In the news

I'm confused.

Banning smoking is a quick win for the NHS and people lives in general. As was said up thread. Smokers will be annoyed and then they’ll get over it and start being annoyed at something else.

It was a brief post. They outlined the positives to be gained and characterised the counter argument as whinging and that smokers will get over it.

Does anyone here live in the former East Germany? Do Afd supporters privately think of themselves as Nazis? Are people blaming Afd's success on Merkel, for inviting a million Syrians?

Friends have 5 cats, the live in a larger house and converted thier garden to cat friendly so the cats can't escape.

If I had the space I'd have more cats. If I had the money I'd want to open an animal sanctuary....

Classed as an extremist party.

They have swapped hatred of Jews for hatred of Muslims.

Kid has no chance..

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I thought that. Poor kid.

Isn't there a shortage in scaffolders?

in Thüringen rather than in Germany

And all other parties have refused to form a coalition with them.

What’s wrong with scaffolding? Job for life, decent pay and scope to travel the world if you’re particularly skilled.
Check your privilege.

That's my point, that kid has a chance to fit right in.

They also looked pretty strong in Sachsen.
And I don't have high hopes for the next National election.
@lynx there's a big part that's just normal scared people that believe the crap they're told. Basically your reform voters but different circumstances. And there's real ugly breeds of Nazis that probably don't mind calling themselves Nazi in public.
And yes, it is Merkel's (and the cdus) fault.

Edit to say that the Merkel years did way more damage than just making people believe they are overrun by Syrians.
It's a bit what the Tory's managed to do to the UK (fucked public service, trains, police, schools and so on) but more stable, as only one figurehead.

Don't forget Kohl. It was mainly he who screwed the East so badly that his corrupt and toxic legacy still isn't overcome. Schröder and Merkel were poor chancellors, too, but the main responsibility lies with Kohl.

Oh definitely. It's like the bad parts of GDR society survived and at the same time it all got fucked by capitalism.
But there would have been the chance to do better after Kohl.

Ah a lot of the headlines I read weren't clear..

But still Italy and many others are turning to the right.

Sure, but Schröder was just a continuity conservative like Blair; pretending to be an SPD chancellor while doing very little until the CDU got in again (albeit mostly in Grand Coalitions). Hence the steady drift of German politics towards immoderation (similar, of course, to other countries like Britain and France). Merkel, unimaginative and managerial, only really did two things that broke the mould--the exit from nuclear power (I assume that she, as a physicist, was one of very few politicians who would have had a proper understanding of the issues) and the opening of the border to (mainly) Syrians after the Syrian catastrophe. I assume the latter was mainly determined by demographic considerations, although she has given other reasons. It's also a cornerstone of attempts to blame immigration for so many evils rather than attacking the actual perpetrators of the injustices of the last forty years.

I think the exit from nuclear power was as a reaction to Fukushima and to take a topic away from the Greens, she also destroyed the German solar industry and made the country dependent on russian gas and coal power.

Might be time to hold a referendum and give the eastern states a chance to separate. I’m sure things will improve for them, if they’re given another go at the good old days.

I think the exit from nuclear power was as a reaction to Fukushima

That was the opportunity she took, yes. I'm still willing to credit her with the understanding that I mentioned.

and to take a topic away from the Greens, she also destroyed the German solar industry and made the country dependent on russian gas and coal power.

Yes, the subsidies on installing solar panels were just too successful. While Merkel, unimaginatively, didn't change direction on Russian gas, it was largely a set of policies she inherited. I also think they were still supported by her coalition partners.

You jest, but the power behind the AfD is indeed Putin. Masquerading as 'patriots', they are there to destabilise Germany. The party was a bit like UKIP at first and, like UKIP, was taken over by Putin-linked figures. The process is unlike FPTP systems, where it's enough to parachute in an idiot like Trump or Johnson and a couple of other candidates for Parliamentary or Congressional seats. In countries with proportional representation, they're attempting to make it work through claiming to be democratic parties. The ultimate aim will be to align Germany with Putin and in the process try to do this with Eastern European states, too. So, yes, there's definitely an attempt here to reverse history, although not in the direction of the old pretences of 'systems', and this time for all of Germany. I don't think they'll get there, but it's worrying and there will be a lot of pain in the process.

Only part of me was jesting…

Good post.

Don't forget unlimited gak.

Merkel, unimaginative and managerial, only really did two things that broke the mould--the exit from nuclear power (I assume that she, as a physicist, was one of very few politicians who would have had a proper understanding of the issues)

Yes, and she proved that she, like all politicians, are more than capable of going against what they know if it is politically advantageous.

Er? Have you already been Frenchified into a nuclear power supporter? Or at least that's the only way I can make sense of your post.

But still buying french nuclear generated power.

unlimited gak.

First thing I thought. Scaffolders, roofers, joiners. Mad for the chisel...