ᐅ Gas Prices – Where Is Gas Still Affordable?

Yes, I was referring to our domestic political situation. It could really get bad if the forecasts turn out to be accurate.

We are being hit harder by our own sanctions because, due to the "counter-sanctions"—which Russia officially denies being sanctions—we risk falling into a severe recession and increased social division.
If energy shortages actually occur, I think the chance of internal unrest is quite plausible. I believe Ms. Baerbock was relatively honest in her communication toward Canada. And Ms. Faeser has rhetorically prepared the ground by labeling potential protesters as right-wing extremists.
Russia, as an autocracy, has an advantage here. Protests are suppressed, freedom of information does not exist, many Russians are already poor anyway, and there is enough energy and foreign currency.
I also feel that the media here do not report deeply enough. The payment to India, which many are upset about, was in my view the "reward" for circumventing Western sanctions by having India purchase oil, refine it, and then sell it back to us.

By the way, I consider the government’s communication on this topic to be really poor—at least outward communication. In advance, there was hesitation, and afterwards it was announced that no more energy sources would be purchased from Russia. Sorry, but that really opens the door wide for countermeasures.

Joedreck schrieb:

Yes, I was referring to our domestic political situation. It could really become serious if the forecasts prove accurate.

Sure, even a blind person can see what you meant. But since there won’t be any unrest in this country (I could be wrong), I responded based on how I view the situation.

Joedreck schrieb:

Our own sanctions hit us harder,

Please provide specific examples—where exactly do the sanctions hit us harder? And please don’t argue with “could” or “would.” The sanctions are currently and massively impacting Russia right now, and at the current pace, it will take decades to return to the level of early 2022. It often looks like small successes, but these always come with a long tail of consequences.

Joedreck schrieb:

Yes, I was referring to our domestic political situation. It could really get bad if the forecasts turn out to be correct.

Our own sanctions hit us harder because, due to the so-called “counter-sanctions,” which Russia officially denies, we risk slipping into a severe recession and social division.
If there are indeed energy shortages, I consider the possibility of internal unrest quite likely. I think Ms. Baerbock was relatively honest in her communication toward Canada. And Ms. Faeser has rhetorically prepared the ground by labeling potential protesters as extremists.
Here, Russia has the advantage as an autocracy. Protests are suppressed, there is no freedom of information, many Russians are already poor, and energy and foreign currency reserves are sufficient.
I also feel that the media here do not report deeply enough. In my opinion, the payment to India, which many criticize, was actually a "reward" for circumventing Western sanctions by having India buy oil, refine it, and resell it to us.

By the way, I think the government’s communication on this topic is really poor — especially outward communication. Beforehand, there was hesitation and then the announcement that no more energy supplies would be sourced from Russia. Sorry, but that just opens the door for countermeasures.

I would like to recommend Habeck’s Instagram channel to you. I find it very refreshing. He regularly explains what he is doing and why, and sometimes even hosts live streams where people can ask questions themselves. This provides a good insight into the deeper background, as he often goes into great detail. The “traditional” media usually just scratch the surface and speculate wildly. You can see how easy it is to access information directly from him. I don’t understand why the media don’t simply use all this information.
I believe the channel is mostly known among younger people, but it’s very well received there. This is how every minister should handle communication.

Joedreck schrieb:

One question I have in situations like this is: who benefits?
Ukraine has been a playground for the "major powers" for several years now. According to reports, the "revolution" in Ukraine also involved the USA.
This morning I read an article stating that the USA prefers not to look too closely at Ukraine because it does not want to see the problems there.
Ukraine is currently the site of a proxy war, this time right on our doorstep rather than "far away."
From a moral standpoint, I believe Europe's actions are justified, but from a realpolitik perspective, I do not. We have imposed sanctions that cost us more than Russia. Add to that the mentality and resilience of the Russian people.
I seriously fear a very difficult domestic political situation in the coming autumn/winter.

If there is anything positive to take away from this, it is that politics (hopefully) has recognized how dependent we are on at least some countries with questionable human rights records. I hope this awareness leads to action.

Neubau2022 schrieb:

Are food prices really rising by 500% (factor of 6) or less? Please make up your mind first 😎

It was predictable that food and energy would become more expensive than a year ago. But that they would suddenly become so much more expensive, probably not. And anyone who relied on a gas boiler for a new build simply miscalculated.

@knuutnaundorf I’m interested in your way out of this crisis and what you would do. Complaining is easy, and spreading propaganda even more so. But practical solutions are needed. And here’s a tip: if you turn on NS2, it will harm Germany even more. Because it will definitely lead to the US reducing exports, even if some parts of the EU will not. Not to mention the loss of trust.

Will we get as much gas from the USA as we would from NS2?

motorradsilke schrieb:

Did the coalition agreement explicitly state that NS2 should be put into operation?

No. NS2 is not specifically mentioned by name in the coalition agreement. However, it explicitly states: "European energy law applies to energy policy projects also in Germany." Therefore, operating NS2 was not legally permissible upon signing the coalition agreement. Although legal permissibility was later established under the "Gas for Europe" framework, the certification process was halted at the start of the war. This decision was made by the Chancellor, who, to my knowledge, is a member of the SPD party.

And before the discussion continues in that direction: the wording in the coalition agreement was certainly not a consensus, but at most a compromise. Nevertheless, this compromise was supported and continues to be supported by all three governing parties.