The Origins of the Wirecard Scandal • Hacker News Board

Re: The Origins of the Wirecard Scandal

#31

Post by allendoerfer » Tue, Apr 27, 2021, 9:36 AM UTC

Mashimo wrote: post #24

lnsru wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So many wishful thinking. I bet there will be no changes after election. Why should it be? Germany will continue slowly declining with whole Europe. This pandemic management was/is real shitshow. The universities are other funny thing. They have no future with heavily underpaid staff and work contracts for 6-12 month working contracts. Max Planck and Fraunhofer are sweatshops for industrial partners. They do the task…

> This pandemic management was/is real shitshow. Why was the pandemic management a real shitshow?

BioNTech (a German company) invents the vaccine known as Pfizer. German (and EU) administration then fails to roll it out.

Also weekly meetings changing (symbolic) measures, making everyone tired of the whole show.

Re: The Origins of the Wirecard Scandal

#32

Post by Mashimo » Tue, Apr 27, 2021, 9:37 AM UTC

andi999 wrote: post #18

The article seems a bit weak on the origins of the wirecard scandal (and rambles more about the countries psychology)

Because it's not an article about the wirecard scandal. It just uses it as one large example of scandals in Germany and why they happens on a social level.

Here is an timeline overview of wirecard: https://www.ft.com/content/284fb1ad-ddc0-45df-a075-0709b3686... ft probably has more in depth articles. If you want a more "entertaining" kind of video you can watch "ZDF Magazin Royale" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1g1jk_49r2U (Similar to the style of Last Week Tonight") It has English subtitles.

Re: The Origins of the Wirecard Scandal

#33

Post by allendoerfer » Tue, Apr 27, 2021, 9:39 AM UTC

ChuckNorris89 wrote: post #25

allendoerfer wrote: post #14

There are federal elections in September in Germany. CDU just fell behind the Green Party in recent polls and SPD (whose Olaf Scholz ultimatively was in charge of BaFin) is a shadow of it's former self anyway. I do not think the everything will turn for the better, but I am hopeful that some actions will be taken. The political style of Merkel - and Germany as a whole for that matter - of a steady hand and waiting fo…

>I take a socially relatively cohesive country, where an illness or going to university will not bankrupt you, where your kids can travel alone in public transportation, where police shootings per year are single digits, where the air is very breathable and the tap water is drinkable over world leadership any time You're obviously entitled to your oppinion, but can we please stop pushing this cherry picked cliché nar…

> Fine, but can we please stop pushing this cherry picked cliche narrative of "US bad because healthcare, shootings and tap water."?

Well those are the reasons, why I would not want to live there, even though I recognize it's economical superiority. Actually mostly the freedom of children. The other things you can solve with money. But your kids will have way more freedom in Germany and there is nothing money can do about it in the US.

Re: The Origins of the Wirecard Scandal

#34

Post by lnsru » Tue, Apr 27, 2021, 9:43 AM UTC

Mashimo wrote: post #24

lnsru wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So many wishful thinking. I bet there will be no changes after election. Why should it be? Germany will continue slowly declining with whole Europe. This pandemic management was/is real shitshow. The universities are other funny thing. They have no future with heavily underpaid staff and work contracts for 6-12 month working contracts. Max Planck and Fraunhofer are sweatshops for industrial partners. They do the task…

> This pandemic management was/is real shitshow. Why was the pandemic management a real shitshow?

Simple example. Quick test on Thursday 2 weeks ago before school. Whole class negative, cool! A call on Friday from school: we have 2 positive cases, please don’t come next week. Why all the quick tests!? They bring nothing.

Do you know how many vaccine was thrown away? https://www.sueddeutsche.de/gesundheit/impfstoff-coronavirus...

Let’s don’t start with Bavarian ffp2 masks while the rest of Germany can live without them.

Re: The Origins of the Wirecard Scandal

#35

Post by ChuckNorris89 » Tue, Apr 27, 2021, 9:43 AM UTC

allendoerfer wrote: post #30

lnsru wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So many wishful thinking. I bet there will be no changes after election. Why should it be? Germany will continue slowly declining with whole Europe. This pandemic management was/is real shitshow. The universities are other funny thing. They have no future with heavily underpaid staff and work contracts for 6-12 month working contracts. Max Planck and Fraunhofer are sweatshops for industrial partners. They do the task…

> Germany will continue slowly declining with whole Europe. If what's currently happening to Germany (uninterrupted boom since > 10 years) is decline, then let there be more of it. It's great, that you are living in the moment, but I take a step back once in a while. The other side of the fence is probably not greener. Germany is by no means perfect. Administration is a shit-show. But stuff is indeed improving (very…

>If what's currently happening to Germany (uninterrupted boom since > 10 years) is decline, then let there be more of it.

If by boom you mean the boom of big business profits that don't trickle down to the workers, boom of wealth inequality, asset prices, property prices and rents then yes, but that's nothing to be proud of.

Average wages of workers in Germany have not kept up with this boom but cost of living has risen.

Re: The Origins of the Wirecard Scandal

#36

Post by FabHK » Tue, Apr 27, 2021, 9:45 AM UTC

Mashimo wrote: post #24

lnsru wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So many wishful thinking. I bet there will be no changes after election. Why should it be? Germany will continue slowly declining with whole Europe. This pandemic management was/is real shitshow. The universities are other funny thing. They have no future with heavily underpaid staff and work contracts for 6-12 month working contracts. Max Planck and Fraunhofer are sweatshops for industrial partners. They do the task…

> This pandemic management was/is real shitshow. Why was the pandemic management a real shitshow?

Good question. At the beginning of the pandemic, the government response was excellent (with Angela Merkel, who has a doctorate in quantum chemistry, promoting fact-based policies).

[Quick background: Germany has a political system not entirely unlike the US with a federal level and "Länder" = state level. Health (along with police, education, etc.) is delegated to the Länder.]

Towards the end of 2020, two things happened:

People developed "Coronamüdigkeit" (being sick of the restrictions), and in the run-up to the federal election in Sept 2021 (with Merkel stepping down), several prime ministers of the Länder tried to gain a higher profile (with an eye on the Bundeskanzler election later) by opening up. So, squabbling and inconsistent policy ensued, with a massive third wave happening right now.

Throw in corruption (several CDU politicians had to step down because of shady mask deals), the delayed vaccination drive, etc., and "shitshow" seems appropriate.

Re: The Origins of the Wirecard Scandal

#37

Post by Mashimo » Tue, Apr 27, 2021, 9:45 AM UTC

allendoerfer wrote: post #31

Mashimo wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> This pandemic management was/is real shitshow. Why was the pandemic management a real shitshow?

BioNTech (a German company) invents the vaccine known as Pfizer. German (and EU) administration then fails to roll it out. Also weekly meetings changing (symbolic) measures, making everyone tired of the whole show.

> German (and EU) administration then fails to roll it out

Do you mean they have the vaccine but can't give it to people? I thought we did not secure enough of them.

> Also weekly meetings changing (symbolic) measures,

Yeah, that is not good.

You call that "a real shit show"?

Edit: Oh nevermind. You where not the person I asked. Sorry.

Re: The Origins of the Wirecard Scandal

#38

Post by Glawen » Tue, Apr 27, 2021, 9:45 AM UTC

apples_oranges wrote: post #4

Germany has their share of scandals.. Volkswagen, Deutsche Bank, Sparkasse, other banks.. Wirecard.. but politicians of course had no idea.. afterwards they are all shocked and surprised.. sigh. Especially Wirecard.. is such a failure on so many levels. Lead me to the conclusion: 90% of people half ass everything. It's like "The Wire" all the way. I bet you even Google, Apple and Facebook half ass stuff.. it's just a…

don't forget the big infrastructure project like BER which entertained me a lot.

A story I like particularly is the Phantom of Heilbronn (related to another big scandal: the NSU) which I think explain what is happening: Germans have a great confidence in them and other germans. They are very suspicious when something comes from outside Germany / Austria (like France, Italy, or UK), but if it is german it must be good and seriously done!

Truth is, Germany also has a share of slackers and fraudsters doing half assed stuff, but they admit their failures and sins only when it has become overwhelming, leading to crazy scandals. I still remember my colleagues who were proud of VW when the dieselgate came out. They were completely shocked. VW did this! They were expecting this from the sleazy french and italian, but not from their own beloved german company.

Re: The Origins of the Wirecard Scandal

#39

Post by detaro » Tue, Apr 27, 2021, 9:48 AM UTC

Mashimo wrote: post #24

lnsru wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So many wishful thinking. I bet there will be no changes after election. Why should it be? Germany will continue slowly declining with whole Europe. This pandemic management was/is real shitshow. The universities are other funny thing. They have no future with heavily underpaid staff and work contracts for 6-12 month working contracts. Max Planck and Fraunhofer are sweatshops for industrial partners. They do the task…

> This pandemic management was/is real shitshow. Why was the pandemic management a real shitshow?

First wave went well (probably in good part to dumb luck, but also because stuff just got done and less arguing about it), this made people somewhat complacent, second and third wave has been a shitshow of not wanting to be unpopular by locking things down and thus ignoring predictions, do last-minute changes when it's too late, apologizing for getting it wrong just to immediately repeat the same pattern, keeping things in an unstable and unsustainable situation for the past few months with no long-term planning (which also means the options are worse, because options that would have required long-term preparing aren't available and the available ones are badly thought out). Picking of random "target points" without apparent consideration what those actually mean outside of being some number that was compromised on and thus is now the benchmark. Way too much political manouvering with politicians pushing for "a common approach", agreeing with everyone on one, loudly announcing it, going back to their state and doing something entirely different. This dragged-out state with constant (but in many ways meaningless for many peoples experience) changes just drags on everyone while at the same time doing a bad job at keeping covid at bay.

EDIT: Random examples: lockdown laws that fail trivial legal challenges because they were made up last minute. Almost religious clinging to the belief that kids in school aren't a relevant factor (to the point of states suppressing evidence to the contrary) which lead to too little investment into teaching infrastructure and options, making each switch between kids in schools and not unnecessary last minute and painful to implement. Unnecessarily messy signup/notification processes for vaccinations (who would have thought one might need a plan to vaccinate people at some point...). Late adjustment of financial help schemes. Nonsensical and inefficient schemes to e.g. distribute masks.

Re: The Origins of the Wirecard Scandal

#40

Post by allendoerfer » Tue, Apr 27, 2021, 9:50 AM UTC

ChuckNorris89 wrote: post #35

allendoerfer wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Germany will continue slowly declining with whole Europe. If what's currently happening to Germany (uninterrupted boom since > 10 years) is decline, then let there be more of it. It's great, that you are living in the moment, but I take a step back once in a while. The other side of the fence is probably not greener. Germany is by no means perfect. Administration is a shit-show. But stuff is indeed improving (very…

>If what's currently happening to Germany (uninterrupted boom since > 10 years) is decline, then let there be more of it. If by boom you mean the boom of big business profits that don't trickle down to the workers, boom of wealth inequality, asset prices, property prices and rents then yes, but that's nothing to be proud of. Average wages of workers in Germany have not kept up with this boom but cost of living has ri…

Average real wages in the last ten years have steadily increased after being stagnant before. Inequality is lower in Germany than in China or the US.

I am not argueing that Germany is some kind of utopia. I am just saying: Find a better place to live. It will not be one of the dominant countries. It will be Switzerland etc.