The amount of Germany hate-posting on the back of @patrickc‘s tweet is astonishing. Seems everyone has seen the light, aka read Ray Dalio‘s Changing World Order, and now has hot takes on the country’s decline being an inevitability, feeling superior for being able to „speak the hard truth“ and announcing to the world that the only thing left to do is getting the hell out of this country, which will most certainly fall into the hands of the far right.
I agree things need to to change, urgently and drastically. I agree we must reinvigorate the economy and boost entrepreneurship. I agree that our labour laws, energy costs, bureaucracy and low investment into future technology is unbefitting of the reality we live in today and of a country like Germany.
But to speak of all the ills in Germany like it was some doomed hell hole without even for a second realising or acknowledging that the country still has SO MUCH to offer makes me disappointed and angry.
This especially goes out to the 30/40 year olds who got to benefit from what was built up in the past and could now make a massive contribution to changing things for the better but who instead seem to just blame politicians and bureaucracy for everything.
I join your harsh criticism - I reject your defeatism entirely.
Business leaders and founders I’ve talked to have been saying this for a decade now to each successive Chancellor (Merkel, Sholz, Merz). The Draghi report and others are out. At some point, it really just is the lack of adaptation by the parties - all 5 of them are acquiescing to decline and stagnation (even AfD is no better) - so there’s universal political consensus and it’s unclear why the politicians agree it’s a problem but can’t do anything.
Aug 31, 2026 · 6:12 PM UTC