What is Germany doing right that we're not? And why?

[HarryW]

How many individual billionaires and the like do they have compared to the likes of the UK?

[deeen]

nikaiyo2 said:

Zod said:

The Germans have an absurdly generous welfare state. You get 60% of net salary as unemployment benefit for a year.

It is much more contributory than in the UK isnt it, if you have been in work and fallen on hard times for a short period it is supportive. I think after the 1st 12 months the German benefits are MUCH less generous than the UK. 250 or 300 euro a month.

UK unemployment benefit is £72 a week, about the same?

[FredClogs]

HarryW said:

How many individual billionaires and the like do they have compared to the likes of the UK?

Many many more.

[loafer123]

jjlynn27 said:

Pesty said:

Not paying their fare share to NATO helps

LOL. You are actually serious?

To be fair, they do spend a low proportion of their GDP on defence, and rely upon others based in their country to bolster their defence.

[glazbagun]

loafer123 said:

jjlynn27 said:

Pesty said:

Not paying their fare share to NATO helps

LOL. You are actually serious?

To be fair, they do spend a low proportion of their GDP on defence, and rely upon others based in their country to bolster their defence.

If this changes, and Germany up it to 2%, I will smugly await the Daily Mail headline about Germany rearming.

[B'stard Child]

Zod said:

Halb said:

markcoznottz said:

Halb said:

Guvernator said:

Yep I've always wondered this, considering they lost not 1 but 2 world wars within the last 100 years and Britain were on the side of the victors, they seem to have done a hell of a lot better than we have over the intervening period!

Germany were gifted millions in aid (as opposed to interest rate loan the UK got), Germany was destroyed utterly and the Americans rebuilt her better than ever because she was needed, new everything, couple that withthe stoic German mentality and you have a slow and steady recipe for success. UK as a victor had to carry the can, and was almost as badly fked, wealth squandered, couple that with a sort of crony capitalism where avarice and rapacity is lauded above all and you have a recipe for the modern UK.

Indeed. And we got more Marshall aid than them, and decided to build a welfare state.

ANd nuclear weapons.

The Germans have an absurdly generous welfare state. You get 60% of net salary as unemployment benefit for a year.

What do you get after a year?

The issue with the UK welfare system is there is no benefit in leaving it

[anonymous-user]

jjlynn27 said:

Pesty said:

Not paying their fare share to NATO helps

LOL. You are actually serious?

Are you? Germany spends just over 1% of GDP on defence, compared to say UK and France who both spend just over 2% to meet their commitment to NATO. In real numbers Germany is saving themselves the thick end of $40bn a year. If that's not 'serious' perhaps you can tell us what would be? 'LOL'

[B'stard Child]

fblm said:

jjlynn27 said:

Pesty said:

Not paying their fare share to NATO helps

LOL. You are actually serious?

Are you? Germany spends just over 1% of GDP on defence, compared to say UK and France who both spend just over 2% to meet their commitment to NATO. In real numbers Germany is saving themselves the thick end of $40bn a year. If that's not 'serious' perhaps you can tell us what would be? 'LOL'

They don't need to spend 2% - their attempts at European Domination with military assistance have failed twice - they found another peaceful way of getting the same result

[carl_w]

Zod said:

The Germans have an absurdly generous welfare state. You get 60% of net salary as unemployment benefit for a year.

The employed also have to pay a lot as their equivalent of national insurance though.

[Croutons]

V8 Fettler said:

German banks are typically more supportive of German businesses when compared to the support that British banks provide to British businesses.

This.

German banks think long term conservatism- property finance is hard to come by which keeps prices down. It is only rich individuals / foreign bank lending that's leading to rising prices in areas with lots of foreign workers. They value slow and steady, not chasing market share or the CEO's targets to get their bonus.

[paul789]

By any objective measure, they have done everything better than us. However, having lived there for years and having made a lot of friends there, I had to move back.

There is something irresistible about the chaos here. Something about the soft power we have here. There was something empty about life in Germany. Maybe it was just my peculiar take on things.

[anonymous-user]

B'stard Child said:

fblm said:

jjlynn27 said:

Pesty said:

Not paying their fare share to NATO helps

LOL. You are actually serious?

Are you? Germany spends just over 1% of GDP on defence, compared to say UK and France who both spend just over 2% to meet their commitment to NATO. In real numbers Germany is saving themselves the thick end of $40bn a year. If that's not 'serious' perhaps you can tell us what would be? 'LOL'

They don't need to spend 2% - their attempts at European Domination with military assistance have failed twice - they found another peaceful way of getting the same result

To be fair a Europe run by the Germans might not be such a bad thing.

[scherzkeks]

Halb said:

Guvernator said:

Yep I've always wondered this, considering they lost not 1 but 2 world wars within the last 100 years and Britain were on the side of the victors, they seem to have done a hell of a lot better than we have over the intervening period!

Germany were gifted millions in aid (as opposed to interest rate loan the UK got), Germany was destroyed utterly and the Americans rebuilt her better than ever because she was needed, new everything

Better than ever? New everything? Come for a visit, I can assure you, they let some stuff slide.

[Halb]

scherzkeks said:

Halb said:

Guvernator said:

Yep I've always wondered this, considering they lost not 1 but 2 world wars within the last 100 years and Britain were on the side of the victors, they seem to have done a hell of a lot better than we have over the intervening period!

Germany were gifted millions in aid (as opposed to interest rate loan the UK got), Germany was destroyed utterly and the Americans rebuilt her better than ever because she was needed, new everything

Better than ever? New everything? Come for a visit, I can assure you, they let some stuff slide.

Bet the beer hasn't

[B'stard Child]

Halb said:

scherzkeks said:

Halb said:

Guvernator said:

Yep I've always wondered this, considering they lost not 1 but 2 world wars within the last 100 years and Britain were on the side of the victors, they seem to have done a hell of a lot better than we have over the intervening period!

Germany were gifted millions in aid (as opposed to interest rate loan the UK got), Germany was destroyed utterly and the Americans rebuilt her better than ever because she was needed, new everything

Better than ever? New everything? Come for a visit, I can assure you, they let some stuff slide.

Bet the beer hasn't

The wine did - antifreeze can be quite slippery

[jjlynn27]

loafer123 said:

jjlynn27 said:

Pesty said:

Not paying their fare share to NATO helps

LOL. You are actually serious?

To be fair, they do spend a low proportion of their GDP on defence, and rely upon others based in their country to bolster their defence.

You are, of course, right. They spent 1.22% of GDP on defence. In return, they've balanced their books.
So, as per thread title, they are doing it right. They seem to be spending money on what matters to their citizens. They should up their spending to 2% by 2024. No obligation to do it before then.

[Yipper]

oyster said:

Germany has managed, yet again, to produce a government surplus. It has also managed to lead the G7 in 2016 GDP growth.
Therefore, Germany must be a capitalist's dream.

BUT
So a generous public sector, an open immigration policy (including a million refugees recently), high union representation in corporates.
Therefore, Germany must be a socialist's dream.

Germany is -20% poorer than the US, so it is not especially rich. The Euro is 10-20% undervalued relative to where the Deutsche Mark would sit today, making exports of valuable cars etc. relatively very cheap. West Germany has a superb management class that is skilled, calm and confident.

Britain's problem is the failure and collapse of the economy outside London. Decades of neglect and underinvestment in people, places and things outside the M25 mean 60-80% of the UK is little richer than Greece or Spain.

[Murph7355]

Yipper said:

... mean 60-80% of the UK is little richer than Greece or Spain.

I never really understand that sort of stato...

[scherzkeks]

Halb said:

scherzkeks said:

Halb said:

Guvernator said:

Yep I've always wondered this, considering they lost not 1 but 2 world wars within the last 100 years and Britain were on the side of the victors, they seem to have done a hell of a lot better than we have over the intervening period!

Germany were gifted millions in aid (as opposed to interest rate loan the UK got), Germany was destroyed utterly and the Americans rebuilt her better than ever because she was needed, new everything

Better than ever? New everything? Come for a visit, I can assure you, they let some stuff slide.

Bet the beer hasn't

The good beer is south of where I am at. Easier to just go to Belgium.

[Digga]

jjlynn27 said:

loafer123 said:

jjlynn27 said:

Pesty said:

Not paying their fare share to NATO helps

LOL. You are actually serious?

To be fair, they do spend a low proportion of their GDP on defence, and rely upon others based in their country to bolster their defence.

You are, of course, right. They spent 1.22% of GDP on defence. In return, they've balanced their books.
So, as per thread title, they are doing it right. They seem to be spending money on what matters to their citizens. They should up their spending to 2% by 2024. No obligation to do it before then.

Framing the spend more logically, one might argue the UK has pissed a lot of money, up a lot of (foreign) walls on offence over the last few decades. We have little benefit to show for it and more than a few, zealous enemies as a result.