German Politics

[HVC]

I'd just make you pick apples.

I'm not Mexican!

God dammit I hate this place. Stereotypes and slurs are one thing, but get them right!

[HVC]

I will be on the same side France is on.

Running in the opposite direction of their allies?


YeH, it was an easy target, but dammit in this day and age you need to take joy where you can.

I am sure any holes in the lines will be eagerly plugged by the fearless Porto-Canuck reservists.

Canada did real well well in both Wars.... and I think Portugal sent some soldiers in WWI. kind of played it Swiss in the second, but without the horde red stolen Jewish gold part.

[CountDeMoney]

Quit shitting up the thread, assholes.  You'll make Zanza quit.


This was previously posted in the Trump presidency thread, but what's the German media follow-up on this?

Trump's top trade adviser accuses Germany of currency exploitation
Berlin is using a 'grossly undervalued' euro to gain advantage over trading partners, says Navarro

Germany is using a "grossly undervalued" euro to "exploit" the US and its EU partners, Donald Trump's top trade adviser has said in comments likely to trigger alarm in Europe's largest economy.

Peter Navarro, the head of Mr Trump's new National Trade Council, told the Financial Times the euro was like an "implicit Deutsche Mark" whose low valuation gave Germany an advantage over its main trading partners. His views suggest the new administration is focusing on currency as part of its hard-charging approach on trade ties.

In a departure from past US policy, Mr Navarro also called Germany one of the main hurdles to a US trade deal with the EU and declared talks with the bloc over a US-EU agreement, known as the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, dead.

https://www.ft.com/content/57f104d2-e742-11e6-893c-082c54a7f539

[Valmy]

Canada did real well well in both Wars.... and I think Portugal sent some soldiers in WWI. kind of played it Swiss in the second, but without the horde red stolen Jewish gold part.

Portugal sent soldiers who were just supposed to hold a bit of the line. Then the full fury of Germany's 1918 offensive fell right on their line. Tough break Portugal.

They were in a bind in WWII. Dependent on the British yet also Fascist. What can you do?

[Zanza]

Quit shitting up the thread, assholes.  You'll make Zanza quit.

Nah, I just usually sleep at night.

This was previously posted in the Trump presidency thread, but what's the German media follow-up on this?

Trump's top trade adviser accuses Germany of currency exploitation
Berlin is using a 'grossly undervalued' euro to gain advantage over trading partners, says Navarro

Germany is using a "grossly undervalued" euro to "exploit" the US and its EU partners, Donald Trump's top trade adviser has said in comments likely to trigger alarm in Europe's largest economy.

Peter Navarro, the head of Mr Trump's new National Trade Council, told the Financial Times the euro was like an "implicit Deutsche Mark" whose low valuation gave Germany an advantage over its main trading partners. His views suggest the new administration is focusing on currency as part of its hard-charging approach on trade ties.

In a departure from past US policy, Mr Navarro also called Germany one of the main hurdles to a US trade deal with the EU and declared talks with the bloc over a US-EU agreement, known as the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, dead.

https://www.ft.com/content/57f104d2-e742-11e6-893c-082c54a7f539

The German government rejects those claims pointing out that monetary policy is out of our hands (which is true) and that they are already doing enough to remove this imbalance (not true, but also rather hard with just fiscal measures). Furthermore Germany will do everything it can to keep the EU together and counter the US government's divide & conquer strategy towards the EU. Let's see if that works as Germany is seen critically by some EU governments (especially Italy and some Eastern countries).

Corporate Germany is busy pointing out how much they invested in the USA and how many jobs they created there and how much they export from the American factories. E.g. Siemens had their annual press conference yesterday and was very busy pointing out that they have more than 50,000 employees in the US and invested 30 billion there in the last 10 years. They will also use any kind of lobbying (senators, Trump advisors etc.) they can think of to make their argument heard. The auto industry is especially jittery at the moment as Trump has focused on them a lot. They point out that GM and Ford have double the market share in Germany that they have in the US for example. Or that BMW's plant is the biggest auto exporter in the entire USA.

[Syt]

Facts. Like that's something The DonAld-Right and the Trumpettes care about.

[Solmyr]

I will be on the same side France is on.

Running in the opposite direction of their allies?

These days, it's the US that does that.

[CountDeMoney]

Corporate Germany is busy pointing out how much they invested in the USA and how many jobs they created there and how much they export from the American factories. E.g. Siemens had their annual press conference yesterday and was very busy pointing out that they have more than 50,000 employees in the US and invested 30 billion there in the last 10 years. They will also use any kind of lobbying (senators, Trump advisors etc.) they can think of to make their argument heard. The auto industry is especially jittery at the moment as Trump has focused on them a lot. They point out that GM and Ford have double the market share in Germany that they have in the US for example. Or that BMW's plant is the biggest auto exporter in the entire USA.

Do you know who cares?  Nobody.  Those are all existential threats to the economic health and security of the United States.  Germany:  ON NOTICE

[Archy]

Fuck it.  You guys just need to rearm.  And get the bomb.

WWIII Germans the good guys and America the bad guys? M Night Shamalamadingdong would be proud of that twist.

Trump America and Le Pen France attacking from the west and Putin coming from the east.

Excuse me, I got my pants soggy. BRB.

I'll better dust off my French than. Long Live the Rhine border.

[Tamas]

Corporate Germany is busy pointing out how much they invested in the USA and how many jobs they created there and how much they export from the American factories. E.g. Siemens had their annual press conference yesterday and was very busy pointing out that they have more than 50,000 employees in the US and invested 30 billion there in the last 10 years. They will also use any kind of lobbying (senators, Trump advisors etc.) they can think of to make their argument heard. The auto industry is especially jittery at the moment as Trump has focused on them a lot. They point out that GM and Ford have double the market share in Germany that they have in the US for example. Or that BMW's plant is the biggest auto exporter in the entire USA.

Do you know who cares?  Nobody.  Those are all existential threats to the economic health and security of the United States.  Germany:  ON NOTICE

It's the same kind of facts that got the UK into the EU, and a n.... to the White House. Enough of facts and experts!!!!!!111

[Eddie Teach]

I'm not Mexican!

Close enough.

[Zanza]

Corporate Germany is busy pointing out how much they invested in the USA and how many jobs they created there and how much they export from the American factories. E.g. Siemens had their annual press conference yesterday and was very busy pointing out that they have more than 50,000 employees in the US and invested 30 billion there in the last 10 years. They will also use any kind of lobbying (senators, Trump advisors etc.) they can think of to make their argument heard. The auto industry is especially jittery at the moment as Trump has focused on them a lot. They point out that GM and Ford have double the market share in Germany that they have in the US for example. Or that BMW's plant is the biggest auto exporter in the entire USA.

Do you know who cares?  Nobody.  Those are all existential threats to the economic health and security of the United States.  Germany:  ON NOTICE

If nothing else helps, German multinationals have extensive experience in bribing corrupt banana republic politicians. 

[Duque de Bragança]

Canada did real well well in both Wars.... and I think Portugal sent some soldiers in WWI. kind of played it Swiss in the second, but without the horde red stolen Jewish gold part.

Portugal sent soldiers who were just supposed to hold a bit of the line. Then the full fury of Germany's 1918 offensive fell right on their line. Tough break Portugal.

They were in a bind in WWII. Dependent on the British yet also Fascist. What can you do?

After a long rotation, those Portuguese soldiers were supposed to be substituted by Brits just before the offensive began too.

As for WWII

Give the Allies some bases in the Azores to cover the last U-Boot gap in the decisive Battle of the Atlantic?
Get invaded by the Allies (not a brutal invasion) then Japan (Kempeitai is way more brutal) in East Timor ?
"Free" de facto but not de jure occupation of Macau included.

Mission accomplished! No state-sanctioned volunteers like the Division Azul. 
As for fascism, it's an overstatement, authoritarian, corporatist reactionary, paternalist and ultra-conservative would be more like it. No totalitarism, expansionism to fit the fascist label. Think of Metaxas, a pro-German, who got the homeland invaded for real.
Luso-tropicalism does not fit the racism part too.

PS: the African part of WWI was mismanaged too

[mongers]

Germany needs to re-arm and acquire nuclear weapons, for their sake and the rest of  Western European. 

[Zanza]

Our foreign minister met with Pence and Tillerson and apparently feels that they are at least normal American conservatives when it comes to security policy (NATO et al), whereas they were non-commital on free trade.