Germany to finally bow to the United States’ wishes

December 10, 2025 By Hermann Observer in Hard Facts, Helplessness, Home Cooking Tags: Dependency, Economy, EU, Europe, Germany, Military, Technology, United States Leave a comment

And become less dependent on the United States.

Germany’s Merz: Europe must become less dependent on United States – German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Tuesday rejected a blistering attack on European democracies by the Trump administration, which issued a strategy paper last week declaring that the continent faced “civilizational erasure.”

The U.S. National Security Strategy, made public last week, caused shock across Europe, with a broadside that accused European governments of “subversion of democratic processes” and said U.S. policy should include “cultivating resistance” within the European Union.

Go with the mass layoffs, Germany

July 4, 2025 By Hermann Observer in Hard Facts, Helplessness, Hideology Tags: Dependency, Energy, Germany, Imports, Oil, Russia, Ukraine Leave a comment

Mass layoffs for peace? Absolutely. It’s only the right thing to do.

Especially if you’re on the left.

Russian oil or mass layoffs: A German town’s conundrum – In Schwedt, life flows through an oil refinery. If it doesn’t get help — or restart Russian imports — people worry their jobs will be gone.

Let’s diversify!

August 13, 2024 By Hermann Observer in Habitudes, Hard Facts, Heconomy, Helplessness, Hideology, Home Cooking, Hurt Feelings Tags: China, Dependency, Diversification, Exports, Germany, Industry, Manufacturing, Trade Leave a comment

Just like we did with our dependency on Russian gas a few years back.

It’s called diversification through more dangerous entanglement.

German investment in China soars despite Berlin’s diversification drive – Politicians warn of rising geopolitical tensions but country’s carmakers stick with Chinese manufacturing.

German direct investment into China has risen sharply this year, in a sign that companies in Europe’s largest economy are ignoring pleas from their government to diversify into other, less geopolitically risky markets.

Germany first to figure out what’s going on with Chinese 5G components

July 19, 2024 By Hermann Observer in Hard Facts, Helplessness, Hideology, Home Cooking Tags: 5G, Bans, China, Chips, Dependency, Espionage, Huawei, Spies, Spying, Technology, ZTE Leave a comment

If you start counting at the end of the line.

Why Chinese technology set off alarm bells in Germany – Even as the German government moves to bar components made by China’s Huawei and ZTE from core parts of the country’s 5G networks, some German companies are looking to work with Chinese firms in other critical areas…

The ban comes as Chinese technology firms are increasingly viewed with suspicions for their allegedly too close ties to the government in Beijing. Especially Beijing’s drive to make companies like Huawei and ZTE world leaders in high-tech sectors makes Western governments wary of giving them too much influence on their national infrastructures.

Germans asked to stop being so naive

April 25, 2024 By Hermann Observer in Habitudes, Hard Facts, Hideology, Hurt Feelings Tags: China, Dependency, Espionage, Exports, Germany, Imports, Military, Spies Leave a comment

Germans reply by saying “What do you mean?”

“Just because we’re uncritical, unquestioning and easily taken in doesn’t necessarily mean that we’re naive. It worked with Russia, didn’t it?”

German spy agency warns companies against being too “naive” on China – Germany’s domestic spy agency told companies on Wednesday they should be on guard against industrial espionage by Beijing, warning them not to be naive or over-reliant on China.

The warning from the agency’s deputy head Sinan Selen came days after three German nationals were arrested on suspicion of handing over technology with military applications – a case which has highlighted mounting anxiety across Western Europe about Chinese spying.

German of the day: Unwahrscheinlich

April 11, 2024 By Hermann Observer in Hard Facts, Hideology, Hurt Feelings Tags: Dependency, Economy, Energy, Gas, German, Germany, Greens, Industry, Language, Renewables, Russia, Solar, Ukraine, War, Wind Leave a comment

That means unlikely. As in “a recovery of German industry to the level before the war in Ukraine is unlikely.”

Go Green, go… lean.

Germany set to permanently pay for reliance on Russian gas—as power chief says ‘significant structural demand destruction’ means it will never fully recover from energy crisis.

German industry got rich, thanks partly to its close energy trading relationship with political and economic rival Russia. The past few years have shown just how misguided that relationship was, as Russia invaded Ukraine and cut off Germany’s cheap, vital gas supply.

Now, one of Germany’s leading renewable-power bosses has suggested it’s a mistake the country could rue forever, as the fallout from the energy crisis is set to permanently damage its industry.

Those were the days…

February 28, 2024 By Hermann Observer in Hard Facts, Helplessness, Hideology, Home Cooking, Hurt Feelings, Hypocrisy, Hysteria Tags: Dependency, Diplomacy, Donald Trump, Energy, Gas, Germany, Heiko Maas, Oil, Pipelines, Russia, SPD, Trump, UN Leave a comment

When we could smirk our smirk with impunity.

But then the real world happened. Again.

Germany Should Have Listened to Trump – He was right about Berlin’s self-defense and risky energy dependence on Russia.

The lower house of Germany’s Parliament voted to legalize the recreational use of cannabis last week. It was a timely move. Germany’s leadership class is going to need all the mellow it can find in a world that isn’t going Germany’s way.

Green Germany looks more black to me

September 22, 2023 By Hermann Observer in Habitudes, Hard Facts, Heconomy, Helplessness, Hideology, Home Cooking, Hurt Feelings Tags: Coal, Dependency, Energy, Gas, Germany, Greens, Laws, Legislation, Nuclear power, Politicians, Renewables Leave a comment

Black as night when you turn off the light.

The Green obsession with doing without is in full nighttime bloom.

Germany passes law to make energy savings compulsory – Germany’s lower house of parliament on Thursday passed a bill to make saving energy compulsory in all economic sectors, a move intended to help fight climate change and curb use of imported fossil fuels.

The Energy Efficiency Act, introduced by the Greens-led economy ministry, includes regulation for energy savings in public buildings, industry and fast-growing data centres across Germany, with the goal of a 26.5% cut by 2030 from 2008.

Spurred by fears that persistently low Russian gas supplies could lead to shortages, the German government introduced some initial energy-saving measures last year, including banning heating for private swimming pools and encouraging people to work from home.

What happened?

September 20, 2023 By Hermann Observer in Hard Facts, Heconomy, Helplessness, Hideology, Home Cooking, Hurt Feelings Tags: Dependency, Energy, Gas, Germans, Germany, Greens, Industry, Nuclear energy, Renewable energy Leave a comment

The Greens happened.

Now it’s US-Amerika‘s turn (some call it The Banana Republic).

Germany went from envy of the world to the worst-performing major developed economy. What happened?

For most of this century, Germany racked up one economic success after another, dominating global markets for high-end products like luxury cars and industrial machinery, selling so much to the rest of the world that half the economy ran on exports.

Jobs were plentiful, the government’s financial coffers grew as other European countries drowned in debt, and books were written about what other countries could learn from Germany.

No longer. Now, Germany is the world’s worst-performing major developed economy, with both the International Monetary Fund and European Union expecting it to shrink this year.

The lack of Russian gas isn’t your problem, Germany

August 30, 2023 By Hermann Observer in Habitudes, Hard Facts, Heconomy, Helplessness, Hideology, Home Cooking Tags: Dependency, Energy, Gas, Germany, Greens, Industry, Nuclear energy, Renewables, Russia Leave a comment

It was your willing dependency on it. And your systematic shutdown of reliable energy sources at home.

Green ideology got you here. Now sit back and enjoy it. And remember: You’re setting an example for the rest of the world.

Energy fears spur German industrials to seek investments abroad – Annual business survey finds concern over country’s future without Russian gas.

Nearly a third of German industrial companies are planning to boost production abroad rather than at home amid increasing concern over the country’s future without Russian gas, according to a closely watched annual survey.

The annual “Energy Transition Barometer” by the German Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DIHK) found that 32 per cent of companies surveyed favoured investment abroad over domestic expansion. The figure was double the 16 per cent in last year’s survey.

Observing Hermann

“Was interessiert mich mein Geschwätz von gestern?”

Tag Archives: Dependency