German of the day: Handelsüberschuss

February 8, 2025 By Hermann Observer in Habitudes, Hard Facts, Heconomy, Helplessness, Hideology, Home Cooking, Hypocrisy Tags: Donald Trump, EU, German, Germany, Language, Tariffs, Trade, Trade Surplus, USA Leave a comment

That means trade surplus.

As Trump threatens EU with tariffs, Germany announces trade surplus worth $74.1 billion with U.S. – Germany logged a record trade surplus with the United States last year, data showed Friday, news that could stoke tensions with US President Donald Trump as he threatens the EU with tariffs.

The United States also returned as the top trading partner for Europe’s biggest economy last year, it showed, overtaking China which had been in the number one spot since 2016…

Germany accounts for a hefty chunk of the European Union’s large trade surplus with the United States, which has been a source of anger for Trump.

“Startlingly aggressive?”

February 3, 2025 By Hermann Observer in Hard Facts, Home Cooking Tags: AfD, Asylum Seekers, Borders, CDU, Elections, Friedrich Merz, Germany, Immigration, Migrants, Political Parties Leave a comment

I’d say it’s more like “refreshingly different.”

Merz doubles down on gambit with German far right in combative speech – Prospective chancellor takes startlingly aggressive line against those protesting against gamble with AfD.

The German conservative opposition leader, Friedrich Merz, whose party is widely tipped to win this month’s general election, defended his hardline migration proposals after a wave of protests accused him of breaching the time-honoured “firewall” between the far right and centrists.

In an uncompromising speech to a party congress of his Christian Democratic Union (CDU) in Berlin, Merz said he was confident they would win the 23 February vote “with a very good result”, well ahead of the anti-immigration, anti-Islam Alternative für Deutschland (AfD), which has been consistently placing second in the polls.

Five days after passing a non-binding resolution on border policy with the votes of the far right – marking a historic breach of a taboo – Merz renewed a promise to bar any formal cooperation with the AfD in future.

“We will not work with the Alternative für Deutschland – not before [the election], not after – never,” he said to a lengthy standing ovation from delegates.

“Accept fewer?”

February 2, 2025 By Hermann Observer in Hard Facts, Helplessness, Hideology, Home Cooking Tags: Asylum Seekers, Borders, EU, Germans, Germany, Immigrants, Immigrations, Migrants, Polls 1 Comment

Isn’t that the same as reject more?

It all depends on your point of view, I guess.

Immigration: German voters want to accept fewer refugees – A majority of Germans believe the country should accept fewer refugees, according to the latest Deutschlandtrend poll. However, most are in favor of EU-wide solutions and are against their country “going it alone.”

Germany’s Green economy rocks

January 30, 2025 By Hermann Observer in Hard Facts, Heconomy, Helections, Helplessness, Hideology, Home Cooking Tags: Economy, Elections, Energy, Germany, Greens, Growth, Industry, Robert Habeck Leave a comment

It pitches, reels and staggers too.

Talk about having a gross domestic product.

Germany slashes growth outlook in ‘serious’ diagnosis of Europe’s largest economy – The German government on Wednesday slashed its gross domestic product forecast to just 0.3% growth in 2025.

This is down from a previous forecast of 1.1% growth, but broadly in line with estimates from bodies like the International Monetary Fund.

“The diagnosis is serious,” Robert Habeck, Germany’s Economy and Climate Minister, said during a press conference.

German of the day: Antrag

January 29, 2025 By Hermann Observer in Hard Facts, Helections, Helplessness, Hideology, Home Cooking, Hurt Feelings Tags: AfD, Asylum Seekers, Borders, CDU, Friedrich Merz, German, Germany, Immigration, Language, Migrants, Political Parties Leave a comment

That means motion. As in proposal.

German immigration motion passes, breaking taboo on cooperation with AfD – Narrow passage of controversial CDU-CSU motion ends longstanding boycott on cooperating with far-right party.

The German parliament has narrowly passed a motion urging tough restrictions on immigration that was highly controversial because it was backed by the far-right Alternative für Deutschland party.

The motion was brought by the conservative opposition CDU-CSU and backed by, among others, the AfD, breaking a longstanding taboo on cooperation with the anti-immigration party.

Elon is one smart cookie…

January 28, 2025 By Hermann Observer in Habitudes, Hard Facts, Helplessness, Hideology, History, Home Cooking, Hurt Feelings Tags: AfD, Elections, Germans, Germany, Guilt, Holocaust Leave a comment

But this wasn’t exaclty rocket science.

Musk Says Germany Has ‘Too Much of a Focus on Past Guilt’ – His comments to the hard-right Alternative for Germany party escalated efforts by the billionaire to influence the country’s election for chancellor next month.

‘Too Much of a Focus on Past Guilt’ is one hell of an understatement. Guilt is an all-consuming obsession here.

I can only hold my breath for 30 seconds

January 26, 2025 By Hermann Observer in Hard Facts, History, Home Cooking Tags: Germans, Germany, Rudiger Koch, World Records Leave a comment

Tops.

This guy rocks.

120 days: German man sets world record for living under water – To celebrate, Rudiger Koch toasted with champagne and smoked a cigar before leaping into the Caribbean Sea.y rocks.

120 days: German man sets world record for living under water – To celebrate, Rudiger Koch toasted with champagne and smoked a cigar before leaping into the Caribbean Sea.

German of the day: Harte Linie

January 24, 2025 By Hermann Observer in Helections, Home Cooking Tags: AfD, Asylum Seekers, Borders, CDU, Elections, FDP, German, Germany, Language, Migrants, Migration, Political Parties Leave a comment

That means a hard line.

When it comes to Germany’s migration policy. Something that has never been taken before. Or maybe this time doch (after all)? Could it really be possible now?? Nah.

Germany’s opposition leader Merz under fire for vowing migration crackdown – Germany’s opposition leader Friedrich Merz is under fire for vowing strict border controls if he is elected chancellor, with the frontrunner citing a deadly knife attack that was allegedly carried out by a rejected asylum seeker as justification for a migration overhaul.

The leader of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) on Thursday presented a five-point migration plan calling for, among other things, a “de facto entry ban” for all people without valid documents and permanent control of all of Germany’s borders…

Merz has steadfastly ruled out the possibility of working with the controversial AfD — which has been traditionally shunned in parliament amongst Germany’s more established parties.

Yet the AfD’s candidate for chancellor, Alice Weidel, emphatically supported Merz’s proposals, which she claimed her party had put forward first. Weidel said that the AfD could work with the CDU in order to gather enough votes for Merz’s measures to pass.

Germany gets off to a great start with Trump 2.0

January 19, 2025 By Hermann Observer in Hard Facts, Home Cooking, Hurt Feelings Tags: Diplomacy, Germany, Trump Leave a comment

Its ambassador just caused “maximum disruption” – for Germany.

Where would Germany be without professional diplomats?

German ambassador warns of Trump plan to redefine constitutional order, document shows – Germany’s ambassador to the United States has warned that the incoming Trump administration will rob U.S. law enforcement and the media of their independence and hand big tech companies “co-governing power”, according to a confidential document seen by Reuters.

The briefing document, dated Jan. 14 and signed by Ambassador Andreas Michaelis, describes Donald Trump’s agenda for his second White House term as one of “maximum disruption” that will bring about “a redefinition of the constitutional order – maximum concentration of power with the president at the expense of Congress and the federal states.”

“Basic democratic principles and checks and balances will be largely undermined, the legislature, law enforcement and media will be robbed of their independence and misused as a political arm, Big Tech will be given co-governing power,” it says.

With what?

January 16, 2025 By Hermann Observer in Hard Facts, Helplessness, Hideology, Home Cooking Tags: Defense, Drones, Germany, Military, Russia Leave a comment

Shoot them down with what?

Germany to shoot down drones near military sites – Germany’s cabinet has decided to authorise the army to shoot down suspicious drones seen near military sites or other critical infrastructure.

A statement from Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said that, “especially since [Russian President Vladimir] Putin’s war of aggression against Ukraine, we have seen that drones are being used more and more frequently, which poses an increasing challenge for the police and their current technology”.

Russia is suspected of launching a “shadow war” against Western countries supporting Ukraine – a charge it denies.

Observing Hermann

“Was interessiert mich mein Geschwätz von gestern?”

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