Germany megathread

[CumbrianLefty]

Seriously shouldn't the real aim be "the AfD can continue, but get rid of your actual Nazis"?

[CumbrianLefty]

I think its fair to say many of the protest organisers weren't expecting the numbers that turned up.

It does appear that the revelation of this AfD "plan" has produced something visceral amongst their opponents, despite some claims of general apathy. The next few polls might be interesting to see.

[CumbrianLefty]

"German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has compared the far-right plan to deport migrants to Nazi racial ideology, calling it "an attack on our democracy."

Quite interesting coming from the man who expressed a desire for the exact same thing in Der Spiegel on October 20th, 2023, in an article titled "We Have to Deport People More Often and Faster".

Very obviously its not, as even the most cursory examination will reveal.

This is remarkably careless and bad faith from you. Do better.

[CumbrianLefty]

Again, lots off politics these days is about vibes.

And this is maybe more so when it comes to immigration.

[CumbrianLefty]

A recording from December has Björn Höcke (AfD) saying that he wants to deport 20%-30% of the German population, arguing the country could easily handle it provided that ethnic German women would increase their birthrates in the aftermath.

So he has basically outed himself as an actual Nazi. Good.

[CumbrianLefty]

The true nature of the AfD being starkly revealed does seem to be having some effect on the polls.

[CumbrianLefty]

Though stranger things have happened.

[CumbrianLefty]

I believe that it was Macron himself who needlessly started this debate which only distracts from the real issues regarding Ukraine.

Worse IMHO is SPD's main appeaser Rolf Mützenich applauding Scholz for not sending the Taurus missiles, arguing that it prevents Germany from becoming a "warring party"... the same argument the dovesh wing of the SPD had used against Leopard shipments and before that against Marder shipments. According to the version of Mütznenich from summer of 2022 we already have been a "warring party" for the past 18 months now.

Remember Tucker’s unhinged conspiracy theory about how the Ukrainian government declared him a terrorist and are out to assassinate him because some NGO put him up on Myrotvorets? Mützenich was actually the first one to do this back in 2022. Just an absolutely disgusting character.

Dear me, what a dickhead.

[CumbrianLefty]

Stuff like the Thirty Years War, as well.  For at least some parts of Germany the destruction wreaked by it was comparable to WW2, and took rather longer to recover from.

[CumbrianLefty]

Ngl, the German love affair with lignite does seem pretty bizarre to many of us outside the country.

[CumbrianLefty]

Ah well, I'm sure that strategy will achieve all the success it deserves.

[CumbrianLefty]

It has been observed that the international media seem rather less interested in covering the AfD's fall than they were its "inevitable and inexorable" rise.

Funny that.

[CumbrianLefty]

The historic polling trends in Germany are what they are. That does not alter the reality that Scholz has been something of a disappointment on the whole - but it ain't over till its over.

[CumbrianLefty]

*Pretends to be shocked* Nord Stream II wasn't actually simply "the private sector" at work??!

"Major political scandal brewing in Germany: investigative journalists have found documents apparently showing the complicity of senior politicians in Russian strategic energy schemes, knowingly acting to the detriment of Ukraine, during the Merkel administration."

A useful reminder that all this nonsense isn't confined to the SPD.