Which German Party would you fit into best?

[minionofmidas]

SDP

FDP. But as I'd be a tactical voter (against the SDP), my vote would go to the CDU when it's needed.

^^^^^^^^

It's SPD.

[minionofmidas]

Xahar, do you agree with my self-description as a Green/CDU swinger?  I'm always a bit embarrassed not to support a party over their "smell," but FDP smells more libertarian than liberal.

Yeah, that seems about right.

The FDP has described themselves as a party for rich people.

and that was a very stupid thing to say....

True though.

But very accurate. At least as "core" support is concerned - but then the core-to-potential relationship is much the lowest of all German parties, as the potential votership includes most of the CDU-leaning population.

[minionofmidas]

as the potential votership includes most of the CDU-leaning population.

Presumably that started in the '80's?

It's been blatantly obvious, and a necessary condition of the FDP's survival, since it's 1983 rebound. But the seeds were sown far earlier (and might I add the FDP has also relied on "borrowed" SPD votes at times).

[minionofmidas]

as the potential votership includes most of the CDU-leaning population.

Presumably that started in the '80's?

It's been blatantly obvious, and a necessary condition of the FDP's survival, since it's 1983 rebound. But the seeds were sown far earlier (and might I add the FDP has also relied on "borrowed" SPD votes at times).

What was Brandt's FDP like?

Faction-ridden. The "left" wing was broadly in control until about 1980, though - many of them departed for the SPD after 1982 (not sure about nationwide, but in Hesse FDP membership halfed that year), and those who remained have been pretty marginalized ever since, although a few token left liberals (to use the German term) have remained in visible positions - Sabine Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger (lol at that name) still chairs the Bavarian FDP.
Basically, the old left liberals were to the SPD's left on social and legal issues (the SPD has since moved to, basically, their old positions. The FDP retains technically committed to much the same positions as well, not that it has acted on its stated principles more than twice or so since 1982.) They were quite obviously a middle-class party with a middle-class clientele, though, and their economic stances were more right wing. But your typical left liberal would have left worrying about the party's economic stances to the right wingers.

[minionofmidas]

It's not that different from Austrian politics, actually. The FDP is the equivalent of what the FPÖ used to be (before they went far-right). The CDU//CSU is the counterpart to the ÖVP, as I mentioned. The Greens are the Greens, of course, and the SPD likewise corresponds to the SPÖ. Die Linke is a more mainstream version of the KPÖ.

It's more complicated. Although most of the complication can be traced to Austria being monolithically Catholic, I suppose.

[minionofmidas]

It's not that different from Austrian politics, actually. The FDP is the equivalent of what the FPÖ used to be (before they went far-right). The CDU//CSU is the counterpart to the ÖVP, as I mentioned. The Greens are the Greens, of course, and the SPD likewise corresponds to the SPÖ. Die Linke is a more mainstream version of the KPÖ.

It's more complicated. Although most of the complication can be traced to Austria being monolithically Catholic, I suppose.

And the lack of a partition after 1955, I assume.

That can be traced to Austria being monolithically Catholic - in that Austria's existence as a country independent from a unified Germany can be.

[minionofmidas]

Würtemberg is icon of south German protestantism.

Indeed. That is, old Württemberg. The areas added in the Napoleonic era are majority Catholic. Modern Württemberg (before church membership started breaking down. And before even more people started moving to other regions, which makes everywhere looks like that) is very much the model case of a mosaic of small Catholic enclaves, small Protestant enclaves, and wholly mixed areas, with close confessional balance when summed.