GER politics thread

[Skybird]

Understanding the Merkel. An American analysis.

http://foreignpolicy.com/2017/05/09/...erkel-germany/

As usual with such pieces, it most ikely gives too sober a descritpion of the truth - in this case Merkel'S poltical calculation -, but intentional or by random chance: her political acting indeed is reflected a bit by what the author describes here. Personally I think he underestmates the infuence of plitical messiah-syndrome which in case of Merkel and many other Germna polticians fundamentally bases on the socialization experiences in the DDR and the FdJ, and results in generla attitude of "us the knowing, planning party" and "them the led, obedient collective". In other words: feudalist elitism.

What’s strange about Merkel’s record of electoral success is how consistently she has confirmed the adage that policy failures are an unavoidable part of politics, while avoiding its corollary: that erosions of public support are inevitable, too. The mystery, however, lies less with Merkel than the German public — or, rather, with Merkel’s assessment of what the public wants and expects from politics. That assessment speaks well of Merkel’s intuition. It speaks less well of Germany’s political maturity.

I currently read Jason Brennan's "Against Democracy" (British link, German link). Its fair to say that he shredders the many illusions and deceptive hopes people have about it. Merkel'S success in staying in power (she is not really successful on matters) illustrates how misled our beloved illusions about democracy and elections indeed are. Which is true for any leading political caste in any Western country, it seems.

On a side note, compared to the almost hysteric enthusiasm the SPF displayed over the so-called Schultz-effect, surprisingly little of that effect is still alive. Schultz since weeks is in a nose dive - in the precise vertical.

[Skybird]

Today was the third and last state election before national elections in September. Martin Schultz' SPD scored its third of three crushing defeats, the hype about his chancelor candidation is ultimately over.

The coalition government of SPD and Greens is a thing of the past. Northrhine-Westphalia is the federal state with the biggest population of all 16 states in Germany, almost every fifth German lives here. It's also SPD heartland. The region is the industrial powerhouse of Germany, but this cannot deceive over the fact that 8 years of SPD-Green coaltion have ruined the finances, saw the devbts ecploding over socialist pet polcies,a nd educaiton and schools eroding dramatically. The interior minisiter and his both incompetent and egoist handling of police management also played a role, the night of NYE in Cologne has not been forgotten, nor forgiven, but this man, Jäger his name, already scored negative headlines before that, and again after that, and repeatedly. All-forgiving migration policies of this state allowed Islamic terrorist Nasri to carry out his terror attack in Berlin at christmas.

CDU gains, SPD heavy losses and worst result in this state ever, Greens halved, AfD in, SED-left out.

The so-called "honest" final standing, standardizing the election results against the total electorate. Biggest group again are the non-voters ("Nichtwähler"), almost 35% did not care or refused to give legitimization.
It is hard to imagine that Merkel does not win in September. Schultz trails behind 0:3.

[ValoWay]

germans are hilarious.. They keep complaining about merkel's politics day in, day out and the next morning they go voting for CDU Things never change, huh?

Originally Posted by ValoWay

germans are hilarious.. They keep complaining about merkel's politics day in, day out and the next morning they go voting for CDU Things never change, huh?

Did 'Germans' (apparantly a species that complained as a collective about Merkel?) do have a real alternative to her?
Not at the moment.

Schulz is a joke, who can only play one card: 'Volksnähe', while the others aren't even worth mentioning, of course.

So yes, Merkel it is, I'm afraid.

[ValoWay]

Most CDU voters are pensioners which could be called the 'silent majority' I guess.. They sit all day long in front of their TVs rather than being vocal in public, so who really knows why they vote for CDU regardless even when the refugee crisis was the big topic of the NRW election and even when Merkel+CDU were responsible for it.. Hail Kohl all over again, cause there's no reasoning possible when the majority of voters are hooked up on medication

Originally Posted by ValoWay

Most CDU voters are pensioners which could be called the 'silent majority' I guess.. They sit all day long in front of their TVs rather than being vocal in public, so who really knows why they vote for CDU regardless even when the refugee crisis was the big topic of the NRW election and even when Merkel+CDU were responsible for it.. Hail Kohl all over again, cause there's no reasoning possible when the majority of the voters are hooked up on medication

[Citation needed]

[ValoWay]

Originally Posted by Nippelspanner

[Citation needed]

42, rentner are retired persons.

source:https://www.tagesschau.de/newsticker...-welche-Partei

Ugh, n one doubts most CDU voters are retired people.
Hoewever:

Originally Posted by ValoWay

They sit all day long in front of their TVs rather than being vocal in public, so who really knows why they vote for CDU regardless even when the refugee crisis was the big topic of the NRW election and even when Merkel+CDU were responsible for it.. Hail Kohl all over again, cause there's no reasoning possible when the majority of voters are hooked up on medication

Why insult these people?
Is a retired person automatically some old cracker on medication??

And again, those who did complain about Merkel, probably didn't vote her.
It's not as if all of Germany collectively complained that Merkel is a bad chancellor overall, or did I miss something?

[ValoWay]

Originally Posted by Nippelspanner

Ugh, n one doubts most CDU voters are retired people.
Hoewever:



Why insult these people?
Is a retired person automatically some old cracker on medication??

And again, those who did complain about Merkel, probably didn't vote her.
It's not as if all of Germany collectively complained that Merkel is a bad chancellor overall, or did I miss something?

Well, if you continuously vote for the same old bavarian overlord (Kohl, now Merkel) and at the same keep complaining about them on public television/media then there must be something wrong somewhere.. I mean, it is entirely possible that those old folks aka the majority sit in front of their TVs and think that the news reporters criticizing merkel are full of 'hearts'.. If CDU was so awesome why make a big deal out of their mistakes when you know that the majority of people will disagree? Maybe CDU fanboys should send more angry letters to TV stations or start a breitbart-esque news network in order to get their point across, I don't really know..

[Skybird]

Over 50% - growing - of the total nation-wide electorate in Germany is at the age 50+.

Young people planning their own future, family, children, should get the creeps when knowing this. It means parties will design their voter bribery and spending frenzies before elections according to the most vital voter group: the elder. The old can overvote the young into the ground. The young have to paypaypay, and then have to paypaypaypay and paypaypay.

Germans already are the second-most taxed population in the world. Only the Belgians get blackmailed for even more protection money by their state syndicate.

[Jimbuna]

Originally Posted by Skybird

.

Germans already are the second-most taxed population in the world. Only the Belgians get blackmailed for even more protection money by their state syndicate.

Not saying I agree or otherwise but the links below don't even put Germany in the top ten for income tax per capita income.

Of course, it is possible the information is distorted and incorrect.

http://www.worldatlas.com/articles/c...the-world.html

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/...w/48216892.cms

Originally Posted by ValoWay

Well, if you continuously vote for the same old bavarian overlord (Kohl, now Merkel) and at the same keep complaining about them on public television/media then there must be something wrong somewhere..

Again, who are these people voting yet complaining like you say?
Where do you get this from? Any numbers/facts?
You're continuously making some questionable claims, but what's your point?

Also, neither Kohl nor Merkel are from Bavaria, and the CDU is no Bavarian party as well - that's the CSU.

[Skybird]

Originally Posted by Jimbuna

Not saying I agree or otherwise but the links below don't even put Germany in the top ten for income tax per capita income.

Of course, it is possible the information is distorted and incorrect.

http://www.worldatlas.com/articles/c...the-world.html

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/...w/48216892.cms

It made the news in Germany last month. According to the OECD's own study "Taxing Wages 2017", the Belgians pay 54%, Germans 49% of their income for taxes and mandatory social transfers.

Source: http://www.oecd.org/ctp/tax-policy/t...7-brochure.pdf

[Skybird]

Are you ready for the red pill?

http://ef-magazin.de/2017/05/19/1102...die-rote-pille

THIS IS IN GERMAN.

Sorry, it ius too long as if I wojuod care to translate it, but the essay is spot on, focussing on the parallels between that fmaous scene from Matrix, and our contemporrary sociological and political present and "reality". It gave me some grim satisfaciton to read this, like I sometimes feel when reading somehtign by someone on a rare circumstance that confirms, or agrees with the way I meet this criminal regime of opurs that so many people until today consider to be a good thing, an incarnation of freeom and liberty. It isn't. We are all slaves - and most of us are so much in tranbce that we fight with detemrination against everybody telling us what liberty really is.

"Wie kann der Staat mehr Rechte haben als die Summe seiner Bürger?"
(...)
der aggressive Staat ist nicht das letzte Kapitel der Menschheit, auch wenn er zur Zeit einen Höhepunkt erleben mag. Aber Höhepunkte sind immer auch Wendepunkte. Und so lassen Sie mich mit einem Zitat von Ludwig von Mises schließen: „aller Fortschritt der Menschheit hat sich gegen den Staat und seine Zwangsgewalt durchsetzen müssen.“ Warum sollte es da gerade unserer Generation anders gehen?

From own experience I must confirm that questioning the state of things, the okay-ness of the current order, will not make you any new friends, but will cost you your old ones, and most likely you will make yourself many new enemies. But once you swallowed the red pill, there is no way leading you back, never. The truth will set you free, it will make you more independent in thought, and stronger in will, yes. But it will not make your life simplier, but more difficult, and it will test your endurance, from now on until you die, for this world, this system will die neither easy, nor fast. If that scares you, take the blue pill instead and continue to dream what they want you to dream. While dreaming, you at least will not realise that you are just a slave - who dreams to be a free, sovereign man.

[ValoWay]

Isn't that bascially what they call in the US libertarianism?