Tuesday, January 23, 2024

23 Jan 2024: Five German News Stories

 1.  AfD's 'boss' has said one of their new agenda items.....they promise to push for a 'Dexit'....meaning a referendum for the public to say they want to be in the EU or out of the EU.

BS?  Back in 1957....Germany signed the original EU Treaty, with six partners.  The Bundestag voted and based on that....entry was accomplished.  The public was never asked.   

So....lets ask the stupid question...if you went to the public today....would the overwhelming number vote to stay or exit?  I think the vote would go 85-percent to stay, and only around 15-percent to leave.  

However, if you asked...is the EU doing a lot of stupid crap....yeah, that would be a 'yes' at around 60-percent.  But they have no real reason to leave.

Just odd that they would bring this up.

2.  WELT piece from yesterday....1.5-million Germans are considered alcoholics.  More than in previous years.  In their numbers....it's 2-to-1 men to women.

Alot out of 84 million in population?  Not really....someone has to be drinking all this freaking wine and beer produced.  Just in my village, I would imagine at least forty alcoholics....mostly drinking out of their living room or patio.

3.  Thorsten Jungholt wrote a interesting piece for WELT yesterday....basically suggesting from the original modern-and-professional army that Russia had...nothing much remains at this point. 

"Defacto destroyed" is the quote he uses.

I tend to agree.  Even if Putin had some rebuilding idea in his mind.....it'd take more than three decades to get such a thing organized and accomplished.

4.  This 6-day train strike business (starts Wed).....is generating a lot of chatter.  If it doesn't change the position of the Bahn?  I'd suggest that by the 7th of Feb....they will probably come back with a 7-day strike.

Personally, it's driving home the idea of halting in-country air travel in Germany.....to a complete halt.  

5.  Meeting from yesterday with the sixteen state representatives and the Bahn.....the 49-Euro monthly go-anywhere ticket.....will stay at 49-Euro for the remainder of 2024.  

Odds in 2025?  Most people suggest that it'll have to go up....speculation  is 59-Euro in 2025.

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