The Chatter Of Raising The German Retirement Age

Rather than making this a 10-minute discussion....lets just cut to the basic isssue.

German law now.....says retirement occurs at age 67 (where you get full pension).

The problems (2)?

First....the pension program is not fully funded.

Second....commerce seems convinced that there are labor shortages approaching.

The pitch? The gov't would like to eventually raise the retirement age to 70....by year 2092.

It's hard to find any Germans (working-class) who buy into this.  Most want to retire around age 62/63....most will tell you that their company frowns on employees over age 60 currently....most will tell you that even retiring at 67 currently---seems to get you a marginal pension not worth talking about.  Then you bring up the 2092 chatter, and they start laughing.

If you wonder why no one takes politicians serious.....this is a big reason.

Was The Refugee Crisis Of 2013-2017 Germany....The First Such Crisis?

 Well.....NO.  There's a little funny story here, which I'll tell in a brief way.

Back around 1984-1986.... there's something that we'll call the Central Operational Process (ZOV)....run by the East German (DDR) Stasi (secret-police).

Over a two-year period....the DDR arranged for about 150,000 asylum seekers (several 3rd  world areas) to be brought into East Germany....as a political weapon.

Once on the ground....the 'crew' would be brought to Schönefeld by bus....going  from the Friedrichstraße station without passport control....then walked over  into West Berlin.

Oddly....150,000 were more than enough (instead of 2-million in the 2013 to 2017 era....to tie up the West German foreign nationals' offices...with temp-housing a major problem, and added social costs.

Yes....there were debates between the CDU-CSU and SPD.

Oddly, the creation of the Republican Party occurred....same look and feel as the AfD Party today.

How the Kohl/Schaüble coalition handled this?  It went mostly in a failed way....talking to DDR, and offering negotiations and loans.  I'll describe it....mostly negative results.  Then the January 1987 election came up....where the SPD folks (trying  to tell a positive spin over migrants).....went poorly.

Anyone around today remembering 1984-1986?  No.  You might find a few in their 70s/80s....who were living in Berlin in that era.....laughing over the details.

A tactic created by DDR?  I've had this thought over the years....it was probably a Soviet KGB idea....simply to test and see how far/how stupid....politicians in Germany could get.

If the 1987 election had gone better for the SPD (end result....37-percent for them)?  DDR would have continued the import....probably ramping up 150,000 per year.

What happened to the 150,000?  Well...some folks point out a fair sum were shipped out of Berlin eventually.....to western Germany.  However....some of the Lebanese folks stayed, and created suburbs for mostly their population, and in a funny way....got into gang-activity, drug-dealing and crime.   Yeah....40 years later....part of the crime crap....goes back to this era.

Oh, and the Lebanese folks in western areas of Germany....developing also into gangs and drug-dealing?  Yeah, but lets not engage in history stories.

Enough material for a 500-page book?  Probably....but it's just dull history BS.

Starmer

 Keir Starmer....PM of the UK....resigning Monday?  Appears that way.

Labour says....they can avoid a election....appoint a replacement and continue on.

Some polls indicate that seven out of ten Brits would  not vote for Labour in a election....mostly over achievements of Starmer.

Getting Labour back into good numbers?   You basically need a guy who does nothing...says nothing....has zero accomplishments for a year.

Oddly, the biggest must-do-task left on the board of Starmer and Labour....rejoin the EU.  

Just Kinda German-Funny

In case you've never been around Germany during a World-Cup....there's public-viewing.  This mostly consists of picnic tables, chairs, and a lot of beer.  Some are catered affairs offered by the regional/city cultural 'authority'....some are just local pubs/bars who have a area (usually out of doors).

Usually....the only rule existing is not to binge-drink.

This year....oddly, I noted a story this week out of Kassel (city about two hours north of Wiesbaden).

This Kassel cultural center went and banned bringing of national flags to its public viewing event for the soccer World Cup. 

I paused over this....the necessity for the rule?  They say that that national flags could come across as exclusionary, intimidating, or politically charged-up.

So....NO flags are the rule.

Locals from Kassel pointed out that Palestinian flags were visible at previous events.  They also brought up the LGBTQ flag.

The problem here?  Well.....this cultural center is publicly funded (by the state and city).

How many German cities have a no-flag rule in play? No one says much....but I  would imagine if you looked....it's more than a dozen.

Can you function as a no-flag nation....if it bothers folks that you have a German national flag?  I'm not that sure about that.

Here's the thing....if you bring up this NO-flag BS....if the AfD goes pro-flag....there's probably another three-to-five million extra votes for AfD....just over a stupid pro-flag position.  

News App Chatter

 For a long while....for Apps for news....in Germany....Reddit and Turk-TV was at the top.

I noticed this past week....Twitter/X moved to number one in  Germany.

At the beginning of 2026....19-million Germans held a X-account. Oddly, for each female account.....there's two male accounts.  

Content-creators expanding?  If you asked me over 2024 numbers and today....I'd go and suggest twice as many German creators existing today.  I might also suggest that Russian influence has doubled as well. 

21 June 2026: Germany: 6 Stories

 1. Can virtually anyone be a German President?

Well....the catch is that the Bundestag members are the only ones voting for you.   Normally.....it's a senior-citizen who is a member of the Bundestag.

This next six months....there's to be a lot of talk.  Some folks think it's time to have a non-Politian.  Some think it has to be a woman. Some are even prepared for a comedian to hold the office.

Presently, the Linke, Greens and SPD hold enough votes/seats....to get it to a lefty.

2.  France issued a mandate....because of the heat (45 C reported)....if you hold a fest as a village/city.....no booze/beer to be sold.  Has to be water.

3. VW Touran/T-Roc.....SUV's to be discontinued.

4.  Linke Party held a come-together meeting....new leadership.  During the late meeting on Saturday.....German soccer viewing occurred with some members.  Other members condemned it as 'nationalism'

5. Read through some Ukraine-Russia war-action.....some folks report they've seen Soviet-era 1945 tanks being used by Russia.   

6.  German Interior Minister (Dobrindt, CSU)....says he wants to increase deportations of migrants convicted of crimes to Afghanistan.  

There are around 284,000 male Afghans in some level of status.  Anyone's guess to how many have pending court action or already on a deportation list.  

Lanz Chatter

 I went back and watched a bit of the ZDF late-night talk-show with Marcus Lanz....the episode where he had the Islamic lady guest.

It has stood out in my mind.  (you can watch the segment here....in German)

At some point....after she's given her emotional talk....Lanz observes the impression that he has.

In essence....he sums it up in 20 seconds....it's rather crazy...how that the best countries to live in as an Islamist isn't a Islamic country....it's in the non-Islamic countries.

It's an odd perception that one gets.....you found some need to escape a crappy reality....find a better life or culture which isn't exactly Islamic in nature....does quiet well economically....feeling safe around the clock....allows a vast amount of freedom...starts off on a friendly footing with the accepting society, and then this odd 'path' starts up.

The 'odd path'?  Well....you miss the old mess so much....that  you want to drag it along with you and draw people to focus on your problems (which is what made you leave).  

Lanz is NOT AfDish or right-wing....but he's obviously speaking for what a majority of Germans have started to think about.

There's probably a hundred-odd things I've learned about German culture/society over the years.....one of those being....eventually, the German nature to be blunt and tell you some stuff that you probably don't want to hear, but you deserve it never-the-less.

Bahn Chatter

So...in the old days....the railway folks.....the Deutsche Bahn....offered up currywurst/fries if you had a bistro-wagon on the train.

I'm not saying it was four-star stuff....but on a four-hour journey....it was typically the only solid food sold.

This week....it came out....the EU regulated the situation.

There's a new EU F-gas regulation....over refrigerant....so you can't freeze anything much on the train.  So....the fries are deleted....as a option.

I paused over this....probably some environmental necessity....which might make sense (or not).

To be fair.....by 2035, I expect the bistro-wagon to be eliminated entirely (by EU regulations)....because even serving chilled soda, or heated coffee....might be a bad thing.