1. Germany has said if you are a migrant trying to enter German from the border states....they can refuse you and send you back to the border state.
Well....yesterday, Austria announced that it will NOT accept a migrant sent back across the border.
Just a humble feeling....by the end of 2024....I suspect six European countries will have a massive border control going on, and likely extending through all of 2025.
The EU needing to resolve this? Yeah, but how? I'll predict for the 2025 fall election in Germany....both the CDU and SPD have to promise the public of a massive border control-force (probably in the range of 12,000 personnel to be created by 2027). Funny how we revolve back to tight borders like it was in 1984.
I should add...with border security bumped-up (even on the Austrian border)....it's possible the German police would encounter some refugee....determine their status on the spot, and deny them entry....meaning they get turned around and sent back into Austria. If the Austrians are there to grasp the moment, the refugee would re-enter Austria (without paperwork or status). When he approaches the Austrians and requests migration papers....they will ask questions, and this will be interesting to see how they allow him to stay.
2. Chancellor Scholz talks of major effort to bring peace-talks up between the Ukraine and Russia.
I think Scholz wants to get this off the ground before January, and the possibility that Trump is President again, and staging his own peace-talks.
3. German doctors want to push an agenda....if you miss an appointment...out of your own pocket (not health insurance)....you need to pay a 'fee'. How much? Left out of the talk so far....but I would assume something in the range of 50 Euro.
4. SWR (public TV for the Pfalz) did a news item....suggesting a Trump 'win' will mean the end of Spangdahlem and Ramstein Air Bases.
BS?
I'll just say that the war in the Ukraine has proven a number of things....one of which....is that Russia isn't capable of invading Europe (especially after all the loses they've encountered).
Add to this....there is a debt problem brewing for the US, and budget gutting is a absolute must.
Finally, a lot of people will suggest that in the 1990s....NATO should have evolved, and the US should have picked the time to lessen its presence. Because of the Balkans War....that never happened.
So yeah, I also speculate that a Trump-win means the exit-door is opened.
5. This week, my village (4k residents) is having a town-hall meeting, and one topic to be discussed.....having the entire village set to a 30 kph (19 mph) speed limit.
Presently....about 90-percent of the town is set to 50 kph (31 mph).
A big deal? There are four entry-exit points to the village. I don't think it'll be a big deal...other than the idea....probably a year away....to having a blitz-camera to create speeding tickets (my belief).
The village over the hill from mine....has around five blitz-cameras.
6. At some point on Tuesday morning in Ingolstadt (Bavaria)....two guys (25/22) are at some bus stop and get into a argument.
Both board a bus, and one guy stabs the other (seriously injured).
Cops have arrested the knife guy. Depending on the number of charges....he could be looking at five years in prison (my guess).
7. I skipped watching Monday night's 'Hart Aber Fair' political chat-forum show. Looking over reports....it was an interesting discussion. It was mostly about migration in Germany, knife-attacks, and the general perception among Germans.
So the Interior Minister of NRW was there, and made some analysis....in simple terms, he notes....'you aren't allowed to name problems, because the minute you do, people want to stigmatize you'.
I don't disagree with his observation....this is an odd development in the past decade, and one of the reasons why almost one-third of the country is seriously anti-migrant. If you think the other two-thirds are pro-migrant....you'd be wrong. I'd say it's near 50-percent of Germans who'd accept migration, but they want rules, processes, and limits.
At 8:15 PM on Monday night (prior to 'Hart Aber Fair'....what ARD (public TV, channel 1) did run....was a 45-min documentary piece called "Future in East Germany."
I watched the bulk of the documentary piece. My description? ARD sent a team to talk to people in Eastern Germany, and laid out their negative views of migrants. The selling point of the documentary? To convince the non-eastern Germans that these poor people in the east....just don't get it (they aren't like us). Skepticism? This is the key part of the overall story, which I think the journalists missed. It's just a lot of skepticism building up within the working-class community, and some journalists telling you a story....doesn't mean you buy any part of it.
8. Chatter yesterday....health insurance for Germans will likely climb in the 20-percent range for 2025.
9. The coalition gov't (SPD-Greens-FDP) gave a news conference after their meeting on the migration 'problem' yesterday.
Basic description....nothing happened of any consequence.
The funny side of this developing mess...is that migration woes have now moved up to a top-three problem, and we are within a year of the federal election. As long as they just 'stall'....it's just adding 'points' to the CDU-CSU voter-base. I feel confident that they know the consequence.
10. VW came out yesterday and said 'job-security' is gone. Within 2025....a number of positions will be eliminated.
11. Heino (the popular German singer) came out and said something to the effect....'Germany needs a political figure like Trump'....then referenced it to the safety factor....saying 'it can't possibly be that in Germany, people are fearful of going out on the streets'.
While he'll be stigmatized for the Trump reference....the truth is that there is no such politician existing in Germany....so you don't need to fear for the arrival of a German-Trump.
But his other reference....the fear factor? I don't think it exists in small towns or villages. But when you come to cities of 100,000 or more....probably a good thirty-percent or more of the population....pay attention now to the surroundings and are more vigilant than five years ago. The knifings and personal assaults/robberies....add up.
The only thing that the politicians can do? Add more police....stage more patrols....frisk people at random....talk about more deportations while being unable to accomplish them. Vicious circle.
12. WELT analysis article, published today....worth a read if you can find the paper. Topic? The dismantling of the German nuclear power capability is a mess. By their numbers, shutting them down worsened the C02 balance even more, and the true money-cost is around 600 billion Euro.
13. Draft of the 2025 German federal budget published yesterday.....3,000 pages long.
14. BMW gave a warning yesterday....profitability is now a problem for stock-holders.
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