Tag Archives: Language

German of the day: Schlagabtausch

February 10, 2025 By in Hard Facts, Helections Tags: , , , , , , Leave a comment

That means an exchange of blows. Or a debate, if you prefer.

German Chancellor candidates clash on Trump, the far-right and NATO – In the first duel ahead of the February 23 election, Merz portrayed Scholz as a ditherer who had led Germany into economic crisis, while the Social Democrat presented himself as an experienced leader in command of the details…

Merz, far ahead in the polls and the favourite to become Germany’s next chancellor, expressed reluctance to raise taxes or borrow to reach the NATO alliance’s defence spending target of 2% of gross domestic product, far short of the 5% Trump is demanding.

German of the day: Handelsüberschuss

February 8, 2025 By in Habitudes, Hard Facts, Heconomy, Helplessness, Hideology, Home Cooking, Hypocrisy Tags: , , , , , , , , 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.

German of the day: „Riviera des Nahen Ostens“

February 5, 2025 By in Hard Facts, Hurt Feelings Tags: , , , , , Leave a comment

That means “Riviera of the Middle East.”

Book early or something.

Das Kernzitat lautet: “Die USA werden den Gazastreifen übernehmen, und wir werden dort ganze Arbeit leisten.“ Im englischen Original: „The U.S. will take over the Gaza Strip, and we will do a job with it too.“ Zudem sagte er: „Wir werden ihn besitzen.“

The core quote is: “The U.S. will take over the Gaza Strip, and we will do a job with it too.” In the original English: “The U.S. will take over the Gaza Strip, and we will do a job with it too.” He also said: “We will own it.”

German of the day: Abweichler

January 31, 2025 By in Hard Facts, Helplessness Tags: , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

That means dissenters.

As in dissenters within your own party. In this case, Germany’s CDU.

Germany’s parliament rejects radical migration plan – Greens and SPD earlier refused to support the Influx Limitation Act amid fierce criticism from Merkel over Merz’s cooperation with AfD…

The highly-controversial proposal, put forward by the CDU/CSU opposition party which leads in the polls, failed to secure a majority in the Bundestag, despite the backing of the far-right Alternative für Deutschland.

German of the day: Antrag

January 29, 2025 By in Hard Facts, Helections, Helplessness, Hideology, Home Cooking, Hurt Feelings Tags: , , , , , , , , , , 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.

German of the day: Mehrheit

January 27, 2025 By in Helplessness, Hideology Tags: , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

That means majority.

Despite Scholz’s criticism (German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, SPD): majority of SPD voters support Merz’s asylum ban, according to poll – Scholz had protested vehemently against the CDU’s push for a turnaround on migration. A survey now shows that 66% of Germans support Merz – as do the majority of SPD voters.

German of the day: Harte Linie

January 24, 2025 By in Helections, Home Cooking Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , 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.

German of the day: Undenkbar

January 22, 2025 By in Hard Facts, Helplessness, Hideology Tags: , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

That means unthinkable.

Austria’s ‘firewall’ against the far right collapsed. Could the unthinkable happen in Germany too?

Could Germany go the way of Austria? Could the party of the far right be invited to form a government? What was previously deemed impossible, then revised down to improbable, is now possible. There are two scenarios in which this could happen…

Meanwhile… Two dead after knife attack in Aschaffenburg.

The climate really is changing…

January 15, 2025 By in Hard Facts, Helections, Helplessness, Hideology Tags: , , , , , , , Leave a comment

In Germany. When it comes to climate change, I mean.

Endlich (finally).

Germany’s likely next chancellor vows to put economy before climate – Conservative chancellor candidate Friedrich Merz railed against the climate policies of the left-leaning parties he’ll likely have to govern with.

Germany’s economic policies have been “almost exclusively geared toward climate protection” during the reign of Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Merz said during a campaign speech in the western industrial city of Bochum on Monday. “I want to say it clearly as I mean it: We will and we must change that.”