

That means reconstruction bonds. Or Eurobonds/Coronabonds light. Or Germany breaking a taboo and knuckling under to France to share debt with other EU countries, if you prefer.

It’s hard to keep up with them. Politicians just can’t burn money fast enough these days.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel broke with her country’s longstanding opposition to raising money together with other – often poorer – EU countries. But the proposal made with French President Emmanuel Macron is limited in scale and duration, which could help her sell it to skeptics back home.

It consists of 500 billion euros ($550 billion) in loans and grants to help countries through the recession, and is viewed by some as a step toward stronger EU ties as the 27-country union faces challenges not just from the virus crisis, but from populist forces in member countries Hungary and Poland who want to loosen the bloc’s ties.

Werteunion ruft zu Widerstand gegen Merkel auf.

More Bad News

May 18, 2020 By Hermann Observer in Hard Facts, Heconomy, Helplessness, Higher Education, Home Cooking, Hurt Feelings, Hypochondria, Hypocrisy, Hysteria Tags: Corona, Coronavirus, COVID-19, Demonstration, Economy, German, Germans, Germany, Lockdown, Protest, Recovery, Restrictions, Shutdown Leave a comment

For the perennial doom-and-gloom folks in charge of what we are supposed to think – at least here in Germany.

As if the popular uprising against the Coronavirus shutdown here wasn’t enough.

Bundesbank sees early signs of recovery in German economy – Central bank expects easing of lockdown to boost activity in Europe’s largest economy

“There is currently much to suggest that overall economic developments will move up again in the course of the second quarter as a result of the easing measures and a recovery is under way.”

“Incomprehensible” And “Meaningless”

May 12, 2020 By Hermann Observer in Habeas Corpus, Hard Facts, Heconomy, Helplessness, Hideology, Home Cooking, Hurt Feelings, Hypocrisy Tags: Bonds, Bundesbank, Central Banks, Courts, Debt, ECB, EU, Euro, Euro Zone, European Court of Justice, European Union, German, Germans, Germany, Judges, Justice, Law, Rule of Law, Rulings Leave a comment

Are the previous court decisions ruling that the European Court of Justice can have primacy over national law in Germany. It’s also “incomprehensible” that it took so long for everybody to figure this out. I sure hope that this latest ruling won’t be ruled out as “meaningless” later but I’ve had my hopes dashed before.

Germany’s constitutional court sent shockwaves through Europe last week by ruling that the German government and the EU’s top judges failed to properly scrutinise the European Central Bank’s bond-buying programme.

The judgment threatens to turn the European Commission against Germany, the EU’s biggest member state. It raises doubts over the primacy of the European Court of Justice over national law. It also risks driving a wedge between the ECB and its biggest shareholder, the Bundesbank.

Germany’s highest court dismissed an earlier ECJ ruling in ECB’s favour as “incomprehensible” and “meaningless”. That bombshell decision opened the door to potential legal challenges against the EU from other countries, such as Poland and Hungary, whose authoritarian governments are already at odds with Brussels.

The Natives Are Getting Restless

May 10, 2020 By Hermann Observer in Habeas Corpus, Hard Facts, Heconomy, Helplessness, Hideology, Higher Education, Home Cooking, Hurt Feelings, Hysteria Tags: Berlin, Corona, Coronavirus, COVID-19, Demonstrations, Demonstrators, German, Germans, Germany, Lockdown, Pandemic, Protestors, Protests, Regulations, Restrictions, Rules Leave a comment

Germans, of all people, are slowly but surely losing patience with rules, regulations and restrictions – of the Coronavirus lockdown kind, I mean.

Demonstrations are now taking place throughout the country in which demonstrators are openly expressing their frustration with the false information and mixed signals coming from the politicians and medical experts who continue to curtail their fundamental rights. In other words, there ain’t gonna be a second lockdown, people.

3000 statt 80 Teilnehmer – Demo gegen Corona-Regeln. Die Demonstranten warfen der Politik und Medizinern vor, im Zusammenhang mit der Corona-Pandemie Panik zu verbreiten und die Grundrechte der Menschen zu beschneiden.

Semblance Of Normal Life Beginning In Germany

May 7, 2020 By Hermann Observer in Hard Facts, Health, Heconomy, Helplessness, Hideology, Higher Education, Home Cooking, Hysteria Tags: Corona, Coronavirus, COVID-19, German, Germans, Germany, Normal, Normalcy, Restrictions Leave a comment

I mean, it’s beginning to look like the semblance of normal life that was normal life here in Germany before cornavirus hit. That kind of normal.

It may only be a semblance but that’s about all you can hope for here, people.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel set out plans Wednesday for the gradual reopening of the country after weeks-long restrictions imposed to stem the spread of the coronavirus.

Limits on social contact will remain in place until June 5, she said, but Germans can now meet with members of one other household as well as their own. People must still remain 1.5 meters apart and cover their mouths and noses in public.

Shops can reopen but with additional hygiene measures, Merkel said, speaking at a news conference following a video meeting with the prime ministers of Germany’s 16 states.

„Wir können uns ein Stück Mut leisten, aber wir müssen vorsichtig bleiben.“

I Got Your Quantitative Easing For You Right Here, Pal

May 5, 2020 By Hermann Observer in Hard Facts, Heconomy, Helplessness, Hideology, Home Cooking, Horror, Hurt Feelings, Hypocrisy, Hysteria Tags: Bonds, Bundesbank, Central Banks, Courts, Dept, ECB, EU, Euro, European Union, Eurozone, German, Germans, Germany, Law, Quantitative Easing, Rule of Law, Rulings, Spending, Waste Leave a comment

Imagine that. A nation state (member state) ought to have a say in how its money is spent. What a radical new concept.

Germany’s top court has ruled that the European Central Bank’s mass bond-buying to stabilise the eurozone partly violates the German constitution.

The ruling relates to government debt worth €2.1 trillion (£2tn; $2.3tn) bought by the ECB since 2015, but not purchases in the coronavirus crisis.

The Constitutional Court in Karlsruhe says there is not enough German political oversight in the purchases…

The plaintiffs are a group of German academics, including a former leader of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), Bernd Lucke. They argue that the purchases violate the EU ban on one eurozone member subsidising the debts of another.

It is now up to the ECB to explain how its mass bond-buying programme is “proportionate”. The Bundesbank could pull out if it is not satisfied, in three months’ time – which would be a big blow to the eurozone.

Observing Hermann

“Was interessiert mich mein Geschwätz von gestern?”

Category Archives: Heconomy