Weekly roundup, Dec 3rd 2022

Dear Reader,

Germany is in a state of deep shock.

While some countries mourn the loss of a monarch, others are as deeply affected by a loss for their football team. In case you’ve been living under a rock, Germany just got kicked out of the World Cup at the group stage for the second time in a row. This has led to a deep existential crisis.

The question everyone is asking is whether these consecutive humiliations mean the national team is no longer a Turniermannschaft. The assumption has always been that - no matter how badly they play in the years between tournaments - when it comes to the games that matter the Germans show up.

Now, one could call this complacency, but who has ever accused the Germans of complacency?

Without getting too snarky, that does allow for a seamless transition into flogging the members’ article that I sent out on Friday. It concerns the rather alarming report that the German army only has enough ammo to last for a few days of war. While the government refuses t…