Category Archives: Heconomy

It’s not because we have the highest energy costs in the world…

April 24, 2025 By in Habitudes, Hard Facts, Heconomy, Helplessness, Hideology, Hurt Feelings Tags: , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Or the shortest number of hours (days) worked in any industrialized country. Or the most restrictive bureaucracy of any G7 nation. Or even that we continue to miss the boat when it comes to embracing new technological developments. To name just a few.

No. Germany’s economy continues to fail (for the third year now) because of Donald Trump.

Germany sees zero growth in 2025, blames Trump tariffs – Germany was the only G7 economy that failed to grow for the last two years, and is on track for a third year without growth in 2025.

The German government cut its economic growth forecast to zero citing the impact of US President Donald Trump’s trade policies .

“There is above all one reason for this, namely Donald Trump’s trade policy and the effects of the trade policy on Germany,” outgoing Economy Minister Robert Habeck said.

The European Debt Race

March 31, 2025 By in Hard Facts, Heconomy, Helplessness, Hideology Tags: , , , , , Leave a comment

To the bottom.

You’ll never catch us! As in U.S.

Germany’s spending push drives up borrowing costs across Eurozone – Investors warn that higher bond yields could make it harder for members of the bloc to increase defence spending.

A surge in Eurozone government borrowing costs as a result of Germany’s planned defence spending spree will intensify debt pressures on other countries in the bloc and could make it harder for them to mount borrowing campaigns of their own, investors have warned.

We will not give in!

March 29, 2025 By in Hard Facts, Heconomy, Helplessness, Home Cooking, Hurt Feelings Tags: , , , Leave a comment

We’ll just give up. Probably next week some time.

But we will not give in!

Germany leads defiance of Trump car tariffs, saying it ‘will not give in’ – President Donald Trump targets imported cars and car parts with a 25% tax in his latest tariffs.

Other major world economies have vowed to retaliate, with France’s president branding the move “a waste of time” and “incoherent”, Canada calling it a “direct attack”, and China accusing Washington of violating international trade rules.

Germans welcoming a US initiative?

March 28, 2025 By in Heconomy, Helplessness, Hideology, Home Cooking Tags: , , , , , , , Leave a comment

There must be some misunderstanding here.

Germany debates proposal to re-open Nord Stream pipelines – Members of the conservative CDU party, likely to lead the next German government, have raised the possibility of importing Russian gas again. The far right has welcomed the idea.

Parliamentarians of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) have caused a political row in Germany by welcoming an apparent US initiative to repair and re-open the Nord Stream gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea between Russia and Germany.

There’s just less and less demand these days…

March 26, 2025 By in Hard Facts, Heconomy, Hideology, Hurt Feelings Tags: , , , , , , , Leave a comment

To go to Brussels.

Who would want anything to do with the European Parliament industrial complex if could be avoided?

Off the rails: Night train from Berlin to Brussels will stop running at the end of March – Passengers can still travel between Berlin and Brussels on an overnight train using the European Sleeper.

European Sleeper is also a much more appropriate name, I find.

No, it isn’t

March 15, 2025 By in Hard Facts, Heconomy, Helplessness, Home Cooking, Hurt Feelings Tags: , , , , , , Leave a comment

Germany is not back. And it won’t be coming back until its politicians respect the will of the German electorate. This is not the government Germans voted for.

Germany is back, says Merz after historic spending deal – Germany’s conservative leader, Friedrich Merz, has clinched an enormous financial package to revamp defence and infrastructure, ahead of a crunch vote in parliament next Tuesday.

Merz, who aims to lead a government with the Social Democrats in the coming weeks, is in a rush to push through a big boost in spending on defence and creaking infrastructure…

“This is nothing less than a financial coup.”

PS: And who says they have the votes to push this through next Tuesday?

English of the day: Debt overhall

March 5, 2025 By in Hard Facts, Heconomy, Helplessness, Home Cooking Tags: , , , , , , , Leave a comment

That means to go bat shit crazy further into debt. Unnecessarily.

German taxpayers “contribute” a billion euros a year now. German politicians burn most of it. They have all the money they need. They just refuse to cut spending à la DOGE. This is a “conservative” planning to do this, mind you.

German parties agree on historic debt overhaul to revamp military and economy – The parties hoping to form Germany’s next government on Tuesday agreed to create a 500 billion euro infrastructure fund and overhaul borrowing rules in a tectonic spending shift to revamp the military and revive growth in Europe’s largest economy.

Friedrich Merz’s conservatives and the Social Democrats (SPD), who are in negotiations to form a coalition after a national election last month, will put their proposals to the German parliament next week.