Rail chaos, education crisis, budget dispute: everything bad in Germany?

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Does the hail of bad news never stop? Deutsche Bahn gets stuck in the snow and arrives even later than usual. Highways, roads and bridges are crumbling. In the countryside you go from one dead zone to the next. Metropolises like Berlin, Hamburg and Frankfurt are almost collapsing under car traffic. However, you won’t find cheap living space in big cities. The Bundeswehr is still a shambles. In the new Pisa study, German students are doing worse than ever before. And the federal government can no longer plug all the investment holes with budget tricks. These days, even if you have a sunny disposition, you can feel like you’re living in one “failed state”.

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The bad news is a template for prophets of doom. Editorialists, politicians on the far right and far left, but also many depressed citizens join in the swan song for Germany: the best years are behind us, they trumpet, now everything is rubbish and it’s those up there who are to blame. Optionally Mrs. Merkel, who was interested in Europe, China and Syria, but neglected German interests. Or the pale Mr. Scholz, who likes to fill his mouth but then doesn’t deliver. Or Habeck with his climate obsession or Lindner with his debt brake mania or, or, or. The Germans are world champions in the discipline of badmouthing their own country.

That’s right: In many places the situation does not look rosy, and whoever governs shares responsibility. But politicians in a democracy are only as good as the society they come from. Anyone who has better ideas can get involved or stand for election themselves. Criticism is important, but we definitely won’t get out of the crisis by pessimism.

That’s why it helps to look at the situation from more than just one perspective. Where there is on the one hand, there is also an on the other. So let’s look at it another way:

Seven and a half million people travel with Deutsche Bahn every day. In Switzerland the trains are super punctual, that’s true. But only eight and a half million people live there, and the places are closer to each other. More than 40 percent of Germany’s 83 million citizens travel by car every day, and there is also trans-European truck traffic. No wonder that roads and bridges are under strain. German financial policy is groundbreaking: without years of support from Berlin, the euro would have failed long ago, with unforeseeable consequences for peace and prosperity on the continent. We are also at the forefront when it comes to the military: apart from the USA No country supplies the beleaguered Ukrainians as much war material as Germany. Education: In France, Italy, Spain and Norway, students do worse on the Pisa math test than in this country. Anyone looking for affordable housing in Paris, London or Zurich considers Berlin or Hamburg to be Island of the blissful.And have you ever tried to use your cell phone to access the Internet in the Austrian high Alps or on a Greek island? Have fun.

You see: How one locates the state of Germany is a question of perspective. We have the urge to be at the top of the world, that’s a good thing. And there is undoubtedly a great need for reform in the country. But maybe we should stop badmouthing our country ourselves. You can’t build a successful state with curmudgeons.

A feast for the ears

Wrong priorities

But you have to face reality: The result of the new Pisa Study is a lousy report for German schools. Many young people have glaring deficiencies in knowledge, both in reading and in natural sciences, but especially in mathematics. Alarmed, party politicians complain about the debacle and blame each other – but no one takes it on board core of the problem to: As long as Germany does nothing against the absurd educational federalism, against poorly equipped schools and against migrants’ lack of language skills, the situation will not improve. And as long as a top politician like Bavaria’s instinctive politician Markus Söder Although he boasts about the good schools in his state, he otherwise prefers little things like one Gender language ban busy, the priorities are also set incorrectly. “Germany’s future is in danger,” writes our education columnist Bob Blume.

hell of Earth

The situation in the Gaza Strip is terrible: After the end of the ceasefire, the Israeli army is targeting the south of the coastal area and has launched the most violent attacks since the start of the war. Officially she is fighting against them Hamas – de facto, their bullets, shrapnel and bombs mainly hit civilians. Thousands of children are among the seriously injured. The International Red Cross and the children’s aid organization Unicef ​​are desperately calling for help. My colleagues Hannes Molnár and Adrian Röger will give you insights.

Every minute counts

The traffic light coalition is running out of time: Still missing 17 billion euros for the 2024 budget. If a fundamental agreement is not reached by Christmas, you will inevitably have to agree to one Government crisis speak. Today the Chancellor and his ministers are meeting for a cabinet meeting. The meeting is confidential, but before and after we journalists will of course listen to Big Boss’s every word and move Olaf Scholz, Vize-Boss Robert Habeck and money boss Christian Lindner track. In order for the budget to be passed this year, an agreement is actually needed today. If that doesn’t work, the last resort would be a resolution by circulation, i.e. in writing. Then the Bundestag would have to meet in a special budget week directly before Christmas. The Federal Council could then wave the plan through on December 22nd just before the candles on the tree go on. Contemplation looks different.

Reading tips

Finally

Oh dear, the Juhgend is no longer happening…

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