Samuel Adams
Has No Life - Lives on TB
As was…….is……will be…….
…….everything else….. above, below, in the peripheral as far as the eye can see….
ENER Europe Plans "Emergency Intervention" In Power Market As All Hell Breaks Loose
- Thread starter Blacknarwhal
- Start date
As was…….is……will be…….
…….everything else….. above, below, in the peripheral as far as the eye can see….
CaryC
Has No Life - Lives on TB
Well I've been saying for a while that "subsides" are going to be a tax on the people. Didn't know it already was, to the point that only a dollar out of every 4 is going for the actual oil, and the rest is taxes.
But government can't, and won't, and never have stopped taxes.
So thought the article kind of backed me up.
Countrymouse
Country exile in the city
My understanding is the pipeline's already there---but Biden threw some sort of monkeywrench in it to prevent its connection or being turned on or something. Others have posted that it was proposed, but stopped--but that is not what I read recently--that it IS built, in place, ready-to-go---thus my earlier post.
vector7
Dot Collector
Just in time...
JUST IN - Hakle, the German toilet paper manufacturer and largest importer in Europe, is insolvent.
View: https://twitter.com/XmasEnjoyer/status/1566775186195636224?t=pDIw0B2zoHKhq6c0f0mBXg&s=19
JUST IN - Hakle, the German toilet paper manufacturer and largest importer in Europe, is insolvent.
View: https://twitter.com/XmasEnjoyer/status/1566775186195636224?t=pDIw0B2zoHKhq6c0f0mBXg&s=19
Sheisse!!
CaryC
Has No Life - Lives on TB
Russia Admits Weaponization Of Gas, Halts NS1 Shipments "Until Sanctions Lifted" As EU Prepares Response To Energy Crisis
Putin is done playing around.Two days after Russia indefinitely halted nat gas supplies via the Nord Stream 1 pipeline for the amusing reason that there was an "oil leak" (shown below)...
... on Monday Russia finally admitted what everyone has known since February - namely that it has weaponized commodities in response to the West's weaponization of currencies (as Zoltan Pozsar has said all along),when the Kremlin said that Russia’s gas supplies to Europe via the Nord Stream 1 pipeline will not resume in full until the “collective west” lifts sanctions against Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine.
Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, blamed EU, UK, and Canadian sanctions for Russia’s failure to deliver gas through the key pipeline, which delivers gas to Germany from St Petersburg via the Baltic sea.
“The problems pumping gas came about because of the sanctions western countries introduced against our country and several companies,” Peskov said, according to the Interfax news agency. “There are no other reasons that could have caused this pumping problem.”
Peskov’s comments were the most stark demand yet by the Kremlin that the EU roll back its sanctions in exchange for Russia resuming gas deliveries to the continent. It also confirms that Russia no longer needs to pretend it needs to export commodities to Europe - after all it has more than enough demand in China and India - and is willing to give Europe just enough to rope to... well, you know the rest.
On Friday, Gazprom said it would halt gas supplies through Nord Stream 1 because of a technical fault, which it blamed on difficulties repairing German-made turbines in Canada. We now know that was a strawman; and in the latest confirmation of who has the upper hand in the ongoing commodity feud, the EU had already rolled back some sanctions against Russia explicitly to allow the turbines to be repaired. European leaders have said there is nothing to prevent Gazprom from supplying the continent with gas and had accused Russia of “weaponising” its energy exports.
Meanwhile, as we reported over the weekend, Russia is still supplying gas to Europe via Soviet-era pipelines through Ukraine that have remained open despite the invasion, as well as the South Stream pipeline via Turkey. And in an ironic twist, the head of the Ukraine gas transit operator told Reuters that Ukraine could "technically" substitute full capacity of Nord Stream 1 via Ukraine's Sudzha entry point. In other words, Europe would pay Putin billions for Russian gas transiting through Ukraine with Russia using proceeds to fight Ukraine...
Of course, nothing in today's "news" should come as a surprise: Russian officials have made little secret of their hope that the growing energy crisis in Europe will sap the bloc’s support for Ukraine. “Obviously life is getting worse for people, businessmen, and companies in Europe,” Peskov said. “Of course, ordinary people in these countries will have more and more questions for their leaders.”
One not so ordinary person was Matteo Salvini, the leader of Italy's far-right League party, who said that Western sanctions against Russia are not working and actually harm Italy, and suggesting allied countries should reconsider their approach. Speaking at a conference of political leaders Sunday on Lake Como, Salvini claimed the sanctions meant to punish Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine had in fact helped Russia, resulting in an export surplus of $140 billion, during the year ending July 2022. "Do we have to defend Ukraine? Yes," Salvini said. "But I would not want the sanctions to harm those who impose them more than those who are hit by them."
Former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev was even more explicit than Peskov, and after German chancellor Olaf Scholz announced a €65bn aid package on Sunday to soften the blow of soaring energy bills, Medvedev, now deputy chair of Russia’s security council, said Germany was “acting as an enemy of Russia” by supporting sanctions against Moscow and supplying Ukraine with weapons. “They have declared hybrid war against Russia,” Medvedev wrote on Telegram. “And this old man acts surprised that the Germans have some little problems with gas.”
Of course, with neither side willing to ease back on its approach, moments after Russia's comments, EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen, twitted that "Putin is using energy as a weapon by cutting supply and manipulating our energy markets", which of course he is doing in response to the west's weaponization of currencies and capital flows.
Adding that "He will fail. Europe will prevail", Van Der Leyen confirmed what we reported yesterday, namely that "the @EU_Commission is preparing proposals to help vulnerable households and businesses to cope with high energy prices" and aims to:
- Reduce electricity demand (peaks)
- Price cap on Russian pipeline gas
- Help vulnerable consumers & businesses with revenue from the energy sector
- Enable support to electricity producers facing liquidity challenges linked to volatility
Will it work? Of course not, because Russia will never agree to sell to those imposing price caps (especially since China and India will never join), while ordinary Europeans will never agree to voluntarily sacrifice their own comfort without the knowledge that everyone else is also sharing in the burden. Which is why the announcement by French president Macron, calling for 10% reduction in country's energy use to avoid rationing and cuts this winter, will achieve nothing at all and Europe will have no choice but to ration in a few months as the winter freeze arrives.
Russia Admits Weaponization Of Gas, Halts NS1 Shipments "Until Sanctions Lifted" As EU Prepares Response To Energy Crisis | ZeroHedge
ZeroHedge - On a long enough timeline, the survival rate for everyone drops to zero
www.zerohedge.com
CaryC
Has No Life - Lives on TB
While not a European problem, the problems are similar. And it's especially for Samuel Adams:
Whodathunkit? Taxpayer assistance to relieve the pain of government failure...
On Wednesday, Gov. JB Pritzker proudly announced a whopping $300 million of cash assistance for Illinoisans struggling with energy bills. “Every Illinoisan deserves access to reliable energy—regardless of their economic status,” Pritzker said in his press release.
That’s just the latest result of Illinois’ foundering energy policy but, first, note that the new program is for natural gas, propane and electricity (only about 10% of which is from renewable projects). Those are the very energy sources that Illinois is in the process of deliberately trying to destroy.
Illinois plans to have 50% of its electricity production from renewable sources by 2040 and 100% from clean energy sources by 2050. That’s under CEJA (Illinois’ Climate and Equitable Jobs Act), which became law last year and was correctly called by one of its sponsors “the most aggressive, most progressive climate bill in the nation.”
It’s all part of what two leading supporters openly call an “industrial policy.” That was in a Chicago Tribune op-ed last week by Kady McFadden, a former deputy director at Sierra Club “whose work was instrumental in passing” CEJA, and Ameya Pawar, a former Chicago alderman who was also active in forming Illinois’ energy policy.
The first “case in point” of what they call in their column a “thoughtful industrial policy” is the financial support Illinois taxpayers are providing to Illinois electric vehicle makers. Illinois last year set out to become the national leader in electric vehicles and their batteries with its Reimagining Electric Vehicles Act.
But reimagine this: The plan is failing.
Details are in a Crain’s report last week. “Pritzker’s vision of Illinois as an electric vehicle production hub is in danger of becoming a pipe dream,” Crain’s says. “Illinois still hasn’t landed a factory that produces the most valuable component of electric vehicles—the batteries that make them go.” Illinois is 0 for 18 in the competition for battery plants.
Crain’s identified another problem discouraging manufacturers of anything – not just EVs – from coming to Illinois: CEJA “is expected to drive up electricity costs, a major expense for manufacturers.” Historically, Illinois had comparatively inexpensive electricity thanks to market-based competition for the best sources. But policy now favoring more expensive renewable sources is turning into another disadvantage in the competition for investment and jobs.
Illinois consumers are already getting slammed. Roughly the southern two-thirds of Illinois has is seeing a 50% jump in electricity cost and is at “severe risk” of brownouts.
Defenders of CEJA are often saying that it isn’t to blame for rising costs. CEJA, they note, only became law last year and the shutdown of coal plants, which is causing much of the problem, was announced earlier.
That’s hardly convincing. Pritzker and the General Assembly put a target on the back of all fossil fuel plants long ago. He campaigned on a goal of 100% renewables and made it a priority upon taking office over three years ago. Even then, legislation had already set the impossible goal of 25% renewables by 2025. That goal was clearly an illusion and won’t be met.
On a more fundamental level, this isn’t complicated. Illinois simply does not have adequate capacity to deliver electricity reliably at a good price. Higher prices and brownout risk prove that. The government simply blew it with policies that we now know did not match capacity with demand.
The most frightening, new warnings of the consequences of naively aggressive green energy policy are from California and Europe.
California, which is right up with Illinois in green ambitions, this week issued an energy conservation emergency alert and is asking consumers to avoid charging EVs.
Most of Europe is in crisis. Companies large and small are cutting back or closing entirely due to high energy prices. People are hoarding firewood. The continent faces a true catastrophe this winter. Their problem is mostly caused by foolish reliance on natural gas from Russia, but green overoptimism has contributed.
Illinois’ energy policy still includes a complete moratorium on new nuclear plants, even though nuclear is making a “remarkable comeback” elsewhere in the world, as described here. Even climate alarmist National Public Radio reports that environmentalists are now embracing nuclear energy.
Such is Illinois’ “industrial policy” that its architects are so proud of.
You’d think they’d have chosen a better term. Even to those of us who aren’t free market purists, “industrial policy” has very derogatory connotations, and rightfully so. It means central planning and statism, which typically fail because the government is particularly bad at picking winners and losers or looking into the future. It’s better to let the private sector take the losses gambling on that, as some of us see things, and the private sector is more likely to get it right.
Industrial policies are also prone to the politics of the day. So it was with CEJA, which is jam-packed with social justice goals. In CEJA’s 956 pages, “equity” appears 114 times and “environmental justice” appears 86 times. It amounts to micro-management of Illinois’ energy sector by bureaucrats.
All that costs money. Lots of it. The total cost of CEJA has been estimated at more than $800 million annually plus another $1.2 billion annually in higher electricity rates. Estimates, however, vary widely, and nobody truly knows the full cost.
The lesson Illinois is learning is not that renewable energy sources have no place in a long-term solution. They do. It’s just that they aren’t remotely close to being ready enough, and the consequences of pretending otherwise are materializing faster than anybody expected.
“We will sell no wine before it’s time” was Orson Welles’ line in a commercial decades ago for Paul Masson wine. “We will rely on no technology before it’s time” should have been a cornerstone in Illinois’ energy policy. The consequences of that mistake are rapidly becoming apparent.
www.zerohedge.com
More Signs That Illinois' Green "Industrial Policy" Is Failing
Authored by Mark Glennon, co-founder of Wirepoints.org,Whodathunkit? Taxpayer assistance to relieve the pain of government failure...
On Wednesday, Gov. JB Pritzker proudly announced a whopping $300 million of cash assistance for Illinoisans struggling with energy bills. “Every Illinoisan deserves access to reliable energy—regardless of their economic status,” Pritzker said in his press release.
That’s just the latest result of Illinois’ foundering energy policy but, first, note that the new program is for natural gas, propane and electricity (only about 10% of which is from renewable projects). Those are the very energy sources that Illinois is in the process of deliberately trying to destroy.
Illinois plans to have 50% of its electricity production from renewable sources by 2040 and 100% from clean energy sources by 2050. That’s under CEJA (Illinois’ Climate and Equitable Jobs Act), which became law last year and was correctly called by one of its sponsors “the most aggressive, most progressive climate bill in the nation.”
It’s all part of what two leading supporters openly call an “industrial policy.” That was in a Chicago Tribune op-ed last week by Kady McFadden, a former deputy director at Sierra Club “whose work was instrumental in passing” CEJA, and Ameya Pawar, a former Chicago alderman who was also active in forming Illinois’ energy policy.
The first “case in point” of what they call in their column a “thoughtful industrial policy” is the financial support Illinois taxpayers are providing to Illinois electric vehicle makers. Illinois last year set out to become the national leader in electric vehicles and their batteries with its Reimagining Electric Vehicles Act.
But reimagine this: The plan is failing.
Details are in a Crain’s report last week. “Pritzker’s vision of Illinois as an electric vehicle production hub is in danger of becoming a pipe dream,” Crain’s says. “Illinois still hasn’t landed a factory that produces the most valuable component of electric vehicles—the batteries that make them go.” Illinois is 0 for 18 in the competition for battery plants.
Crain’s identified another problem discouraging manufacturers of anything – not just EVs – from coming to Illinois: CEJA “is expected to drive up electricity costs, a major expense for manufacturers.” Historically, Illinois had comparatively inexpensive electricity thanks to market-based competition for the best sources. But policy now favoring more expensive renewable sources is turning into another disadvantage in the competition for investment and jobs.
Illinois consumers are already getting slammed. Roughly the southern two-thirds of Illinois has is seeing a 50% jump in electricity cost and is at “severe risk” of brownouts.
Defenders of CEJA are often saying that it isn’t to blame for rising costs. CEJA, they note, only became law last year and the shutdown of coal plants, which is causing much of the problem, was announced earlier.
That’s hardly convincing. Pritzker and the General Assembly put a target on the back of all fossil fuel plants long ago. He campaigned on a goal of 100% renewables and made it a priority upon taking office over three years ago. Even then, legislation had already set the impossible goal of 25% renewables by 2025. That goal was clearly an illusion and won’t be met.
On a more fundamental level, this isn’t complicated. Illinois simply does not have adequate capacity to deliver electricity reliably at a good price. Higher prices and brownout risk prove that. The government simply blew it with policies that we now know did not match capacity with demand.
The most frightening, new warnings of the consequences of naively aggressive green energy policy are from California and Europe.
California, which is right up with Illinois in green ambitions, this week issued an energy conservation emergency alert and is asking consumers to avoid charging EVs.
Most of Europe is in crisis. Companies large and small are cutting back or closing entirely due to high energy prices. People are hoarding firewood. The continent faces a true catastrophe this winter. Their problem is mostly caused by foolish reliance on natural gas from Russia, but green overoptimism has contributed.
Illinois’ energy policy still includes a complete moratorium on new nuclear plants, even though nuclear is making a “remarkable comeback” elsewhere in the world, as described here. Even climate alarmist National Public Radio reports that environmentalists are now embracing nuclear energy.
Such is Illinois’ “industrial policy” that its architects are so proud of.
You’d think they’d have chosen a better term. Even to those of us who aren’t free market purists, “industrial policy” has very derogatory connotations, and rightfully so. It means central planning and statism, which typically fail because the government is particularly bad at picking winners and losers or looking into the future. It’s better to let the private sector take the losses gambling on that, as some of us see things, and the private sector is more likely to get it right.
Industrial policies are also prone to the politics of the day. So it was with CEJA, which is jam-packed with social justice goals. In CEJA’s 956 pages, “equity” appears 114 times and “environmental justice” appears 86 times. It amounts to micro-management of Illinois’ energy sector by bureaucrats.
All that costs money. Lots of it. The total cost of CEJA has been estimated at more than $800 million annually plus another $1.2 billion annually in higher electricity rates. Estimates, however, vary widely, and nobody truly knows the full cost.
The lesson Illinois is learning is not that renewable energy sources have no place in a long-term solution. They do. It’s just that they aren’t remotely close to being ready enough, and the consequences of pretending otherwise are materializing faster than anybody expected.
“We will sell no wine before it’s time” was Orson Welles’ line in a commercial decades ago for Paul Masson wine. “We will rely on no technology before it’s time” should have been a cornerstone in Illinois’ energy policy. The consequences of that mistake are rapidly becoming apparent.
More Signs That Illinois' Green "Industrial Policy" Is Failing | ZeroHedge
ZeroHedge - On a long enough timeline, the survival rate for everyone drops to zero
www.zerohedge.com
vector7
Dot Collector
JUST IN - German Economy Minister Habeck: "We must expect the worst."
View: https://twitter.com/disclosetv/status/1566828570495836161?t=B5FZvpBZmsdk9EQv8J6yQw&s=19
View: https://twitter.com/disclosetv/status/1566828570495836161?t=B5FZvpBZmsdk9EQv8J6yQw&s=19
bw
Fringe Ranger
Cool -- he found a clue.
Only because they intentionally created "the worst".
Samuel Adams
Has No Life - Lives on TB
Cary…..the only thing good I have to say about how Illinois manages its consenting serfs…..when the bennies and safety nets collapse, if I am still alive…..I will be at the top of the food chain.
HEH
The whole green debacle will be used in a different way soon.
"Red states are not supporting the whole "Green" movement, therefore is is OK to target them in any and every way possible.
Surprised it wasn't part of that senile old bastard's last speech.
The whole green debacle will be used in a different way soon.
"Red states are not supporting the whole "Green" movement, therefore is is OK to target them in any and every way possible.
Surprised it wasn't part of that senile old bastard's last speech.
colonel holman
Veteran Member
Yeah, it’s hopium. But perhaps this collapse of energy might enlighten enough citizens (here and over there) that society is in no position to be executing “green” actions. We just do not have the technology or capabilities yet to turn away from petro-based energy, and that govt intervention outside of free market forces is just going to work. I can hope the vast majority of citizens decide to finally impose their will upon leaders to stop all the green BS. Yeah, likely too little too late by a weakened populace.
Zagdid
Veteran Member
UK is not EU, but:
www.heart.co.uk
Councils across the United Kingdom are cancelling Christmas light switch-on event amid the financial crisis.
This comes after it was announced that the latest energy cap would rise by 80 per cent.
Due to tight Government budgets and the cost of living crisis, councils are telling local residents that the festive event is not justifiable.
Budleigh Salterton, in Devonshire, is one of the councils that has already announced the Christmas light switch-on will not be happening this year.
The council said that they "could not take on the cost of the lights in the economic climate".
The Guildford High Street Christmas light switch-on, which usually attracts 7,000 people every year, has also been cancelled.
The council pulled the plug on the event in August, saying that the cost of putting on the event safely would be too high at a time when it is "struggling financially".
The council leader, Joss Bigmore, added that the council "cannot afford or justify value for money for such an additional significant cost".
Over in Cambridgeshire, the Ely Christmas light switch-on has also been cancelled.
The council said that they could not justify spending the £9,000 they usually do on the event.
With rising energy bills, and Christmas approaching slowly, there is a chance other councils will follow in Guilford, Ely and Budleigh Salterton's footsteps when it comes to making cutbacks.
and:
www.research-live.com
NEWS5 SEPTEMBER 2022
UK – Companies should prepare for the most frugal Christmas in a generation as the cost-of-living crisis erodes people’s finances, according to research from advertising agency Mindshare.
Mindshare, a media agency that is part of advertising giant WPP, said its Reality Check report showed four in 10 consumers are worried about how they can afford Christmas this year.
The proportion of people feeling very negative about Christmas was at 14%, almost five times higher this year than it was for Christmas 2021, even when the impact of the pandemic was factored in.
The results are based on a sample of around 1,000 adults from the UK and found that a quarter of those asked felt positive about the festive season – down almost 25% on the same time last year.
Three in 10 respondents expected to rely on credit cards more than in previous years, with the 35 to 54 age group most worried about covering the cost of the festive season.
Two-thirds ( 67%) said they would not ask for many presents this Christmas, while 56% predicted they would spend money on friends and family rather than themselves.
When asked where their focus will be this Christmas, 78% of respondents said they would prioritise saving overspending, 79% predicted they will be staying in rather than going out and 74% said they would be ‘holding back’ rather than indulging.
Mindshare said the results remained reasonably consistent regardless of household income.
Julia Ayling, head of research and insights at Mindshare UK, said: “Regardless of financial position, people will behave very differently this Christmas. All brands, even those that have traditionally been fairly recession proof will need to adapt to this.
“The ‘squeezed middle’ are making changes to make sure their loved ones can still enjoy Christmas. This group needs support from brands to spread cost over a longer period, treat their kids and find alternatives and substitutes that celebrate the joy of giving rather being about the monetary value.
“Let’s not forget that a less commercial Christmas can still be a special one. Tapping into the traditional values of Christmas, and what really makes us happy will resonate with the public this festive season.”
Councils cancel Christmas light switch-on events due to financial crisis
Guildford, Ely and Budleigh Salterton have already told locals the annual event will not take place this year.
www.heart.co.uk
Councils cancel Christmas light switch-on events due to financial crisis
5 September 2022, 15:23 By Alice DearCouncils across the United Kingdom are cancelling Christmas light switch-on event amid the financial crisis.
This comes after it was announced that the latest energy cap would rise by 80 per cent.
Due to tight Government budgets and the cost of living crisis, councils are telling local residents that the festive event is not justifiable.
Budleigh Salterton, in Devonshire, is one of the councils that has already announced the Christmas light switch-on will not be happening this year.
The council said that they "could not take on the cost of the lights in the economic climate".
The Guildford High Street Christmas light switch-on, which usually attracts 7,000 people every year, has also been cancelled.
The council pulled the plug on the event in August, saying that the cost of putting on the event safely would be too high at a time when it is "struggling financially".
The council leader, Joss Bigmore, added that the council "cannot afford or justify value for money for such an additional significant cost".
Over in Cambridgeshire, the Ely Christmas light switch-on has also been cancelled.
The council said that they could not justify spending the £9,000 they usually do on the event.
With rising energy bills, and Christmas approaching slowly, there is a chance other councils will follow in Guilford, Ely and Budleigh Salterton's footsteps when it comes to making cutbacks.
and:
Brands should prepare for 'frugal' Christmas | News
Companies should prepare for the most frugal Christmas in a generation as the cost-of-living crisis erodes people’s finances, according to research from advertising agency Mindshare.
www.research-live.com
NEWS5 SEPTEMBER 2022
BRANDS SHOULD PREPARE FOR ‘FRUGAL’ CHRISTMAS
Liam KayUK – Companies should prepare for the most frugal Christmas in a generation as the cost-of-living crisis erodes people’s finances, according to research from advertising agency Mindshare.
Mindshare, a media agency that is part of advertising giant WPP, said its Reality Check report showed four in 10 consumers are worried about how they can afford Christmas this year.
The proportion of people feeling very negative about Christmas was at 14%, almost five times higher this year than it was for Christmas 2021, even when the impact of the pandemic was factored in.
The results are based on a sample of around 1,000 adults from the UK and found that a quarter of those asked felt positive about the festive season – down almost 25% on the same time last year.
Three in 10 respondents expected to rely on credit cards more than in previous years, with the 35 to 54 age group most worried about covering the cost of the festive season.
Two-thirds ( 67%) said they would not ask for many presents this Christmas, while 56% predicted they would spend money on friends and family rather than themselves.
When asked where their focus will be this Christmas, 78% of respondents said they would prioritise saving overspending, 79% predicted they will be staying in rather than going out and 74% said they would be ‘holding back’ rather than indulging.
Mindshare said the results remained reasonably consistent regardless of household income.
Julia Ayling, head of research and insights at Mindshare UK, said: “Regardless of financial position, people will behave very differently this Christmas. All brands, even those that have traditionally been fairly recession proof will need to adapt to this.
“The ‘squeezed middle’ are making changes to make sure their loved ones can still enjoy Christmas. This group needs support from brands to spread cost over a longer period, treat their kids and find alternatives and substitutes that celebrate the joy of giving rather being about the monetary value.
“Let’s not forget that a less commercial Christmas can still be a special one. Tapping into the traditional values of Christmas, and what really makes us happy will resonate with the public this festive season.”
Cacheman
Ultra MAGA!
^^^THIS^^^
Except for the kids 12 and under there's no gifts since the late '80s on both my and my wife's family and everyone leaves in a very happy mood.
Melodi
Disaster Cat
Around 2008 I wrote a blog called "Who Stole Ireland's Christmas" and it got quite a number of readers - blogging was still new then and I was just learning about how to do it and experimenting.
It was a very grim time, and not just because the towns and villages canceled their lights and displays because they couldn't afford them, but because people were scared, cold, broke and seriously worried. The banks had essentially failed in October (and the government had been ordered by the EU to bail them out/nationalize them). Businesses that had stood for 150 years went out of business overnight when the banks suddenly stopped the "bridge loans" used for decades to get through the month (complicated but basically businesses borrowed to make payroll and then paid it off every month because cash flow didn't always come in the same time as the bills did).
It was a dark, wet, miserable, cold time; made worse by the darkened streets and complete lack of "cheer." I suspect it will be something like that here in the countryside again. It is true you don't need a lot to celebrate the Winter Season be it Yule, Christmas, and the other festivals that occur near the Winter Solstice; but it gets really grim when people feel scared, cut off, it is dark and people don't feel they can even afford too many candles, much less much festive food or even simple toys for the little children.
Now after two years of COVID, this Winter may not seem quite as bad as it might have otherwise. 2008 happened after a period of rapid growth, prosperity and general good feelings which made the dark time of despair and no lights seem even more dismal than it might have otherwise.
It may not be as bad this time as it was then, but I don't in any way expect it to be normal either - with the local Christmas fairs selling crafts, the ice cream in December, or the cheerful lights blinking in the village squares. People will always manage something, but it will most likely be a rather different something than they were expecting with COVID now mostly "over," but "normal" has not returned.
It was a very grim time, and not just because the towns and villages canceled their lights and displays because they couldn't afford them, but because people were scared, cold, broke and seriously worried. The banks had essentially failed in October (and the government had been ordered by the EU to bail them out/nationalize them). Businesses that had stood for 150 years went out of business overnight when the banks suddenly stopped the "bridge loans" used for decades to get through the month (complicated but basically businesses borrowed to make payroll and then paid it off every month because cash flow didn't always come in the same time as the bills did).
It was a dark, wet, miserable, cold time; made worse by the darkened streets and complete lack of "cheer." I suspect it will be something like that here in the countryside again. It is true you don't need a lot to celebrate the Winter Season be it Yule, Christmas, and the other festivals that occur near the Winter Solstice; but it gets really grim when people feel scared, cut off, it is dark and people don't feel they can even afford too many candles, much less much festive food or even simple toys for the little children.
Now after two years of COVID, this Winter may not seem quite as bad as it might have otherwise. 2008 happened after a period of rapid growth, prosperity and general good feelings which made the dark time of despair and no lights seem even more dismal than it might have otherwise.
It may not be as bad this time as it was then, but I don't in any way expect it to be normal either - with the local Christmas fairs selling crafts, the ice cream in December, or the cheerful lights blinking in the village squares. People will always manage something, but it will most likely be a rather different something than they were expecting with COVID now mostly "over," but "normal" has not returned.
Cacheman
Ultra MAGA!
What's better than a new car or a vacation....
theconservativetreehouse.com
2 minutes
Yes, it’s like something out of a dystopian ‘hunger games’ movie, except it is unfortunately real life. ITV News in Great Britain is running a wheel-of-fortune type marketing campaign where desperate viewers can call in for an opportunity to spin the wheel and win having their energy bills paid.
Comrades, it is not a spoof, this actually took place today and it looks like it will continue due to popular demand. UK citizens are facing astronomical increases in energy bills as a result of the EU green climate change agenda in combination with Russia halting the export of natural gas. The price of natural gas increased 30% today alone as Russia cuts off supplies completely. Europe is on the brink of the worst economic recession in history.
ITV steps in with a promotional effort that shows just how bizarre this Build Back Better future has become. Perhaps next week viewers might be able to call in for a chance at winning extra foodrations, chocolates or even gasoline. Here’s a video to show what is happening. WATCH: RT3:30
Good luck comrade citizens, you too could be a winner on the wheel of survival. It’s all in good fun comrade. Smiles everyone, smiles.
British News Broadcaster ITV Creates Gameshow for Desperate Viewers to Win Chance to Have Energy Bills Paid - The Last Refuge
Yes, it’s like something out of a dystopian ‘hunger games’ movie, except it is unfortunately real life. ITV News in Great Britain is running a wheel-of-fortune type marketing campaign where desperate viewers can call in for an opportunity to spin the wheel and win having their energy bills...
theconservativetreehouse.com
British News Broadcaster ITV Creates Gameshow for Desperate Viewers to Win Chance to Have Energy Bills Paid - The Last Refuge
2 minutes
Yes, it’s like something out of a dystopian ‘hunger games’ movie, except it is unfortunately real life. ITV News in Great Britain is running a wheel-of-fortune type marketing campaign where desperate viewers can call in for an opportunity to spin the wheel and win having their energy bills paid.
Comrades, it is not a spoof, this actually took place today and it looks like it will continue due to popular demand. UK citizens are facing astronomical increases in energy bills as a result of the EU green climate change agenda in combination with Russia halting the export of natural gas. The price of natural gas increased 30% today alone as Russia cuts off supplies completely. Europe is on the brink of the worst economic recession in history.
ITV steps in with a promotional effort that shows just how bizarre this Build Back Better future has become. Perhaps next week viewers might be able to call in for a chance at winning extra foodrations, chocolates or even gasoline. Here’s a video to show what is happening. WATCH: RT3:30
Good luck comrade citizens, you too could be a winner on the wheel of survival. It’s all in good fun comrade. Smiles everyone, smiles.
Santa gives good children candy and toys in their stockings.UK is not EU, but:
Councils cancel Christmas light switch-on events due to financial crisis
Guildford, Ely and Budleigh Salterton have already told locals the annual event will not take place this year.
Councils cancel Christmas light switch-on events due to financial crisis
5 September 2022, 15:23 By Alice Dear
Councils across the United Kingdom are cancelling Christmas light switch-on event amid the financial crisis.
This comes after it was announced that the latest energy cap would rise by 80 per cent.
Due to tight Government budgets and the cost of living crisis, councils are telling local residents that the festive event is not justifiable.
Budleigh Salterton, in Devonshire, is one of the councils that has already announced the Christmas light switch-on will not be happening this year.
The council said that they "could not take on the cost of the lights in the economic climate".
The Guildford High Street Christmas light switch-on, which usually attracts 7,000 people every year, has also been cancelled.
The council pulled the plug on the event in August, saying that the cost of putting on the event safely would be too high at a time when it is "struggling financially".
The council leader, Joss Bigmore, added that the council "cannot afford or justify value for money for such an additional significant cost".
Over in Cambridgeshire, the Ely Christmas light switch-on has also been cancelled.
The council said that they could not justify spending the £9,000 they usually do on the event.
With rising energy bills, and Christmas approaching slowly, there is a chance other councils will follow in Guilford, Ely and Budleigh Salterton's footsteps when it comes to making cutbacks.
and:
Brands should prepare for 'frugal' Christmas | News
Companies should prepare for the most frugal Christmas in a generation as the cost-of-living crisis erodes people’s finances, according to research from advertising agency Mindshare.
NEWS5 SEPTEMBER 2022
BRANDS SHOULD PREPARE FOR ‘FRUGAL’ CHRISTMAS
Liam Kay
UK – Companies should prepare for the most frugal Christmas in a generation as the cost-of-living crisis erodes people’s finances, according to research from advertising agency Mindshare.
Mindshare, a media agency that is part of advertising giant WPP, said its Reality Check report showed four in 10 consumers are worried about how they can afford Christmas this year.
The proportion of people feeling very negative about Christmas was at 14%, almost five times higher this year than it was for Christmas 2021, even when the impact of the pandemic was factored in.
The results are based on a sample of around 1,000 adults from the UK and found that a quarter of those asked felt positive about the festive season – down almost 25% on the same time last year.
Three in 10 respondents expected to rely on credit cards more than in previous years, with the 35 to 54 age group most worried about covering the cost of the festive season.
Two-thirds ( 67%) said they would not ask for many presents this Christmas, while 56% predicted they would spend money on friends and family rather than themselves.
When asked where their focus will be this Christmas, 78% of respondents said they would prioritise saving overspending, 79% predicted they will be staying in rather than going out and 74% said they would be ‘holding back’ rather than indulging.
Mindshare said the results remained reasonably consistent regardless of household income.
Julia Ayling, head of research and insights at Mindshare UK, said: “Regardless of financial position, people will behave very differently this Christmas. All brands, even those that have traditionally been fairly recession proof will need to adapt to this.
“The ‘squeezed middle’ are making changes to make sure their loved ones can still enjoy Christmas. This group needs support from brands to spread cost over a longer period, treat their kids and find alternatives and substitutes that celebrate the joy of giving rather being about the monetary value.
“Let’s not forget that a less commercial Christmas can still be a special one. Tapping into the traditional values of Christmas, and what really makes us happy will resonate with the public this festive season.”
Bad little boys and girls get coal in their stockings.
It is expected there will be a bumper crop of bad boys and girls.
Santa better hire armed security.
Sky News Australia
2.81M subscribers
Menzies Research Centre's Nick Cater says Europe is struggling with energy and the “illusion" of getting by with just wind, solar and batteries has "come crumbling”.
“Their dirty little secret they were getting all that gas and coal from Russia just to keep the home fires burning when the windmills weren’t running - that’s come home to roost now,” Mr Cater told Sky News host Chris Kenny.
“We need a reliable base load source and if it’s not gonna be coal … and gas for base load on that scale, then it has to be nuclear."
6:59
The ‘illusion’ of green energy has come ‘crumbling’ down in Europe
2.81M subscribers
Menzies Research Centre's Nick Cater says Europe is struggling with energy and the “illusion" of getting by with just wind, solar and batteries has "come crumbling”.
“Their dirty little secret they were getting all that gas and coal from Russia just to keep the home fires burning when the windmills weren’t running - that’s come home to roost now,” Mr Cater told Sky News host Chris Kenny.
“We need a reliable base load source and if it’s not gonna be coal … and gas for base load on that scale, then it has to be nuclear."
6:59
The ‘illusion’ of green energy has come ‘crumbling’ down in Europe
bw
Fringe Ranger
But the speeches were so inspiring. The illusion made us all happy. Greta was even slightly less grumpy. Gone now, gone with the wind.
Another great assessment,
1:21:46
6 Months of War in Ukraine - Economics, Endurance & the Energy War
View: https://youtu.be/ce5TR-qWCk4
Timestamps:
00:00:00 -- Opening Words
00:01:55 -- What Am I Covering?
00:02:53 -- GROUND NEWS
00:04:27 -- The War and Way Forward
00:04:44 -- A War of Position
00:06:13 -- Look at the Map!
00:07:40 -- How Do You Win?
00:08:23 -- Sanctions & the Economy
00:08:50 -- The Opening Punch
00:10:37 -- Adaptation & The Energy Dividend
00:12:31 -- Where Are We Now? (Officially)
00:13:39 -- Where Are We Now? (Actually)
00:15:43 -- Statistics & Economics Intelligence 101
00:18:57 -- A Moment for Perspective
00:21:21 -- Import Substitution & Demand
00:24:26 -- Capital Flight
00:26:24 -- Stimulus & Reserves
00:29:12 -- What Next?
00:30:34 -- Europe, Ukraine & The USA
00:30:48 -- Ukraine: The War Economy
00:33:14 -- USA: Uncomfortable But Dominant
00:34:53 -- Europe: Holding in There
00:36:32 -- The Energy War
00:36:54 -- Exposed Continent
00:38:22 -- Nervous Beginnings
00:39:43 -- Sanctions: Shots Fired
00:40:59 -- The Squeeze
00:42:19 -- European Response
00:45:27 -- Responses & Options
00:50:19 -- Russian Oil in the Crosshairs
00:54:17 -- The Limits of Coercion
00:58:33 -- The Political Dimension
01:00:33 -- Political Dimension: EU
01:01:56 -- EU Approval Survey
01:02:33 -- Importance of UE Membership Survey
01:03:26 -- Citizens' Positive Image of the EU Survey
01:04:03 -- European Support for Staying the Course
01:05:56 -- Sharp Decline in Favourable Views of Russia
01:08:08 -- American are Hawkish
01:11:38 -- Ukraine & The Will to Resist
01:13:47 -- Ukrainian Determination
01:17:00 -- The Fight Will Go On
01:18:24 -- Conclusions
01:19:59 -- Channel Update
1:21:46
6 Months of War in Ukraine - Economics, Endurance & the Energy War
Timestamps:
00:00:00 -- Opening Words
00:01:55 -- What Am I Covering?
00:02:53 -- GROUND NEWS
00:04:27 -- The War and Way Forward
00:04:44 -- A War of Position
00:06:13 -- Look at the Map!
00:07:40 -- How Do You Win?
00:08:23 -- Sanctions & the Economy
00:08:50 -- The Opening Punch
00:10:37 -- Adaptation & The Energy Dividend
00:12:31 -- Where Are We Now? (Officially)
00:13:39 -- Where Are We Now? (Actually)
00:15:43 -- Statistics & Economics Intelligence 101
00:18:57 -- A Moment for Perspective
00:21:21 -- Import Substitution & Demand
00:24:26 -- Capital Flight
00:26:24 -- Stimulus & Reserves
00:29:12 -- What Next?
00:30:34 -- Europe, Ukraine & The USA
00:30:48 -- Ukraine: The War Economy
00:33:14 -- USA: Uncomfortable But Dominant
00:34:53 -- Europe: Holding in There
00:36:32 -- The Energy War
00:36:54 -- Exposed Continent
00:38:22 -- Nervous Beginnings
00:39:43 -- Sanctions: Shots Fired
00:40:59 -- The Squeeze
00:42:19 -- European Response
00:45:27 -- Responses & Options
00:50:19 -- Russian Oil in the Crosshairs
00:54:17 -- The Limits of Coercion
00:58:33 -- The Political Dimension
01:00:33 -- Political Dimension: EU
01:01:56 -- EU Approval Survey
01:02:33 -- Importance of UE Membership Survey
01:03:26 -- Citizens' Positive Image of the EU Survey
01:04:03 -- European Support for Staying the Course
01:05:56 -- Sharp Decline in Favourable Views of Russia
01:08:08 -- American are Hawkish
01:11:38 -- Ukraine & The Will to Resist
01:13:47 -- Ukrainian Determination
01:17:00 -- The Fight Will Go On
01:18:24 -- Conclusions
01:19:59 -- Channel Update
Not even on a milk carton?
bw
Fringe Ranger
Lemon juice carton.
Greta's playing Doom Metal now,
4:41
Gojira - "Toxic Garbage Island" - Greta Thunberg cover (no)
von Koehler
Has No Life - Lives on TB
Wasn't its peak in the 1970's?
Marthanoir
TB Fanatic
Well finally some good news, Hurricane Danielle is heading for us, with that much wind surely we'll generate enough wind energy to see us through the winter right,
right....
right....
Marthanoir
TB Fanatic
ainitfunny
Saved, to glorify God.
The Western nations are left with assassinating PUTIN, BY Drone probably.
He is out to kill off the free world, so what is one vicious EVIL man in comparison to thousands who will freeze to death across Europe?
He is out to kill off the free world, so what is one vicious EVIL man in comparison to thousands who will freeze to death across Europe?
Samuel Adams
Has No Life - Lives on TB
While Biden, Trudeau and Co. get a pass ?
Fascinating.
Fascinating.
bw
Fringe Ranger
He's trying to protect Russian geographic integrity against a decades-long encroachment by NATO. Compare a 1945 map to today.
ainitfunny
Saved, to glorify God.
Where does that END? Trying to reestablish borders you had 75 years ago? 100 years ago? 200 years ago? Borders you had AS A DIFFERENT NATION, under a different political system?? WOW! If everybody did that we would have another WORLD at war!
Marthanoir
TB Fanatic
Putin didn't invade Ukraine until 24th Feb 2022,
Every household to get €100 off first electricity bill in 2022
10/12/2021 | 08:14 AMEvery private home in the State is set to receive €100 off their first electricity bill of 2022 under new plans set to be announced by the Government next week.
As reported in the Irish Examiner, two million homes will receive the credit in a bid by the Government to address rising energy costs. Households will receive the credit regardless of income with no commercial premises being eligible.
It is estimated that the move will cost €200 million and will be funded through existing resources within Minister for Environment Eamon Ryan’s Department of Energy budget.
This comes following figures released by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) on Thursday, detailing that the rate of inflation rose by 5.3 per cent in November. According to the CSO, inflation is now at a 20-year-high.
Every household to get €100 off first electricity bill in 2022 | BreakingNews.ie
It is estimated that the move will cost €200 million and will be funded through existing resources within Minister for Environment Eamon Ryan’s Department of energy budget.
www.breakingnews.ie
Samuel Adams
Has No Life - Lives on TB
Just like they do in the “USA”…….throw the constituency a bare white bone to gnaw on while starving out the Mom and Pop backbone of the economy.
CaryC
Has No Life - Lives on TB
BTW they have FOUND A SOLUTION to the energy crisis. PRINT MORE MONEY!!!!!!!
Which is why a few just days before the ECB is expected to hike rates by as much as 75bps, the German government on Sunday unveiled its third (so far) and latest multi-billion euro plan to help households cope with soaring prices, and said it was eyeing windfall profits from energy companies to help fund the relief. With this latest move - which will ensure energy firms spend even less on future capacity and growth capex - Germany has just obviated all of the ECB's tightening efforts, similar to what the Biden admin is doing in the US.
Ass France 24 reports, with German businesses and consumers reeling from the pain of sky-high energy prices, as Europe's biggest economy seeks to extricate itself from reliance from Russian supplies in the wake of Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, Chancellor Olaf Scholz unveiled another €65 billion "inflation fighting" stimulus package (yes, when it comes to printing money to crush inflation, Europe is just as smart as the US), announcing rapid measures to prepare for the coming cold season will ensure that Germany would "get through this winter."
The latest agreement, which brings total relief to almost 100 billion euros since the start of the Ukraine war, was hammered out overnight into Sunday by Germany's three-way ruling coalition of Scholz's Social Democrats, the Greens, and the liberal FDP.
Among the headline measures are one-off payments to millions of vulnerable pensioners and a plan to skim off energy firms' windfall profits. In short, creeping nationalization of the energy sector.
The government had made "timely decisions" to avoid a winter crisis, Scholz said, including filling gas stores and restarting coal power plants.But preventative measures, including a drive to reduce consumption, have done little to break a sharp increase in household bills.
The latest announcement follows two previous relief packages totaling 30 billion euros, which included a reduction in the tax on petrol and a popular heavily subsidized public transport ticket. But with the expiration of many of those measures at the end of August and consumer prices soaring, the government has been under pressure to provide new support.
Inflation rose again to 7.9 percent in August, after falling for two straight months thanks to previous government relief measures. The take-off in energy prices is expected to push inflation in Germany to around 10 percent by the end of the year, its highest rate in decades.
Scholz said however that not everyone is suffering from the high consumer prices. Some energy companies which may not be using gas to generate electricity were "simply using the fact that the high price of gas determines the price of electricity and are therefore making a lot of money," he said, echoing the US wealth-redistributor-in-chief himself, who similarly is taking aim at energy company profits.
"We have therefore resolved to change the market organization in such a way that these random profits no longer occur or that they are skimmed off."
The trimming of windfall profits would create "financial headroom that should be used specifically to relieve the burden for consumers in Europe," the government said in its policy paper. The move could potentially bring "double-digit billions" of euros in relief, finance minister Christian Lindner estimated in the press conference.
It's wasn't immediately clear if Germany had any idea just how catastrophic a message it was sending to energy companies with this latest socialist tactic, one which virtually guarantees European energy supply will collapse - after all, if the government can take your hard-earned money with the flip of a switch, why invest in growth. Of course, with Europe itself on the brink of collapse, it will cross that bridge if it ever even gets to it.
And since Germany is aware that such socialist measures may not be too popular in Germany, the Scholz government said it would push for the move to be implemented across the European Union first, before going ahead with the measure on its own.
As we reported on Sunday, Brussels on Monday said it would prepare "emergency" action to reform the electricity market and bring prices under control. Scholz said he expected the EU to "deal quickly" with the issue, adding that it was "very clear that we need rapid changes in this area".
Repeating his mantra that Germans will "never walk alone" through the energy crisis, the chancellor unveiled a raft of measures, including a one-off payment of 300 euros to millions of pensioners to help them cover rising power bills. The government will also target students with a smaller one-time transfer of 200 euros, and an heating cost payment for people receiving housing benefits.
Berlin also set aside 1.5 billion euros for work on a successor to the wildly popular nine-euro monthly ticket on local and regional transport networks.
The relief package as a whole should be financed without planning to take on further debt, Lindner said, which of course is just another lie.
"These measures are included within the government's existing budget plans," covering 2022 and 2023, he said, with the remainder covered by the windfall energy profit measures. We'll check back on that particular statement in 6 months... assuming there is still a Germany then.
As for the bigger picture for Europe, we can't help but wonder just how it all ends when you have the central bank scrambling to contain the energy hyperinflation by crushing demand (and sending the cost of money through the stratosphere) on one hand, while on the other every European government is rapidly sending out fiscal stimmies to the locals, seemingly unaware that this is precisely what the ECB does not want to see.
www.zerohedge.com
Germany Announces Another €65BN Energy Stimulus Even As ECB Seeks To Crush Demand
In a time when the ECB is doing everything in its power to halt and reverse Europe's energy hyperinflation by crushing demand as it hikes rates so high it will lead to widespread unemployment and recessions, oblivious of the political blowback such a move will spark, Europe's politicians are doing just the opposite, and are again quietly flooding the system with billions of fiatscoes, knowing too well they all be political cadavers should tens of millions of Europeans freeze in the coming winter.Which is why a few just days before the ECB is expected to hike rates by as much as 75bps, the German government on Sunday unveiled its third (so far) and latest multi-billion euro plan to help households cope with soaring prices, and said it was eyeing windfall profits from energy companies to help fund the relief. With this latest move - which will ensure energy firms spend even less on future capacity and growth capex - Germany has just obviated all of the ECB's tightening efforts, similar to what the Biden admin is doing in the US.
Ass France 24 reports, with German businesses and consumers reeling from the pain of sky-high energy prices, as Europe's biggest economy seeks to extricate itself from reliance from Russian supplies in the wake of Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, Chancellor Olaf Scholz unveiled another €65 billion "inflation fighting" stimulus package (yes, when it comes to printing money to crush inflation, Europe is just as smart as the US), announcing rapid measures to prepare for the coming cold season will ensure that Germany would "get through this winter."
The latest agreement, which brings total relief to almost 100 billion euros since the start of the Ukraine war, was hammered out overnight into Sunday by Germany's three-way ruling coalition of Scholz's Social Democrats, the Greens, and the liberal FDP.
Among the headline measures are one-off payments to millions of vulnerable pensioners and a plan to skim off energy firms' windfall profits. In short, creeping nationalization of the energy sector.
The government had made "timely decisions" to avoid a winter crisis, Scholz said, including filling gas stores and restarting coal power plants.But preventative measures, including a drive to reduce consumption, have done little to break a sharp increase in household bills.
The latest announcement follows two previous relief packages totaling 30 billion euros, which included a reduction in the tax on petrol and a popular heavily subsidized public transport ticket. But with the expiration of many of those measures at the end of August and consumer prices soaring, the government has been under pressure to provide new support.
Inflation rose again to 7.9 percent in August, after falling for two straight months thanks to previous government relief measures. The take-off in energy prices is expected to push inflation in Germany to around 10 percent by the end of the year, its highest rate in decades.
Scholz said however that not everyone is suffering from the high consumer prices. Some energy companies which may not be using gas to generate electricity were "simply using the fact that the high price of gas determines the price of electricity and are therefore making a lot of money," he said, echoing the US wealth-redistributor-in-chief himself, who similarly is taking aim at energy company profits.
"We have therefore resolved to change the market organization in such a way that these random profits no longer occur or that they are skimmed off."
The trimming of windfall profits would create "financial headroom that should be used specifically to relieve the burden for consumers in Europe," the government said in its policy paper. The move could potentially bring "double-digit billions" of euros in relief, finance minister Christian Lindner estimated in the press conference.
It's wasn't immediately clear if Germany had any idea just how catastrophic a message it was sending to energy companies with this latest socialist tactic, one which virtually guarantees European energy supply will collapse - after all, if the government can take your hard-earned money with the flip of a switch, why invest in growth. Of course, with Europe itself on the brink of collapse, it will cross that bridge if it ever even gets to it.
And since Germany is aware that such socialist measures may not be too popular in Germany, the Scholz government said it would push for the move to be implemented across the European Union first, before going ahead with the measure on its own.
As we reported on Sunday, Brussels on Monday said it would prepare "emergency" action to reform the electricity market and bring prices under control. Scholz said he expected the EU to "deal quickly" with the issue, adding that it was "very clear that we need rapid changes in this area".
Repeating his mantra that Germans will "never walk alone" through the energy crisis, the chancellor unveiled a raft of measures, including a one-off payment of 300 euros to millions of pensioners to help them cover rising power bills. The government will also target students with a smaller one-time transfer of 200 euros, and an heating cost payment for people receiving housing benefits.
Berlin also set aside 1.5 billion euros for work on a successor to the wildly popular nine-euro monthly ticket on local and regional transport networks.
The relief package as a whole should be financed without planning to take on further debt, Lindner said, which of course is just another lie.
"These measures are included within the government's existing budget plans," covering 2022 and 2023, he said, with the remainder covered by the windfall energy profit measures. We'll check back on that particular statement in 6 months... assuming there is still a Germany then.
As for the bigger picture for Europe, we can't help but wonder just how it all ends when you have the central bank scrambling to contain the energy hyperinflation by crushing demand (and sending the cost of money through the stratosphere) on one hand, while on the other every European government is rapidly sending out fiscal stimmies to the locals, seemingly unaware that this is precisely what the ECB does not want to see.
Germany Announces Another €65BN Energy Stimulus Even As ECB Seeks To Crush Demand | ZeroHedge
ZeroHedge - On a long enough timeline, the survival rate for everyone drops to zero
www.zerohedge.com
Marthanoir
TB Fanatic
If the governments hadn't closed down coal / turf / insert fuel here power generating stations would thousands have frozen to death.
Did Putin ban coal in EU countries, did Putin ban the burning of turf in Ireland, its the GREEN policies of politicians that will cause people to freeze to death not Putin stopping NG going to Europe.
What about the coal mines throughout Europe, the turf cutting in Ireland, the gas fields in the North Sea and off the Irish Coast.
The agenda is more important than thousands of deaths, maybe thousands of deaths is the agenda...
And look how much NATO has expanded since the end of the cold war.
NATO goal since then has been to extinguish Russia, break it up, and acquire their resources.