GER politics thread

[Catfish]

There are chances and risks.

On one hand the balance of power before depended on the american promise to use nuclear weapons if Russia tries to invade Europe. When this happend, the threat of worldwide nuclear death was on the table.
On the other hand since Trump this promise and also the transatlanic partnership is broken.
Then China comes into play, most of the US economy depends on China not pulling the plug. Trumponomics are building on borrowed time, and all the debt has to be paid, some day. The alternative is war.

All we can read and see shows us that Putin is convinced to win a regional war with "small" nuclear arms and conventional means, without the fear of the US intervening. "Thumbs up, Mr Trump!"
Other western(!) right wing nationalists try to destroy the EU and pull back from the NATO.

So it is in the best of Europe's interest and future to build up its own military. And this of course incorporates the building of own nuclear arms, not only for France or England. Question is whether the EU can be fast enough.

[Skybird]

Originally Posted by STEED

https://news.sky.com/video/merkel-ca...peech-11553467

Is she trying it on?

Its all stupid propaganda babble. I do not see that the EU takes it serious. There are European combat brigades alöready but their combat strength is such that their value is in very serious doubt. Paper tigers. The German contributions to these are as underfunded and underequipped as in the whole Bundeswehr.

With such underfunding by many nations already regardign NATO committments, it makes no sense to raise parrallel structures. Or does it make sense to assume that their additional founding costs and then costs needed to have these new structures not beign undefunded as well, is a reaosnable expectation while the NATO commitments are underfunded? It makes no sense.

What Merkel wants, and barrack barbie von der Leyen as well (while on the surface saying the opposite of Merkel), is that other nations should contribute to the needs of German defence, whith Germany not doing so, at least not en par. What they want to conceal is the shortage management system of the BW, the limitations in material as well as in personnel -without calling this by its name. This was introduced already by von Guttenberg, who - so to speak - thought that one rifle could be used by several soldiers: handing it around always to the one who currently needs it. Saves the money for buying one rifle per sodlier. Its a fictional example by me, just to illustrate the core of the problem more easily (although there is indeed a shortage in new personal support weapons of logistic and medical units who would not carry assault rifles, but small MPs for self defence like the H&K MP7). This is called by various terms that conceal the deficit here: intelligent managmenet, or flexible ressource management, or modular equipment supply, or on-demand-supply. It all weasels around the fact of "too less", "too few", "not enough", "not sufficient".

German media went into hysteria mode again when reporting that the Donald was offended by Macronman demanding a European army. What the Donald in fact has said is that he finds it offending that Macronman said this European army should be able to defend against Russia, China and the US. So not the mere existence of such an army was offensive to Trump, but to have the US listed as a possible opponent, implying the US were an enemy of Europe. Now this can be discussed indeed, especially since Trump took office - but to just correctly report the facts of what was said in words indeed, already was - once again - too much asked for of our German high quality media. Suggestive headlines using some shortcutting was so much easier to trigger the wanted emotional reaction.

Germany is slowly shifting into a recession. Italy and its banks challenge the EU and Euro. Brexit. Migration. Does anyone think they would heavily invest into a European army right now? Its a distraction. And our debts have climbed already to higher levels than in 2007, and inflation is raising.


Also, a single EU army would have over two diozen commanders, so to speak. Say good night to swift responses and even decision making in case of reactions needed to seriosu challenges. A nightmare. As the saiyng goes: too many chefs spoil the brew.

[Jimbuna]

Originally Posted by Catfish

There are chances and risks.

On one hand the balance of power before depended on the american promise to use nuclear weapons if Russia tries to invade Europe. When this happend, the threat of worldwide nuclear death was on the table.
On the other hand since Trump this promise and also the transatlanic partnership is broken.
Then China comes into play, most of the US economy depends on China not pulling the plug. Trumponomics are building on borrowed time, and all the debt has to be paid, some day. The alternative is war.

All we can read and see shows us that Putin is convinced to win a regional war with "small" nuclear arms and conventional means, without the fear of the US intervening. "Thumbs up, Mr Trump!"
Other western(!) right wing nationalists try to destroy the EU and pull back from the NATO.

So it is in the best of Europe's interest and future to build up its own military. And this of course incorporates the building of own nuclear arms, not only for France or England. Question is whether the EU can be fast enough.

So who pays for it, definitely not the likes of Malta

[Catfish]

Originally Posted by Jimbuna

So who pays for it, definitely not the likes of Malta

probably not
"Seriously" (lol), with the the UK out of the EU.. and Malta belongs to the UK..
They are still committed to NATO though, but who knows with the likes of Farage or Bannon trying to undermine all.

Maybe.. Montenegro

[Jimbuna]

Or the mighty Luxembourg even

[Skybird]

European nations should simply boost their natioanl defence commitments - and by that, NATO. Without such boosting, any babbling about an Euro army is just this: babbling.



To increase weight in NATO would also allow to insist for having greater word in NATO - against the Americans who dominate its command.



If national defence commitments are not substantial, then it does not matter whether it is NATO being incapable to deal with a war, or an Euro army beign incapable to deal with a war. What is not there, is not there.

[Jimbuna]

Originally Posted by Skybird

European nations should simply boost their natioanl defence commitments - and by that, NATO. Without such boosting, any babbling about an Euro army is just this: babbling.



To increase weight in NATO would also allow to insist for having greater word in NATO - against the Americans who dominate its command.



If national defence commitments are not substantial, then it does not matter whether it is NATO being incapable to deal with a war, or an Euro army beign incapable to deal with a war. What is not there, is not there.

Agreed

[Skybird]

It seems the opening of the hilarious airport BER at Berlin gets delayed once again, scheduled currently for October 2020, hints are mounting that this date once again cannot be kept.

The latest episode of "Made in Germany", revisioned edition 2000. Weren't the Germans once known, even feared for their planning and management mastery?

https://translate.google.de/translat...tml&edit-text=

[STEED]

Carry on Airport the new slap stick movie with a German twist.

[Skybird]

The Monsters in the Swamp - better title I think.

[Skybird]

https://www.arte.tv/de/videos/079472...polizeischutz/

I put this in here. Only few people will watch this, it is a 30 minutes film in German about Hamed Abdel-Samad's life that he lives 24 hours a day under police protection by a special squad of the LKA. Since several years he is threatened due to a fatwa calling for his assassination, becasue he has informed the German oublic too much about Islam's real ideology. The film is an illustration of the cost for the widening gap between the common misled percpetions about Islam, and the harsh reality it brings in its wake.

I post this because I mentioned him repeatedly over the years, in various discussions. He pays a very high price, cannot even afford to have a flat, but moves from one overnight accomodation to the next. His wife and him cannot see ech other frequently. His family in Egypt is massively mobbed. - The German quality journalists and the young students att heir academny, thus useless leftist crap, have only one thing to say on Abdel-Samad: that he should be barred from any media presence and no interviews should be held with him at all. Facebook deleted hos account for severla days after he published a speech he had held at a confernece for it did not match the anti.hate-speech regulation and instead described Islamic dictrine as what it is. That now is unforgivable in Germany. Appeasing, lying , glossing over Islam - thats the way to do it, you see. He said he is not physically free to lead the life he wants it to be, but he has found the freedom of mind and thought that soothes his soul and keeps him carrying on.

Some days ago, there was a "controversy" raised. The interior ministry, in another naive bid for wanting to civilize Islam in the Western law-and-order state, once again invited for a big "Islam" conference wehre polticians meet mostly with the recognised speakers of the radical Muslim organisations in Germany, icndlung Turkish state-run organisations of nationalists and Erdoghanistas. In the break there was a buffet and amongst other dishes, mostly hallal, also some dishes non conformal to the Islamic food rules were served, namely blood sausage. Scandal! Discrimination! It was obviously taken for granted that in such a mixed conference not only Muslims but all Non-Muslims as well must compy with the Islamic food rules and that even demanding a Muslim seeing a Non-Muslim watching doing somethign that is not "Islamic", already is a discrimination, an affront, an offence.

Sign of the times. One amongst so very many. In two generations, things of beauty and art will all be forbidden and banned, since all man is obliged to spend all time with praising Allah instead. The modern arts all too often may not be a loss, but considering the treasury of past arts Europe still calls its own: its all just heart-breaking. First goes the freedom, then goes beauty and arts.

[Skybird]

Different to often heard claims, the raise in e-cars will cause Germany over the next one and a half decade a net-loss of over 100 thousand jobs, from simple to most specialised jobs. And that is the most friendly scenario assuming cars by then will have just a 23% share of electrically driven.



https://translate.google.com/transla...919.html&sl=de


For the missing graphs, go here:


http://www.spiegel.de/wirtschaft/unt...a-1241919.html


Problem is that German car akers so far show now ambition to take control of battery production themselves. IMO a monumental strategic mistake. Once again.


I still cannot see that ecars will compete with the Diesel over the long distance, however. Not in 10 and not in 20 years, and even beyond that I would say it is unlikely. Such batteries simply are not in sight, and the laws of physics can be explored, but not broken.

The new Audi etron weighs 2.5 tons, I read.



Myself, I am a modest man: I just hope for bicycle batteries seeing a massive boost in their longevity (very important), max capacity (relevant) and sensitivity to cold temperatures (secondary).

[Catfish]

^
It is not only that. "E-mobility" just shifts the pollution to the power plants, and you have so much line loss until the energy is in the battery that the whole thing is complete bull, energy-wise, and environmentally.
Add rare earths and energy bilances to the life cycle of E-cars and batteries, and you have the #1 environment swine.

This is all BULL.

Good idea would be exploring the possibilities of storing hydrogen gas, or research fuel cells that generate just enough hydrogenium you just need. We would be able to still use our hundred-year-old (lmao) piston-based engines only with slight changes to the fuel lines, and tanks. Theer's only warm water vapour coming out of the exhaust of a hydrogenium-powered engine. No catalyst converter necessary, nothing.
Oh i forgot, the oil lobbies will not be happy.
Sorry, then back to pollution as if there was no tomorrow.





At least i read today that Germany is definitely stopping all weapon deliveries to Saudi-Arabia for an undefined time. Good.

[Skybird]

The reincarnation of Merkel, Merkel 2.0, has been elected as the new old Boss-Mom of the CDU.

AKK, short for Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, is far left leaning, anti-conservative, pro migration, pro EU, pro Euro, pro environmentalism, slightly critical to gay-lesbian-special privileges, pro feminist, and with her no fundamental changes of Merkel's course of deconstructing the remains of the former identity of the CDU must be expected. She will make some minor cosmetic concessions maybe to appease her critics and strengthen her stand, but nothing that threatens her principally left understanding of policy management.

Of all three bad choices there have been, this is the worst and the one I feared - and expected. Plus I am even more antipathic to this woman's style, appearance and behavioural style, than I already was to Merkel.

She is also Merkel's pet creation. That Merkel wanted her and noone else, already is reason enough to be alarmed of her. The supportive personnel apparatus that had been build around Merkel, has saved its career outlooks.

She is also likely to become the next chancellor candidate now.

Don't be unthankful for the bad you have - it can always get worse. Proven once again today.

Verdammte protestantische Weiberwirtschaft.

[Jimbuna]

So Merkel got her choice in the end