Sunday, June 23, 2024

23 June 2024: Six German News Stories

 1.  France election on 30 June (1st round).  Key player to watch?  Well....from the right....the RN Party.....Jordan Bardella.  They are closing in on 35-percent (leading the pack).  Macron's Party at least 12 points behind.  Trend-wise....RN might manage to get 50-plus percent....meaning no partnership required. 

To get past the first vote/round....the party is required to secure an absolute majority of votes cast, and able to secure votes equal to at least 25% of eligible voters in their constituency.  ONLY two parties fit that profile.

Affect on the German election in 2025?  Some folks are starting to suggest that.

2.  Germany apparently missed the EU climate 'goals'.  Meaning?  Well....the rules say you pay a fine (as a country).....amounts to several billion Euro.  I'm sure that the SPD-coalition has money in it's pocket (tax-payer funds) to cover the fine.  

Helpful for the fall 2025 national election?  Just gives AfD another topic to talk about.  

3.  The Interior Minister (Faieser, SPD) made a comment that she wants to fill gov't billets with migrants in the future.....to bring diversity into government offices.

Selling point?  I suspect if you asked SPD-voters....a quarter of them will say this is the most ridiculous thing they've ever heard the party suggest.

But to be honest, with the decline in the birth-rate....eventually (sooner or later)....you will be stuck with no one but migrants to fill the empty positions.

4.  In the state of NRW....police were given orders (for the soccer championship).....you can't wear pro-Germany pins or wave German flags.  You just need to be professional and neutral.  

Only German state I know of....to hand down orders like this to their police.

5. Some chatter has started up on Ukrainians in Germany.  If you receive 'citizens-pay' (welfare).....you need to work in some way (like part-time efforts), or face being sent back to western Ukrainian (deemed safe).

Minor talk and I doubt if it'll go anywhere.  The majority of Ukrainians in Germany are women and children.  

6.  For this Covid mask court case.....what the government faces if they 'lose'?  Around 2.3-billion Euro.  To be honest, this is the mess left by the CDU-coalition under Merkel.  

Fair amount of chatter to indicate a fair portion of the delivered masks (maybe 20-percent) were not quality-type and did not meet the gov't standard.  

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