Tag Archives: Brussels

Maybe he was attacked because the baseball cap was white?

July 10, 2025 By in Hard Facts, Hideology, Home Cooking Tags: , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Perhaps the attackers were MAGA purists?

Political Assault in Brussels: Young Man Attacked for Wearing Trump Cap – On the night of Thursday, July 3rd, a young German citizen was assaulted in Place du Luxembourg in Brussels, just steps from the European Parliament. The incident occurred at the well-known bar ’The Network,’ a popular gathering spot for EU officials, parliamentary assistants, and visitors.

According to the testimony of the 24-year-old victim, the incident began when a woman approached him and snatched a white baseball cap with the slogan “Make America Great Again,” associated with former U.S. President Donald Trump. After calling him a “racist,” three men, reportedly of North African origin, joined in, allegedly insulting and physically attacking him, leaving him with multiple bruises, facial injuries, and a head wound that required several stitches.

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.

EU Can Do

December 23, 2022 By in Habitudes, Hard Facts, Helplessness, Hideology, Humor, Hypocrisy Tags: , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

What does it matter that the EU can’t even control its own borders, create a common defense, organise vaccines, agree on a data protection law, control money laundering, unite properly over practically all major issues, agree on one location to seat its government, sanction its own misbehaving members, actually get rid of daylight savings time after having announced it got rid of daylight savings time many years ago… And so very, very much more?

Its bureaucrats, technocrats, kleptocrats and all the other crats mean well and have their hearts in the right place. So, sure, who could be better qualified to place Twitter under direct supervision? Other than Big Brother himself. I mean herself. You know what I mean. Whatever kind of self Big Brother might have these days.

EU should put Twitter under direct supervision after missteps: German official – A senior German official said on Thursday Twitter should join other tech firms in being directly monitored by the European Commission, saying the company’s erratic behaviour under new owner Elon Musk posed a threat to free speech.

“The power of the big platforms over public discourse needs necessary safeguards so that fundamental rights are effectively protected.”

The Eurozone Doesn’t Work Now With It’s Current Member States

September 22, 2021 By in Habitudes, Hard Facts, Heconomy, Hurt Feelings Tags: , , , , , Leave a comment

I know, the EU’s bureaucratic hive mind says, let’s add another broke country to see how that doesn’t work then either.

Concerns Rise as Bulgaria Prepares to Join the Euro – Bulgaria has significant problems with corruption and money laundering. Nevertheless, the European Union is prepared to accept the country as the next member of the eurozone. Many fear that might be a bad idea.

It’s Not Just US-Amerikaner Who Break The Rules

December 8, 2020 By in Habitudes, Hard Facts, Hideology, Higher Education, Home Cooking, Hypocrisy Tags: , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

When it comes to holding free and fair elections, for example.

Rules

Germany rocks in the Dishonesty Department too. In other areasy maybe. But still.

Germany is now the biggest breaker of EU rules, according to new statistics on enforcement actions started by Brussels against member states.

The figures come despite the country’s leading role in the European project and claims from some quarters that Angela Merkel’s government dominates proceedings in the bloc.

Numbers provided to German newspaper Handelsblatt by the country’s economics ministry show the country’s government is subject to 74 infringement proceedings by the European Commission for failing to implement EU regulations properly in German law.

German Green party politician Markus Tressel told the newspaper Germany was now “bottom of the class” for following EU rules and far from the “model pupil” it was sometimes portrayed as.

German Of The Day: Naivität

April 14, 2019 By in Habitudes, Hard Facts, Heconomy, Helplessness, Hideology, Home Cooking, Hurt Feelings, Hypocrisy Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

That means naivete, as in being gullible or simple-minded.

China

Here’s an example: Industry Leaders Accuse Europe of Naivete with Respect to China – China’s aggressive approach in extending its economic power is causing concern among European companies. They demand a tougher approach from Brussels – and a convincing vision.

Good luck with that, European industry leaders. “Europe” doesn’t have time to deal with little issues like that at the moment, nor will it have any time in the near future. It is too occupied with self-inflicted problems like uncontrolled migration and Brexit (and the ensuing financial crisis) and placing the next batch of non-elected and unaccountable EU eurocrats in power. But once all that is taken care of, who knows? That little Chinese issue might just get tackled, too.

Die aggressive Vorgehensweise Chinas bei der Ausdehnung seiner Wirtschaftsmacht bereitet europäischen Unternehmern Sorgen. Sie fordern eine härtere Gangart von Brüssel – und eine überzeugende Vision.

German Of The Day: Zusage

July 12, 2018 By in Hard Facts, Heconomy, Helplessness, Humility, Hurt Feelings Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

That means pledge – like the one Germany just made (increase in defense spending to 2% by 2024 instead of 2028 or 2030).

Zusage

President Donald Trump appeared to declare victory on Thursday in his battle with America’s closest allies to get them to contribute more money to the NATO alliance. Mr. Trump acknowledged that he had taken a tough stance with his European counterparts, demanding they contribute more of their national budgets to defense and saying after Thursday’s meetings, “they upped their commitments and I am very happy…”  

Under fire for his warm embrace of Russia’s Vladimir Putin, Mr. Trump on Wednesday turned a harsh spotlight on Germany’s own ties to Russia, alleging that a natural gas pipeline venture with Moscow has left Angela Merkel’s government “totally controlled” and “captive” to Russia.

Auch Deutschland habe große Zusagen gemacht – das Zwei-Prozent-Ziel solle nun wesentlich früher erreicht werden als ursprünglich geplant – laut Trump nicht erst 2028 oder 2030, sondern schon 2024.

It’s Like Pulling Teeth

June 29, 2018 By in Helplessness, Hideology, Home Cooking, Hypochondria, Hypocrisy Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

To get this woman to do anything, I mean.

Merkel

Angela Merkel’s friends and enemies lined up in Berlin on Friday morning to defend and attack the chancellor after she stayed up for hours with EU leaders in Brussels hammering out a common European Union plan on keeping out more asylum-seekers.

The ultimate question was whether Merkel had found a deal satisfactory enough to appease her Bavarian allies. The Christian Social Union (CSU) precipitated a government coalition crisis in the past few weeks by insisting that asylum-seekers who had already registered in other countries be turned away at the German border.

“It is the result of a debate in Germany that the migration issue is finally being addressed more strongly at an EU level.”

Alle CSU-Forderungen hat der EU-Gipfel nicht erfüllt. Dennoch gehen die Beschlüsse so weit in Richtung Abschottung, dass selbst Kanzler Kurz zufrieden ist. Ein Erfolg ist die Einigung, weil Europa auf gemeinsame Lösungen setzt.

That Was Close

April 23, 2018 By in Habeas Corpus, Hard Facts, Home Cooking, Hurt Feelings, Hypocrisy Tags: , , , , , , , , , , 1 Comment

Just in time, people. Brussels has just proudly and loudly announced that it plans to encourage and better protect whistleblowers in order to help them “bring light to scandals that would otherwise remain in the dark.” You know, like the Facebook thing, the Panama Papers, scandals like that. Or maybe like this one right down here?

EU

“Experts Strongly Suspect Corruption in the European Council.” Several members of the European Council are suspected of having taken bribes from Azerbaijan in exchange for political support.

Perfect. They really think these things through, don’t they? So now it’s time to step up to the plate and start shedding some light on this for us, European Council whistleblowers. But don’t worry. Brussels will protect you. Oh, I forgot. You are Brussels. Why, see? Then there’s even less for you to worry about.

“Es sollte keine Strafe dafür geben, das Richtige zu tun.”