We don’t usually talk about tabloid gossip, but this time we’ll make an exception—maybe another one; maybe we’ve already made exceptions like this before, but now we definitely have to.
It’s honestly embarrassing to see you-know-who (Von der Leyen and Kallas, for the record) talking about “ReArm YouRope” (1). They talk about CO2, and then instead of building nuclear power plants, they make weapons—but has anyone explained to them that a tank consumes 10 liters per kilometer and that firing a single shot is equivalent to six months of alternate-day driving restrictions? But above all, what does ReArm EU have to do with trains running on time?
Let us take a slightly broader view of the matter.
Spoiler: ReArm EU? Nothing will happen that will change the fate of Euroba. The path has already been set; now, if anything, they’re just dismembering the corpse.
We don’t want to be pessimists, but simply to point out that the European situation in terms of arms has been in shambles for decades. The last serious project dates back to the late 1970s; yes, the Eurofighter aircraft is quite old (1979, to be precise), and waking up today, in 2025 (and not, say, in 2014 at the very least), is ridiculous to say the least. And Germany has confirmed it’s buying more F-35s… we hope the readers can figure out the math on their own.
Should we allocate 800 billion euros? Let’s even pretend to imagine some kind of “georeturn” mechanism to distribute this money to individual countries (so obviously there must be a centralized European body to monitor the progress of individual projects, thereby multiplying the bureaucracy)—but then, with what energy do we build this stuff? That is, 800 billion becomes a product; this product must be designed, built, tested, modified, and sent into production. With what energy?
The energy that no longer exists in Germany because it no longer flows through Nord Stream? The same energy that was eliminated by shutting down nuclear power? With which production lines? BMW’s, converted to make tanks? Or FIAT’s in Poland, to make helicopters?
Let’s pretend to believe that it was Ukrainians in a small sailboat who blew up Nord Stream, why did Germany continue to give weapons and money to Ukraine?
How credible is it to let a strategic facility get blown up by a sailboat and then call for mass rearmament?
You can’t make up for 40 years of energy neglect with a massive 800-billion-euro economic package. Nein Nein Nein!
That said, simply being strict and banging your fist on the table isn’t enough to keep trains running on time. No, we need an energy infrastructure that provides stable power when needed; we need to maintain the rail network; and we need capable people with the autonomy to solve problems. In 2024, Deutsche Bahn set records for delays and cancellations, but its performance has been steadily declining for years (2). The same is true in Italy, to the point that the transport minister even stated that if there are so many delays and cancellations, reducing rail traffic might be a solution (3). Brilliant, no doubt about it.
How is it possible to even consider investing 800 billion without a decent railway infrastructure? 19th-century technology… and yet apparently there are people who think it’s outdated technology, which is why it doesn’t work, isn’t smart—we need to innovate… yesssss, let’s flush more money down the toilet!
Undoubtedly undisputed geniuses, who clearly have not the slightest idea about either railways or vacuum technology (or common sense), have decided to “invest” (=burn) more money by copying Elon Musk’s idea: the Hyperloop, (4), (5), (6), (7), (8). Let’s clarify that it’s not Musk’s idea anyway.
Just get these damn trains running on two 19th-century iron rails to run on time before burning millions of euros by throwing them straight into the cosmic void of the Italian, German, French, and Portuguese Hyperloop tubes!!Before you go pretending to rearm Euroba, get these trains running on time! There’s no power in the wires anymore!
Bring back the draft before you rearm this Euroba! It’s clear that even before the artillery fire, Ukraine is short on men (and Ukraine used to have the largest army in Europe—it wasn’t exactly a small force).
Wars are fought first and foremost with logistics and access to low-cost energy and resources. Without a sound foreign policy—which is essential for Euroba—there’s no access to the raw materials needed to manufacture tanks, planes, artillery shells, etc. As far as I know, Euroba’s diplomatic influence is currently zero. France has been kicked out of Mali and other backwaters in Africa where, as it happens, there are cheap resources and uranium… what is Euroba’s energy strategy? Solar panels made in China, titanium and gas from Russia?
Ours is a call for rationality, for the practicality of a realistic mindset, and not for the dollhouse world in which the Euroba Commission believes it lives: right or wrong ideas come at a cost, and sooner or later someone will present the bill; if you’re able to pay, it means those ideas were well-structured; if you’re not able to pay, you’re a scoundrel.
(1) https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/sv/statement_25_673
(2) https://www.dw.com/en/over-a-third-of-deutsche-bahn-long-distance-trains-late/a-71215006
(3) https://ilmanifesto.it/salvini-per-risolvere-i-ritardi-basta-tagliare-i-treni
(4)https://www.dzsf.bund.de/SharedDocs/Standardartikel/DZSF/Projekte/Projekt_180_Hyperloop.html