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.

Berlin Tegel Airport Closing June 1, 2020

May 1, 2020 By Hermann Observer in Hard Facts, Heconomy, Helplessness, Hideology, History, Home Cooking, Hurt Feelings, Hysteria Tags: Airports, BER, Berlin Schönefeld, Berlin Tegel, Berlin-Brandenburg Airport, Cold War, Corona, Coronavirus, COVID-19, West Berlin Leave a comment

And Berlin Brandenburg Airport opens October 31, 2020. Let’s do the math.

So, Berlin is down to just one world-class horrible airport for like five months? Until the next world-class horrible one comes along, I mean? Sheesh. Although with all this Corona going on maybe nobody will even notice.

Personally, I will miss Tegel. Maybe because it was so small and in the middle of town like that. You could walk around the entire main terminal in five minutes. Adieu, Tegel. It was in what used to be called the French Sector, after all.

This comes as the airport has seen a huge drop in passenger numbers, with passengers currently amounting to 1% of normal amounts. The company running the airport is allegedly losing one million Euros per day, so closing the airport will save costs.

German Of The Day: Maskenpflicht

April 28, 2020 By Hermann Observer in Hard Facts, Heconomy, Helplessness, Home Cooking, Humility, Hurt Feelings, Hysteria Tags: Corona, Coronavirus, COVID-19, Face Masks, German, Germans, Germany, Government Regulations, Language, Poor Planning Leave a comment

That means the mandatory wearing of face masks. No. Not like the batman ones. These down here.

This in a country that 1) made a big deal about them not being necessary just a few weeks ago and 2) failed abysmally in providing them for their citizens (I have a sneaking suspicion that there is a very strong connection between numbers 1 and 2 here). Hey, just do it yourself, folks. Ha, ha, ha.

On Monday, new regulations went into effect across Germany requiring residents to cover their noses and mouths while traveling with public transportation or while shopping.

Each of Germany’s 16 states, which are entitled to make their own decisions under Germany’s federal system, drew up their own set of regulations — meaning that the rules are slightly different depending on the region.

Maskenpflicht im Einzelhandel gilt jetzt bundesweit.

Dis Is Our Disinformation

April 27, 2020 By Hermann Observer in Habitudes, Hard Facts, Heconomy, Helplessness, Home Cooking, Humility, Hurt Feelings, Hypochondria, Hypocrisy Tags: Blame, Bureaucrats, China, Corona, Coronavirus, COVID-19, Disinformation, EU, European Union, Kowtow, Political Pressure, Pressure, Reports, Technocrats, Threats Leave a comment

Not China’s.

“The Chinese are already threatening with reactions if the report comes out.”

Well, we certainly don’t want that in ze Europe.

The European Union’s foreign policy chief is facing questions over allegations that a report about Chinese disinformation over Covid-19 was watered down in response to pressure from Beijing…

The report was published on the EU’s monitoring website EU vs Disinfo on Friday. A survey of disinformation and misinformation about Covid-19 around the world, the report largely summarises and analyses publicly available information. It notes a “continued and coordinated push by some actors, including Chinese sources, to deflect any blame for the outbreak of the pandemic and highlighting bilateral assistance”, as well as “significant evidence of covert Chinese operations on social media.”

EU findet Propaganda aus Peking – China will Herkunft des Coronavirus verschleiern.

No Lines, No Crowds

April 23, 2020 By Hermann Observer in Hard Facts, Heconomy, Helplessness, Home Cooking, Hurt Feelings, Hysteria Tags: Berlin, Business, Consumers, Corona, Coronavirus, COVID-19, Fear, German, Germans, Germany, Retail, Shopping, Shops, Spending, Stores Leave a comment

No customers, no purchases, no spend money, no make money, no business, no future.

‘No lines, no crowds’ — Germans stay home as stores begin to reopen after coronavirus lockdown – German consumers are counting their pennies rather than returning to shop in large numbers as stores gradually reopen after being locked down during the coronavirus crisis, the national retailers association said on Wednesday.

“Consumers are in a crisis mode, consumer sentiment is in the doldrums.”

German Of The Day: Corona-Rechnung

April 20, 2020 By Hermann Observer in Hard Facts, Heconomy, Helplessness, Hostility, Hurt Feelings Tags: Bild, Bildzeitung, Bills, China, Corona, Coronavirus, Costs, COVID-19, Free Press, German, Germans, Germany, Invoices, Language, Money Leave a comment

That means the Corona invoice or bill.

China has launched a furious war-of-words over a letter by German magazine Bild editor accusing China of being the cause of the Covid-19 outbreak and demanding massive reparations…

“What China owes us,” a provocative article in German tabloid Bild published on 15 April, put a price tag of nearly €150 billion for damages inflicted on the country by Covid-19 pandemic.

The itemized “invoice” included €24 billion in lost tourism revenue from March to April, €7.2 billion in losses for the German film industry, €1 million per hour in costs for Lufthansa, and €50 billion in lost profits for German small businesses.

China responded in anger an open letter to Bild editor Julian Reichelt pointing out that China warned the world early of the dangers of the virus, while rejecting any obligation to pay damages. It also reproached Bild “nationalism, prejudice, and hostility against China.”

Was China uns jetzt schon schuldet.

Observing Hermann

“Was interessiert mich mein Geschwätz von gestern?”

Category Archives: Heconomy