EP elections 2014

[Middle-aged Europe]

The last time the NPD dropped below 0.5% in a national election was in the Bundestag election of 2002 though, when there was an overabundance of right-wing protest parties and the NPD probably lost votes to both the Schill Party (0.8%) and the Republicans (0.6%).

Schill doesn't exist anymore and as it was already noted in this thread, the Republicans have mostly become a non-factor in German politics. So if the NPD really drops below 0.5% nationally in this election it's perhaps thanks to the AfD. But I still doubt it.

[Middle-aged Europe]

European election poll for Germany (Infratest dimap, 03/06)

CDU/CSU 40%
SPD 26%
Greens 11%
Left 7%
AfD 5%
FDP 4%

[Middle-aged Europe]

On May 8, the ZDF (main German TV broadcaster) and the ORF (main Austrian TV broadcaster) will host a joint TV debate between Jean-Claude Juncker, the EVP frontrunner, and Martin Schulz, the PSE frontrunner.

Ingrid Thurnher (ORF) and Peter Frey (ZDF) will moderate the debate which will be held in Berlin at the ZDF headquarters.

Juncker and Schulz have already agreed to participate in the debate:

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The debate style will be a mix of classical debate, with questions by the moderators and town-hall format, in which people from the audience (or via TV-screen) ask questions to the candidates.

I'm a bit indifferent about that. On one hand, it's good that the European election has besome important enough to hold televised debates.  On the other hand, I'm a bit annoyed that the media is staging it as a Americanized duel between two candidates/parties again while disregarding other parties.

Anyway, here is the latest European election poll for Germany (INSA):

CDU/CSU 38%
SPD 26%
Greens 9.5%
Left 8.5%
AfD 7.5%
FDP 3%

[Middle-aged Europe]

New European election poll for Germany (FGW):

CDU/CSU 38%
SPD 26%
Greens 11%
Left 8%
AfD 6%
FDP 4%

[Middle-aged Europe]

No data on smaller parties.

"Other parties - 7%"

[Middle-aged Europe]

But I thought the EU was the new Soviet Union?

And if the EU is really the new Third Reich, doesn't that mean that the FPÖ should be in favour of the EU now??

I'm confused!

[Middle-aged Europe]

Wait a minute, the FDP has election posters??

Haven't seen any of them yet. All what seems to be put in Berlin is CDU, SPD, Left, Greens, AfD, and Pirates.

[Middle-aged Europe]

Finally discovered some FDP election posters... in the same street where they have their national headquarters.

[Middle-aged Europe]

Grüne 69
NEOS 67
EUROPAnders 62
SPÖ 56
BZÖ 51
ÖVP 49
FPÖ 34
EU-STOP 34
Rekos 33

[Middle-aged Europe]

Proof that CDU and SPD have become virtually indistinguishable:




On the left, an CDU election poster: "So that Europe creates more jobs and growth."

On the right, an SPD election poster: "A Europe of GROWTH, not one of stagnancy."

[Middle-aged Europe]

Proof that CDU and SPD have become virtually indistinguishable:




On the left, an CDU election poster: "So that Europe creates more jobs and growth."

On the right, an SPD election poster: "A Europe of GROWTH, not one of stagnancy."

I'm not disagreeing, but pretty much every party in the world says those things "growth, jobs blablablah"

Aside from the interchangable slogans, it's also hilarious that both parties use orange-coloured posters now, even though the SPD's traditional colour has always been red.

[Middle-aged Europe]

The German Wahl-o-mat for the European elections is available:

https://www.wahl-o-mat.de/europawahl2014/


My results:

Greens 85.5%
Pirates 84.2%
SPD 81.6%
Left 77.6%
FDP 59.2%
Free Voters 56.6%
CDU 53.9%
CSU 51.3%
AfD 51.3%
NPD 36.8%

[Middle-aged Europe]

And the award for the most bizarre TV ad of a major German party in this election goes to the Left Party and their ad "angry, middle-aged, white guy yelling at you":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vt47zSPgu78

[Middle-aged Europe]

*wanders into thread*

*speed reads*

*wanders out again*

Thank you for stopping by.

[Middle-aged Europe]

And I'm gonna be in front of the ZDF studio in Berlin as part of a Green party protest against the exclusion of the "smaller" parties from the debate.

Not gonna watch the debate myself, because it's probably gonna be boring.

[Middle-aged Europe]

The newspaper "Heute" did a Google-Hangout interview session yesterday with all 9 frontrunners in the EP election.

Look at the EU-STOP guy:



LOL.

(you can watch this thing here if you like: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dVD0wA_LQ_Y)

[Middle-aged Europe]

The Danish Parliament has made this video in an attempt to make more people vote in the European elections. They have apparently been told that sex and violence sell...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ltvV7_-6GUw

EDIT:

The video has been withdrawn. http://euobserver.com/tickers/124114

It can still be seen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gT4lhERDZ8s

Seems to be a bit of a hommage to MACHETE!

Machete Votes!