German of the day: Sich ins Knie schießen

February 11, 2026 By Hermann Observer in Hard Facts, Home Cooking Tags: Automobiles, German, Language, Germany, Greens, Energy, Industry, Auto Industry Leave a comment

That means to shoot yourself in the foot, only in German it’s the knee.

With the highest energy prices in Europe (in the world?), what choice does German industry have but move? Go Greens.

German auto industry in ‘crisis’ as investments, jobs move abroad, lobby says – Germany’s standing as an automotive industrial hub risks being hollowed out as investments and jobs drift abroad, an industry association warned on Tuesday, calling on Berlin and Brussels to focus on measures that spur growth.

“Germany is experiencing a huge crisis as a business location,” VDA President Hildegard Mueller said.

A VDA survey of small- and medium-sized German enterprises across the auto supply chain, presented by Mueller on Tuesday, showed that 72% of companies plan to dial back their investments in Germany, either by moving them abroad (28%), postponing them (25%) or cancelling them completely (19%).

The next 20,000 jobs gone

January 31, 2026 By Hermann Observer in Hard Facts, Heconomy, Helplessness, Hideology, Home Cooking Tags: Bosch, Employment, Energy, Germany, Greens, Ideology, Industry, Jobs, Renewables Leave a comment

Could it be our ridiculously high energy costs? Nah.

Germany’s industrial engine sputters as Bosch axes 20,000 jobs – Rising unemployment rate piles pressure on Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s government.

German industrial giant Bosch on Friday confirmed plans to cut 20,000 jobs after profits nearly halved last year, underlining the mounting strain on Germany’s once-dominant manufacturing sector and increasing the pressure on politicians in Berlin to find a solution.

Official data released Friday also showed Germany’s unemployment rate, unadjusted for seasonal factors, rising to 6.6 percent — the highest level in twelve years. The number of unemployed people surpassed three million in January.

“Below-average wind speeds” are to blame

January 29, 2026 By Hermann Observer in Hard Facts, Helplessness, Hi-tech, Hideology, Home Cooking Tags: Electricity, Energy, Germany, Green energy, Greens, Ideology, Renewable energy, Renewables, Wind, Wind Energy 1 Comment

Not the lame-ass technology itself.

Alright, move on, nothing to see here, disperse…

Germany’s stretch of weak wind output set to drag on into 2026 – Europe’s largest wind power producer – Germany – remains in the grips of a years-long bout of sub-par wind electricity production due to below-average wind speeds at turbine level.

Total German wind-powered electricity output fell by around 4% in 2025 from the year before, and followed a less than 1% annual expansion in 2024, despite steady annual increases to Germany’s total wind generation capacity for over a decade.

German of the day: Kopfgeld

January 27, 2026 By Hermann Observer in Hard Facts, Helplessness, Hideology Tags: Attacks, Berlin, Blackouts, Electricity, Energy, German, Germany, Infrastructure, Language, Leftists, Terror Leave a comment

That means “head money,” as in bounty.

Bounty offered over Berlin power grid attack – German authorities have offered a €1 million bounty for tips related to this month’s massive Berlin blackout.

German authorities have issued a €1 million ($1.1 million) reward for information leading to the arrest of those responsible for an attack on electricity infrastructure in Berlin.

The arson attack on January 3 targeted high-voltage cables. It left some 45,000 households in south-western Berlin without electricity and heating during sub-zero temperatures earlier this month. It took more than four days to reconnect all residents back to the grid, making it the longest power outage in the city since the Second World War.

German of the day: Es geht um die Wurst

January 17, 2026 By Hermann Observer in Hard Facts, Hideology, Home Cooking Tags: Business, Economy, Energy, German, Germany, Industry, Language, Sausage Leave a comment

“It’s about the sausage” or “it’s down to the sausage” means it’s now or never.

Germany’s economy is so bad even sausage factories are closing – High costs and stagnant spending are putting businesses through the meat grinder.

Germany vulnerable to sabotage?

January 8, 2026 By Hermann Observer in Hard Facts, Helplessness, Hideology, Home Cooking, Humility Tags: Berlin, Energy, Germany, Greens, Russia, Sabotage, Ukraine Leave a comment

Hell yeah.

Germany has been sabotaging Germany for years.

Berlin power outage highlights German vulnerability to sabotage – Power is being restored to the last homes hit by a five-day blackout in Germany’s snow-covered capital, Berlin.

The outage was caused by a suspected arson attack and came as temperatures dipped below freezing.

It is reportedly the longest blackout in the capital’s post-war history. A far-left militant group has claimed it was behind the outage.

There’s “critical”

January 7, 2026 By Hermann Observer in Hard Facts, Heconomy, Helplessness, Hideology, Home Cooking Tags: Business, Cost of Living, Electricity, Energy, Germany, Greens, Industry, Renewables Leave a comment

Then there’s “very critical.”

Then there’s Germany critical.

Merz issues business SOS in letter to allies – Chancellor Merz has told coalition politicians the situation in several key German businesses is “very critical.” He said the government must prioritize improving areas like energy and labor costs in 2026.

Black Outs Matter

January 5, 2026 By Hermann Observer in Hard Facts, Hurt Feelings Tags: Activists, Attacks, Berlin, Blackouts, Electricity, Energy, Leftists Leave a comment

Especially when you’re experiencing sub-zero temperatures and your heating is out (thanks a million, Global Warming).

Berlin power outage affecting 45,000 homes blamed on ‘politically motivated’ attack – Many households and businesses in south-west Berlin face days without electricity after high-voltage power lines were damaged by a fire which city authorities said Sunday was a result of a politically motivated attack by “left-wing extremists.”

German of the day: Freier Fall

December 4, 2025 By Hermann Observer in Hard Facts, Helplessness, Hideology, Home Cooking Tags: Economy, Energy, Germany, Greens, Industry Leave a comment

That means free fall.

The Federation of German Industries (BDI) believes that Germany’s economy is in “free fall.” German industry is currently facing a dramatic low point, BDI President Peter Leibinger told the news agency dpa. “The economy is in its worst crisis since the Federal Republic was founded, but the federal government is not responding decisively enough.”

A new industry report expects industrial production to decline by two percent this year. This would be the fourth consecutive year of decline. “This is not a temporary dip, but a structural decline,” Leibinger said. German industry is continuously losing ground.

Don’t blame it on your voluntary dependency on Russian energy

November 4, 2025 By Hermann Observer in Hard Facts, Helplessness, Hideology, Home Cooking Tags: Costs, Electricity, Energy, Gas, Germany, Greens, Heating, Nuclear, Renewables, Russia, Solar, Ukraine, Wind Leave a comment

You already had the highest energy prices before the war in Ukraine began.

Blame it on your self-inflicted Green Energiewende (energy turnaround). Turn off all your nuclear power plants and find out.

Germany’s heating bills have tripled since the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine – Germany has faced a significant increase in heating costs since 2021, after deciding to end its reliance on Russia as a key energy supplier over its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Germans are facing a 82% increase in heating costs since 2021, when the country decided to cut ties with Russia following its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Observing Hermann

“Was interessiert mich mein Geschwätz von gestern?”

Tag Archives: Energy