Loading, please wait...
Login / Register
Guest blog by S.A. Shelley: WARNING: Adult language and un-woke phrases are embedded in this blog.
Writing a good blog takes some forethought and planning. But sometimes, nay too often these days, so many politicians of all stripes are continuing to make horrendously dumb statements regarding energy matters that I feel compelled to write a rebuttal to something that Angela Merkle, the former German Chancellor, said last week.
Responding to reporters' questions on October 13 about what she and Germany could have done differently to not become so dependent on Russian gas, she replied, "You always act in the time in which you find yourself." OMG. Let's compare Russian actions that coincide with Merkle's tenure in Germany (2005 to 2021). See Figure 1.
Ms. Merkle, I call bullshit on your excuse for getting Germany mired in its energy and economic mess. You were either willfully ignorant or blissfully inept of the looming danger. Much of the world could see that European dependence on Russian gas (see Figure 2), coupled with Putin's aggressive behavior and tactics, would lead to significant geopolitical problems. In 2019, then President Trump said the pipeline could turn Germany into a "hostage of Russia" and signed a law that would impose sanctions on any firm that helps Gazprom finish the pipeline.
No good leader acts only according to the situation at the time: That's reaction. A good leader acts towards achieving a vision and uses the situation at the time as a starting basis, not as an excuse to avoid blame for failure. The harm that you foisted upon Germany with your misguided beliefs ranks second only to the harm that the Prince of Privilege foists upon Canada.
Wandul durch handel in our time? Didn't a British politician say something similar just before the deadliest war of the last century? I've written this before and will repeat it: The time to stand up to autocrats is before they have your economy by the throat (Putin) or before they freeze your bank accounts (Trudeau).
More "I call BS blogs" coming shortly.
Vive l'Albeta Libre!
References to Figure 1:
