German Politics (was Germany: Elections 2017)

[Idris2002]

Panic! On the streets of Berlin. Well in the Springer empire, anyway:

Bild tabloid leads anti-Green campaign ahead of German election

Opponents attack Greens as elitist party for well-earning urbanites, with some success

www.irishtimes.com

According to that, the Greens leader has been photographed with Old Man Soros, leading the conspiraloons to almost wet themselves with glee, scumbags that they are. For Scally, Bild's opposition to all things Green is beef dating back to 1968. But Annalena B.'s promise of a "social-ecological revolution" could mean everything or nothing. . . .and will probably be towards the latter end of the scale.

 

[ska invita]

election day a month away

 

[Reno]

After considered to be without a chance only a few weeks ago, the SPD has shot up in the polls due to the chancellor candidate competition from CDS/CSU and The Greens being utterly hopeless. Armin Laschet (Merkel's gormless successor) and Annelena Baerbock (the Greens wildly out of her depth candidate) have stumbled from gaffe to gaffe, making the centre left Olaf Scholz look like the least embarrassing choice.

Not feeling very inspired by any of the mainstream parties, I did the Wahl-O-Mat, which is an online survey to figure out which party aligns the closest with my political views. We have over 30 parties and I got 8 niche parties before the first mainstream one, which is always Die Linke (the further left party) for me. The first ones are the party by Germany's biggest satire magazine and the Humanist party, The Pirate Party, the German Communist Party and the Animal Protection Party all are top recommendations for me. AFD comes last I'm glad to say.

 

[yield]

Last piece of Nord Stream 2 pipeline in place – DW – 09/06/2021

Engineers have welded together the final piece of piping of the controversial conduit, operators say. Gas supply to Germany is expected to begin in October.

www.dw.com

 

[yield]

German finance ministry raided in money laundering probe

BERLIN/FRANKFURT, Sept 9 (Reuters) - German prosecutors raided the finance and justice ministries on Thursday as part of an investigation into the government’s anti-money laundering agency, putting a spotlight on Germany's failings in tackling financial crime.

The probe into the Financial Intelligence Unit, an agency of the finance ministry under Social Democrat chancellor candidate Olaf Scholz, is looking at whether it was told to ignore warnings of suspect payments to Africa.

The raids come at a pivotal moment for Scholz, who opinion polls suggest has a good chance of becoming German chancellor in national elections on Sept 26.

Scholz rebuffed criticism from lawmakers following the raids, but the episode casts a cloud because it refocuses attention on the ministry he runs. The FIU and BaFin, the financial regulator, which also answers to Scholz have been under scrutiny for failing to spot problems at payments firm Wirecard, which collapsed last year in Germany's biggest corporate fraud.

"This is a security risk for Germany," said lawmaker Fabio De Masi. "We need a financial police with criminal expertise. Germany is a paradise for criminals."

 

[hitmouse]

East German anti-fascist conspiracy trial to start this week - Freedom News

In Saxony, East Germany, a state governed by the hard right faction of the conservatives (CDU) since the state rejoined the federal republic again in 1990, for over a year the police have been investigating attacks on Nazis and their structures. During this time the Chief Federal Prosecutor has...

freedomnews.org.uk

 

[brogdale]

Election night.

Latest:

 

[brogdale]

The other evening on C4News Matt Frei was explaining the decline of AfD in very pragmatic electoral coalition terms; basically saying that the fact that no party would countenance their inclusion in any coalition their relevance to the electorate had waned...but not because of their politics.

 

[brogdale]

Quite interesting for pol science nerds, and/or anyone who did GovPol!

 

[brogdale]

Meanwhile in the old East...

 

[killer b]

Meanwhile in the old East...

the bar chart suggests they were previously second as well tbf - the story there is the collapse of the CDU vote rather than the tiny increase in the AfD vote

 

[brogdale]

the bar chart suggests they were previously second as well tbf - the story there is the collapse of the CDU vote rather than the tiny increase in the AfD vote

and the swing of the shed vote to the SPD/Grune

 

[brogdale]

Interesting graphic showing older German voters sticking with what they know...

 

[redsquirrel]

The other evening on C4News Matt Frei was explaining the decline of AfD in very pragmatic electoral coalition terms; basically saying that the fact that no party would countenance their inclusion in any coalition their relevance to the electorate had waned...but not because of their politics.

Most of the pieces regarding the AfD vote have been the usual liberal propaganda - switching between hysterical over-predictions and dismissals that they have not had a breakthrough.

Anyone predicting that the AfD is over is a fool. They took 10.3%, admittedly they have lost some % votes and seats, but overall they are seeing there vote solidified and regularised - and they managed to do this during the pandemic. Compare the performance of the AfD with that of Die Linke, who saw their vote share and seats nearly halve, or the CDU.

Hard-right populism is a minority opinion in Western Europe/US/Aus/Canada/etc. The fact that the AfD can consistently get 10% of the vote when isolated by the other parties shows that it is there to stay in Germany, in the short/medium at least.

 

[brogdale]

Numbers:

 

[Smokeandsteam]

Some useful analysis on the demographics of the vote here, on the desire for fundamental change underpinning much of the vote end on the possible SPD overreach:

Chartbook | Adam Tooze | Substack

A newsletter on economics, geopolitics and history from Adam Tooze. More substantial than the twitter feed. More freewheeling than what you might read from me in FT, Foreign Policy, New Statesman. Click to read Chartbook, by Adam Tooze, a Substack publication with hundreds of thousands of...

adamtooze.substack.com

 

[ska invita]

Some useful analysis on the demographics of the vote here, on the desire for fundamental change underpinning much of the vote end on the possible SPD overreach:

Chartbook | Adam Tooze | Substack

A newsletter on economics, geopolitics and history from Adam Tooze. More substantial than the twitter feed. More freewheeling than what you might read from me in FT, Foreign Policy, New Statesman. Click to read Chartbook, by Adam Tooze, a Substack publication with hundreds of thousands of...

adamtooze.substack.com

What do you mean by SPD overreach?

 

[Smokeandsteam]

What do you mean by SPD overreach?

“The chutzpah of Laschet in insisting that he wants to form a government and the celebrations on the part of the SPD cannot disguise the fact that both the two leading parties of the Federal Republic have been reduced to levels of support, which would once have been thought humiliating. They are no longer Volksparteien - people’s parties - but simply somewhat larger players in a majority minority system”

 

[redsquirrel]

Some useful analysis on the demographics of the vote here, on the desire for fundamental change underpinning much of the vote end on the possible SPD overreach:

Chartbook | Adam Tooze | Substack

A newsletter on economics, geopolitics and history from Adam Tooze. More substantial than the twitter feed. More freewheeling than what you might read from me in FT, Foreign Policy, New Statesman. Click to read Chartbook, by Adam Tooze, a Substack publication with hundreds of thousands of...

adamtooze.substack.com

Pretty good piece, especially on the SPD, they are still ~10% lower than they were at the turn of the century (let alone before that).
And the below should make anyone think before believing the greens are a progressive force (as opposed to a Progressive one).

The scale of the migration from the CDU to the Greens is particularly striking when compared to what one might think of as a more normal movement from the CDU to the FDP.

Looks like the traffic light coalition will be 1st off the block in terms of having a stab a forming a government.

 

[Dogsauce]

The AfD asked a confectionary manufacturer to produce some sweets in the shape of their logo. The result is kind of pleasing.

 

[ska invita]

Afd now second biggest party... Absolutely on the rise. Doubled support in last year.

POLITICO Poll of Polls — German polls, trends and election news for Germany

POLLING FROM ACROSS EUROPE. UPDATED DAILY. READ IN GERMAN / AUF DEUTSCH LESEN Germany — 2025 general election Germans will go to the ballot box on Feb. 23 for a federal election, following the coll…

www.politico.eu

Some analysis

Far-right AfD emerges as Germany's second strongest party – DW – 07/07/2023

Voter discontent with Germany's coalition government has reached a high point. The far-right populists are the only opposition party to benefit from this trend, according to the latest Deutschlandtrend survey.

www.dw.com

 

[yield]

Germany considers ban on far-Right AfD
Call to 'defend democracy' as party surges to 21pc in opinion polls
telegraph. 13 August 2023

In a rare move, the respected Der Spiegel news magazine weighed into the debate with a leader titled: “Ban the enemies of the constitution!”

It warned that “the AfD has become more and more radicalised. It’s time to defend democracy with better weapons”.

The co-leader of Olaf Scholz’s ruling Social Democrats also said a ban should be considered if the AfD is categorised as a group of “proven Right-wing extremists” by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution.

However Friedrich Merz, the leader of the Christian Democratic Union, warned that “banning parties has never actually solved political problems”.

 

[Isambard]

Working class getting fucked.
I throw my ballot figuratively in the River Isar.

State elections in 2 weeks here in Bavaria. Applied for a postal vote and when it came threw all the paperwork away.

 

[yield]

German Left Party dissolves parliamentary faction after key member breaks away
Politico. December 6, 2023

The dissolution of the Left Party faction comes after Wagenknecht, the longtime face of the party, resigned in October to form a new anti-establishment party, bringing along nine parliamentarians from the Left Party with her.

Wagenknecht is among Germany’s most popular politicians and has drifted to the right on several social issues, including on migration, creating ideological crossover with the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD). Wagenknecht says her new party will represent voters that are deeply frustrated with mainstream politics.

Wagenknecht has also railed against Germany’s military support for Ukraine, and called for the restoration of closer relations with Moscow, leading to accusations from her political opponents that she’s a “Putin sympathizer” — a charge Wagenknecht denies. Her views on Russia had created deep rifts within the Left Party, which traces some of its roots to East Germany’s Communist Party.

A minimum of 37 parliamentarians are required for a party to be able to form a faction in the Bundestag. The Left Party now only has 28 parliamentary members.

How popular is Sahra Wagenknecht?

 

[Dogsauce]

Wasn‘t there quite a lot of the German “left” involved in some of the pro-Covid demonstrations and other conspiracy nonsense? I think there is quite a red-brown stain on some of them, so no surprise they sit on Putin’s knee.

 

[ska invita]

bit that stood out for me in the reporting of current German protests is:

"On its social media channels, the far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party has painted a picture of ordinary people being “driven into ruin by an irresponsible political leadership like in the middle ages”, and urged citizens to join what it has called a “general strike”. "

 

[yield]

bit that stood out for me in the reporting of current German protests is:

"On its social media channels, the far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party has painted a picture of ordinary people being “driven into ruin by an irresponsible political leadership like in the middle ages”, and urged citizens to join what it has called a “general strike”. "

This one?

‘The mood is heating up’: Germany fears strikes will play into hands of far right

Angry protests by farmers, hauliers and railway workers risk being exploited by populists such as Alternative für Deutschland

www.theguardian.com

 

[The39thStep]

bit that stood out for me in the reporting of current German protests is:

"On its social media channels, the far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party has painted a picture of ordinary people being “driven into ruin by an irresponsible political leadership like in the middle ages”, and urged citizens to join what it has called a “general strike”. "

There does seem to be some evidence of the AFD and also another right wing group getting involved however I'm not sure that that delegitimises the issue around the fuel subsidies being cut due to last year's ruling by the court about the budget not being constitutional. The main rail union are on strike next week however they don't seem to have been tainted with the right wing.

On a more minor issue, Sahra Wagenknecht has now announced her new party/alliance. It will contest the Euros and then possibly later in the year three state elections

Sahra Wagenknecht: German politician launches 'left-wing conservative' party

Observers say BSW may siphon voters away from the far-right Alternative for Germany.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[ouirdeaux]

The main rail union are on strike next week however they don't seem to have been tainted with the right wing.

Bahnstreik: Mobilitätswende auf dem Rücken der Mitarbeiter führt zwangsläufig zu Streik – AfD MV Fraktion

afd-fraktion-mv.de

 

[The39thStep]

Bahnstreik: Mobilitätswende auf dem Rücken der Mitarbeiter führt zwangsläufig zu Streik – AfD MV Fraktion

afd-fraktion-mv.de

All that is is a quote from the AfD on the strikes. You'd expect a parliamentary group to say something surely?