GER politics thread

[Mr Quatro]

I've never seen this term before, "German States"

What does it mean? What does it include?

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world...?ocid=BingNews

Merkel to discuss tighter lockdown with German states on Sunday - sources

Germany, which has Europe's largest economy, was more successful than many European countries in keeping the pandemic under control in the first wave in March and April, but it has been struggling to turn the tide in the second wave with what has been dubbed a "lockdown lite".

[mapuc]

Germany was united in 1871 before that it consisted of several states or region.

Read more about it here

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unification_of_Germany

Markus

[Skybird]

What the 50 states are in the US, are the 16 Bundesländer (translates into federal states) in Germany. Both nations are federalistic in structure. This was enforced by the Allies after WWII to prevent that there will ever be a dominant central government again that could hijack the nation easily, the design of the Federal Republic is such that the states can block the central government on many things (like we see during th Corona pandemic in all clearness, like in the US every German state still does its own - mostly stupid - little thing). The federal states' minister presidents pretty much can do their own things on many regards (not all), they are equivalent to American governors. Like in the US, the German national government has sovereignty on some fields of politics only.

Note that there are three federal states that are cities only: Hansestadt Bremen, Hansestadt Hamburg, and Berlin. Berlin is both seat of the Berlin senate (governing the federal state of Berlin), and the German national government.

The differences between the US and Germany lie

- in the election systems (majority vote in the US plus the complication of the electoral college system, versus proportional representation, which has its own complications and makes that the Bundestag is growing bigger and bigger: Germany has the second biggest parliament in the world after China: over 700 seats currently),

- in the far greater power of the US president compared to the German chancellor,

- and the two chambers of parliament: while Congress and Bundestag can be compared, US senators get voted for in the US, too, while the Bundesrat in Germany is formed up by states' heads of govenrments and are not separately elected by the people.

[Mr Quatro]

Thank you Sky ... so one person, in this case Merkel, can tell the other federal states to stay home and wear mask?

But ours are governed by fifty different governors telling our fifty states what to do.

It would not work for President elect Biden to tell fifty states what to do, which it is fixing to come to.

[skidman]

Thank you Sky ... so one person, in this case Merkel, can tell the other federal states to stay home and wear mask?

No she can't. The federal states decide independently from federal legislation in certain fields of politics: Education (schools and universities), police (but there is a additional federal police that addresses for example terrorism but at the same time fights pickpockets at the local railway station, because the railway infrastructure is considered federal property, it's really weird) and health care. The anti corona measures are strictly put into effect on the state level. The federal administration could declare a national emergency, but this has never happened and it won't happen in the corona crisis, because that would bring about some very nasty consequences.

[Skybird]

Originally Posted by skidman

The federal administration could declare a national emergency, but this has never happened and it won't happen in the corona crisis, because that would bring about some very nasty consequences.

Especially shifting of even greater financial responsibilities from the state governments to the national govenment's level.

[Skybird]

New old news from the Bundeswehr.

According to WELT AM SONNTAG, only 115 of 263 Leopard II battle tanks were operational in October 2020, which is just under 44 percent. In May 2019, 107 of 244 systems were ready for use, also just under 44 percent. The influx of 19 more tanks therefore did not improve the clarity. The figures for May 2018 (111 out of 244, 45 percent) and November 2017 (94 out of 244, 38 percent) show stagnation at a low level.

So good to see that some things show steadiness in these restless times of swift change and come-and-go.

Total avialable numbers and readiness levels in percent, Octobre 2020:



It is reported that the readiness level of the Leopard fleet will drop even further due to modernization programs. Its further reported that the Bundeswehr runs thin on spareparts. And last week I red that the tricks by which the NATO level readiness of the German contingents assigned to NATO are cleared green only by glossing over real numbers and using "phantom units" that do not really exist as separate entities, but get created by moving personell and equipment back and forth between several units, so the availability of the one unit is to be had only at dissolving - without reporting so - of another unit.

You know what? The Bundeswehr will never be brought back into shape. Not now. Not in five years, not in ten years, not in fifteen years and not in twenty years.

In Spring, the newspaper "Merkur" reported that of the 140 Eurofighters of the Luftwaffe, only 10 were in a state able to fly. Further dramatic conditions were reported for the F125 class frigate fleet, and the few P3 Orions we have.

[Skybird]

8 Disasters for Europe

https://translate.google.com/transla...ers-sterreich/

[Skybird]

The so-called Green Book 2020 is released. Its a near-future-risk assessment.

https://translate.google.com/transla...0-000174544029

[Skybird]

https://translate.google.com/transla...nn-mit-system/

As already indicated: electricity in Germany is on average 163 percent more expensive than in the rest of the world. Consumers in this country have to pay 32.10 cents per kilowatt hour - the international average is only 12.22 cents.
(...)
As already indicated: electricity in Germany is on average 163 percent more expensive than in the rest of the world. Consumers in this country have to pay 32.10 cents per kilowatt hour - the international average is only 12.22 cents.

The govenrment carefull yhides it form the oublic - but oin all secrecy 6 or 8 high power lines into all out neighbourign coutnries are beign cinstructed right now - to comnepnsate for the uncertainty and the losses the inner.German energy production has to expect due to this fantastic glorious German energy transformation. Obviously the government knows that the whole conception cannot and will not work.

Like on many other things, the Germans are unbelievably stupid on their energy politics. Its hilarious how dumb they are. And Germany since years is at the very centre of yearly crisis in the continetla powergrid that stem from the fluctuating freqeuncy chaos when Germany once again has had a bad night or day where the renwebales fail and massive imports had to be bouzght and thgus the powergrid across the whole continent was haunbted by stabiltiy-threatening frequency-flcuations. Becasue elctric ppower does not come only with Voplts and Amperes, but with hertz as well - something that many people simply oversee. That way,m Germany has broguht the contiental powergrid repeatedly to the brink of a huige blaqckout - and repeatedly so in the past years, insiders say.

But Energiewende Hooray! With Hellau! and Alaaf! into the doom! The worst performance for the worldwide highest costs!

20 years ago the German powergrid was for quite some experts one of the most stable and best set up powergrids in the world. And nuclear powerplants and technology made in Germany were benchmarks in international comnepeition. Both competences have been voluntarily given up, for billions of compensations to the industry, and the highest electricity costs in the world.

They now work hard on shuttign down the few remaining cold-and-dark-launch capable powerplants htta have survived the massacre until here. The Greens want to dleiebrately kill these wioth priority.

So that when there is a nation-wide blackout, Germany will be completely unable to one day raving up its power gridline again by its own means and capabilities.

A wanted desaster with announcement.

[Catfish]

[Skybird]

Diether Nuhr's review of 2020. In German.

Nuhr is a German comedian who combines a smart mind with courage and political incorrectness and a solid dose of wittiness. As a result he gets attacked from practically all directions you can think of. I usually agree with what he says, and I like his not too noisy, but subtle sense of humour. And by the end of the day he simply has his stuff right pretty damn often. And that is what many do not forgive him.

"The Chinese were asked if they could build the airport [at Berlin] ....... Their answer: We won'T come over for just one single weekend's job."

BTW, he ran the whole show before an empty theatre hall. An empty theatre hall. Respect!

[Skybird]

Germany's two year term in the UN security council have ended. Self-pleased as the Germans so often are they now want a permanent seat. I think that might remain an illusion.

Germany's two-year term as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council ended on December 31, 2020. The German Foreign Ministry, in a self-congratulatory compilation of its supposed achievements to "strengthen the international order," declared that Germany now deserves to obtain a permanent seat on the UN Security Council.
A closer examination of Germany's voting patterns at the UN over the past several years, however, reveals a troubling double standard on a range of issues, especially on human rights, which the German government claims to be "a cornerstone" of its foreign policy.
The record shows that during its stint on the UN Security Council, Germany voted for dozens of resolutions — many of which smack of anti-Semitism — that singled out Israel, the only democracy in the Middle East.
The anti-Israel resolutions supported by Germany were sponsored by mostly non-democratic Muslim countries including Algeria, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Brunei, Comoros, Djibouti, Egypt, Indonesia, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Namibia, Nigeria, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Sudan, Syria, Tanzania, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates and Yemen, as well as by dictatorships such as Cuba, North Korea and Venezuela — and by Thailand on behalf of China.
Moreover, Germany remained silent as multiple serial human rights abusers, including China, Cuba, Libya, Mauritania, Pakistan, Russia, Somalia and Venezuela, among others, were elected to the UN Human Rights Council, the UN's highest human rights body.
Germany also voted for resolutions condemning the United States, which guarantees not only German but European security, stability and prosperity.
In 2020, Germany voted 13 times to condemn Israel, but failed to introduce a single resolution on the human rights situation in China, Cuba, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey or Venezuela — or on 175 other countries, according to UN Watch, a Geneva-based, independent non-governmental watchdog group.
One of the resolutions approved by Germany referred to Jerusalem's Temple Mount solely by its Muslim name of Haram al-Sharif. The executive director of UN Watch, Hillel Neuer, said:

"The UN today showed contempt for both Judaism and Christianity by passing a resolution that makes no mention of the name Temple Mount, which is Judaism's holiest site, and which is sacred to all who venerate the Bible, in which the ancient Temple was of central importance."

In a press release, UN Watch added:

"While nearly all EU countries backed 13 out of 17 UNGA resolutions singling out Israel this year, they failed to introduce even one resolution for women's right [sic] activists jailed and tortured in Saudi Arabia, dissident artists arrested in Cuba, journalists thrown behind bars in Turkey, religious minorities attacked in Pakistan, and opposition members persecuted in Venezuela, where more than five million people have fled government repression, hunger and economic collapse."

In 2019, Germany voted 15 times to condemn Israel, but introduced zero condemnations of human rights abusers such as China, Cuba, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Venezuela, according to UN Watch. One of the texts approved by Germany portray Israel as "occupying" the Jewish Quarter of Jerusalem and the holiest sites of Judaism.
On November 15 — on just one day — Germany voted for seven anti-Israel resolutions and abstained but did not reject another. There were no condemnations of any other country in the rest of the world on that day. The texts condemned Israel for "repressive measures" against Syrian citizens in the Golan Heights, renewed the mandate of the corrupt UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), and renewed the mandate of a UN special committee to investigate "Israeli practices affecting the human rights of the Palestinian people." None of the resolutions mentioned Hamas or Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
Neuer, provided context:

"The UN's assault on Israel with a torrent of one-sided resolutions is surreal. Days after the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorist group assaulted Israeli civilians with a barrage of 200 rockets — while the UN's General Assembly and Human Rights Council stayed silent — the world body now adds insult to injury by adopting eight lopsided condemnations, whose only purpose is to demonize the Jewish state.
"While France, Germany, Sweden and other EU states are expected to support 15 out of a total of 20 resolutions to be adopted against Israel by December, the same European nations have failed to introduce a single UNGA resolution on the human rights situation in China, Venezuela, Saudi Arabia, Belarus, Cuba, Turkey, Pakistan, Vietnam, Algeria, or on 175 other countries.
"Four of today's resolutions concern UNRWA — yet none mentions that the agency chief was just fired after top management engaged in what the UN's own internal probe described as 'sexual misconduct, nepotism, retaliation, discrimination and other abuses of authority, for personal gain.' All EU states are complicit in this conspiracy of silence.
"One of today's resolutions — drafted and co-sponsored by Syria — falsely condemns Israel for 'repressive measures' against Syrian citizens in the Golan Heights. It's obscene. The resolution condemns Israel for holding on to the Golan Heights, and demands Israel hand the land and its people to Syria.
"It's astonishing. After the Syrian regime has killed half a million of its own people, how can the UN call for more people to be handed over to Assad's rule? The text is morally galling, and logically absurd.
"Today's resolutions claim to care about Palestinians, yet the UN is oblivious to more than 3,000 Palestinians who have been slaughtered, maimed and expelled by Assad's forces.
"Today's farce at the General Assembly underscores a simple fact: the UN's automatic majority has no interest in truly helping Palestinians, nor in protecting anyone's human rights; the goal of these ritual, one-sided condemnations is to scapegoat Israel.
"The UN's disproportionate assault against the Jewish state undermines the institutional credibility of what is supposed to be an impartial international body. Politicization and selectivity harm its founding mission, eroding the UN Charter's promise of equal treatment to all nations large and small."

The vote came after German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas tweeted his supposedly unwavering support for Israel:

"FM @HeikoMaas on 70th anniversary of Israel's admission to the UN: We would like to reiterate once again today that Germany stands, also in the UN, shoulder to shoulder with Israel, whose security and right to exist must never be called into question by anyone anywhere."

Germany pursued a similar policy of approving anti-Israel resolutions at the UN in 2018, 2017 and 2016, when Germany voted for an especially disgraceful UN resolution, co-sponsored by the Arab group of states and the Palestinian delegation, that singled out Israel as the world's only violator of "mental, physical and environmental health."
Germany's anti-Israel voting record at the UN appears to have broad support among the German political establishment. In March 2019, the German Bundestag overwhelmingly opposed a resolution by the Free Democratic Party (FDP) to urge Chancellor Angela Merkel's government to reverse its anti-Israel voting record at the United Nations.
By a vote of 408 to 155 with 65 abstentions, the Bundestag rejected the FPD's call for the government to "clearly distance itself from unilateral, primarily politically motivated initiatives and alliances of anti-Israeli UN member states and to protect Israel and Israel's legitimate interests from unilateral condemnation."
Germany's anti-Israel crusade has been led by German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas, who claims that he entered politics because of Auschwitz, the largest of the German Nazi concentration camps. At his inauguration as foreign minister, he said:

"For me, German-Israeli history does not only entail a historic responsibility. For me personally, it is a deep motivation of my political activity. With all due respect, I did not enter politics because of [former chancellor] Willy Brandt. I also didn't go into politics because of the peace movement or ecological issues. I entered politics because of Auschwitz. And that's also why this part of our work is especially important to me."

Maas had been aided and abetted by Germany's Ambassador to the UN, Christoph Heusgen, who was named by the Simon Wiesenthal Center in 2019 as one of the world's top ten anti-Semites.
Germany's largest-circulation newspaper Bild, asked, "Why does Germany repeatedly vote against Israel at the United Nations?" It answered:

"It is a shameful ritual: every year authoritarian states like Syria, Yemen and Saudi Arabia introduce numerous resolutions at the UN that are directed against one country — Israel. But the bitter thing is: The UN General Assembly is taking part and adopting almost all anti-Israeli resolutions.
"The Federal Republic also mostly votes FOR the resolutions — and thus AGAINST Israel. And this despite the fact that the federal government repeatedly emphasizes that it is on the side of Israel.
"Heusgen is considered a bitter critic of Israeli settlement policy — a legitimate position which, in Heusgen's case, seems to lead to complete lack of criticism towards the Palestinians, and to comparisons that cast doubt on his moral compass.
"Heusgen caused a scandal in March 2019 when he equated the rockets of the Islamist terrorist group Hamas with Israeli bulldozers, with which Israel tore down Palestinian and Israeli illegal houses. He did so in the very week that Hamas carried out massive rocket attacks on Israel and injured seven Israeli civilians.
"No criticism of anti-Semitic statements by Palestinian politicians, no criticism of pension payments for Palestinian terrorists — for Heusgen, the guilty parties for the messed-up situation are solely in Washington and Jerusalem."

The left-wing politician, Volker Beck, said about Heusgen:

"I am always careful with the label 'anti-Semite.' But one thing is certain: Anyone who bears responsibility for Germany's condemnation of Israel tens of times more often than all rogue states in the world at the United Nations applies double standards to the Jewish and democratic state and thus participates in an anti-Semitic campaign. With practical politics, Heusgen counteracts the unambiguous statements of the Chancellor to Israel's existence and security."

Frankfurt Mayor Uwe Becker added:

"The inclusion of Mr. Heusgen on the Wiesenthal Center's list is more than a yellow card for Germany's voting behavior at the United Nations. Germany must show more solidarity with Israel at the UN and consistently refuse anti-Israeli resolutions in future.
"The years of theater of political smear against Israel can only be countered with a consequent 'NO.' The comparison made by Heusgen between the actions of Israel and the terrorism of Hamas has damaged solidarity with Israel and is unfortunately suitable for promoting Israel-related anti-Semitism. Germany must not also be the keyword for Israel-related anti-Semitism."

In its most recent statement, the German Foreign Ministry declared:

"Germany wants to continue playing its part in preserving global peace — as a permanent member of the Security Council. 'We have shown over the past two years that we are capable of filling a seat on the UN Security Council in the long term,' said Foreign Minister Heiko Maas. 'We therefore want not only to stand for a non-permanent seat again in eight years' time, but also seek to become a permanent member of the UN Security Council before that date.'"

In a sign that German appeasement has failed to achieve its objectives, Russia and China have both questioned Germany's suitability for a permanent seat on the UN Security Council. Russian Vice Ambassador Dmitri Polyansky bluntly said: "We will not miss you." The Chinese representative Yao Shaojun added that the German path to permanent membership "will be difficult."
Heusgen, who plans to retire after more than 40 years as a German diplomat, appealed to China to free two detained Canadians for Christmas:

"Let me end my tenure on the Security Council by appealing to my Chinese colleagues to ask Beijing for the release of Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor. Christmas is the right moment for such a gesture."

China's deputy UN Ambassador, Geng Shuang, accused Heusgen of abusing the Security Council to launch "malicious" attacks on other members "in an attempt to poison the working atmosphere." He added: "I wish to say something out of the bottom of my heart: Good riddance."

Not that I care for the Chiense and Russian assessment, but the German double standards in their way to betray Israel time and again are legendary.
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/1...curity-council

• A closer examination of Germany's voting patterns at the UN over the past several years, however, reveals a troubling double standard on a range of issues, especially on human rights, which the German government claims to be "a cornerstone" of its foreign policy.
• The record shows that during its stint on the UN Security Council, Germany voted for dozens of resolutions — many of which smack of anti-Semitism — that singled out Israel, the only democracy in the Middle East.
• Moreover, Germany turned a blind eye as multiple serial human rights abusers, including China, Libya, Mauritania, Sudan and Venezuela, among others, were elected to the UN Human Rights Council, the UN's highest human rights body.
• In 2020, Germany voted 13 times to condemn Israel, but failed to introduce a single resolution on the human rights situation in Cuba, China, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Pakistan, Venezuela — or on 175 other countries, according to UN Watch, a Geneva-based, independent non-governmental watchdog group.
• "While nearly all EU countries backed 13 out of 17 UNGA resolutions singling out Israel this year, they failed to introduce even one resolution for women's right [sic] activists jailed and tortured in Saudi Arabia, dissident artists arrested in Cuba, journalists thrown behind bars in Turkey, religious minorities attacked in Pakistan, and opposition members persecuted in Venezuela, where more than five million people have fled government repression, hunger and economic collapse." — UN Watch, December 16, 2020.
• Germany pursued a similar policy of approving anti-Israel resolutions at the UN in 2018, 2017, and 2016, when Germany voted for an especially disgraceful UN resolution, co-sponsored by the Arab group of states and the Palestinian delegation, that singled out Israel as the world's only violator of "mental, physical and environmental health."

[Catfish]

Bad enough, but could it be Germany demands a bit more tansparency and humanitarian behaviour from the "only democracy in the middle east" than from, say, Iran? Standards and values are a bit higher in Israel?
I mean no one (not only not Germany) demands democratic elections in Russia, or China, or pretends this would even be an option.

Israel or better its rigth wing government builds walls to make their partly illegal settlements a status quo in the region, which is even disputed among themselves, and the world.
Germany does have a historical obligation alright, but again - do i have to feel personally responsible for the 3rd Reich? Why can't i criticize Israel? "Betrayal", militarisation of speech in Trump manner much?

And the Gatestone institute of political science has a bit of a bias:
https://mediabiasfactcheck.com/gatestone-institute/

B.t.w. that the chinese representative says "good riddance" to Germany should be taken as a praise!

[Skybird]

The Chinese and Russians in that article are not the relevant content, but Germany'S lasting history of liking Israel in words while betraying it in lining up with its enemies uncritically. The overwhelming number of UN resolutions against Israel and the titsytiny number of resolutions against the human rights violators in the Arab-Malsim sphere, are a (absurd) fact and are beign criticised by many others as well.

The total score of Germany'S two years in the UN council, are sobering and illustrative for its misperceived view on itself.

Its an old pattern of Germany: liking Israel in words - and supporting Israel-hostile anti-semites and conspiring together with them in deeds, in appeasement of the Islamic block at the UN. The German stand on Israel has always been deeply shizophrenic and untrue.

We time and again demand Israel to act on behalf of its self-destruction, and call that a display of our friendship with the Jews. Sickening. BTW, the German middle east "strategy", if it can be called that, has completely collapsed. The blind elephant in Wahsington has trampled blindly aroudn so much that he inevitably had to step onto some corns occasionally. I am certainly not suspicious of being a rump supporter - but in the ME he has accieved more for lasting stability and security of Israel than all European and American diplomacy since WW2 together before him. That it has been this Bactrian camel to render the European diplomacy over Israel useless and pointless, is not without irony. And especially Germany it proves wrong, and puts it to shame.

I do not buy into the argument of two states. And I never did. I always said it cannto work, and will not work. The arabs could have had peace and prospering since decades there, but instead wanted it all, and a solution enabling them to take over Israel by use of demograohics. And Germany criticises Israel for not allowing that. Insisting on this would have continued the status quo for another 30 years without acchieving anything. That means big iothed German morality, and zero effect. Instead now a consolidation of relations between Israel and its neighbours - which shows how very much pissed these neighbours nthmeseklves are by their Arab-palestinian brothers and teir endless, decades long lamento.

No wonder Turkey is pissed as well. And that alone already is worth it.

Lets hope Biden manages to not reverse this new trend. The Palestinian Arabs decided to endless plague themselevs with their choosen pltlical corruption and lament and maximum demand. But theyx are irrelevant, history has thrown their cause out of the window. Iran on the other hand - that is something of relevance and importance. Turkey as well.


I use to say he German are hysterical romanticissts. They painted their anti-semitic, Islamophile and self-contradicting position over Israel with surreal illusions, and still do so.


The youth organisation of the SPD until today reiterates its strong ties with the youth organisation of Fatah and other such organisations, and calls that friendship with Israel. Israel, beware such friends! They have hidden knifes with poisoned blades.


https://www.welt.de/debatte/kommenta...en-Gut-so.html


https://www.juedische-allgemeine.de/...-solidaritaet/

https://www.cicero.de/innenpolitik/b...s-fatah-jugend