The Spectator

What Germans are worst at

They can’t play cricket. And some of them aren't very good in bed

issue 19 July 2014

What Germans do worst

Some things Germans aren’t very good at:
— Making reliable car engines. According to a survey by Warranty Direct last year, Audi came bottom, BMW seventh from bottom and Volkswagen ninth from bottom out of 36 manufacturers for engine failures.
— Making love. According to a spurious website survey of 15,000 women in 2009, German men were the world’s worst lovers, the main complaint being that they were ‘smelly’. (Englishmen were second worst.)
— Cricket. But they are not the worst. Germany lies between Ghana and Japan in division 8 of the ICC World Cricket League. This makes them the 42nd best team in the world, above France.


International health service

The government announced new charges to tackle health tourism. How much does the NHS spend treating foreign nationals?

EEA nationals £261m
Non-EEA £1,075m
Foreign expats £94m
Irregular migrants £330m
Deliberate health tourists £20m-£100m
Regular visitors £50m-£200m
Total  £1.87bn-£2.04bn

Source: Prederi, for Department of Health

Comments

Join the debate for just $5 for 3 months

Be part of the conversation with other Spectator readers by getting your first three months for $5.

Already a subscriber? Log in