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10 years in power - Angela Merkel



The Rivet

Well-known member
Aug 9, 2011
4,512
10yrs in power only to be remembered by many across Europe as being the third German leader to throw the continent into turmoil. Yeah, some achievement.
 

Simster

"the man's an arse"
Jul 7, 2003
54,093
Surrey
Time for her to go now.
The USA has it right; 8 years and off you go.

Agreed.

As for Merkel, for someone who has won several elections, it's remarkable how unpopular she is at home. According to my German relatives, she doesn't get anything done (the flip side to consensus politics I guess). The feeling is that her absurd stance on opening the gates to 800,000 immigrants is her attempt at making a mark on German politics. I'm not sure she'll be highly regarded in future years.
 
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beorhthelm

A. Virgo, Football Genius
Jul 21, 2003
35,239
op-ed this morning painted her as the first post war German Chancellor who hasn't achieved anything, having only got into and remained in power due to uncharismatic alternatives. not doing much isnt necessarily a bad thing imo (better than mistakes), but she has been guilty of constricting the EU from doing anything to address any of its problems, somehow keeping German opposition in check while not allowing any other nation to lead. an odd legacy.
 

Bevendean Hillbilly

New member
Sep 4, 2006
12,805
Nestling in green nowhere
Frau Merkel:,the schawabish dumpkopf. Come on all you jihadis, move to europe
 
Dec 15, 2014
1,979
Here
Angela sure could use a pal. Frau Merkel is open to have a freund. Meet Augsburg Angela!



wanted-a-penpal-for-a-15-year-old-angela-merkel.jpg
 


Gwylan

Well-known member
Jul 5, 2003
31,320
Uffern
Agreed.

As for Merkel, for someone who has won several elections, it's remarkable how unpopular she is at home. According to my German relatives, she doesn't get anything done (the flip side to consensus politics I guess). The feeling is that her absurd stance on opening the gates to 800,000 immigrants is her attempt at making a mark on German politics. I'm not sure she'll be highly regarded in future years.

She's so unpopular that, according to the latest polls, her party is currently 12% ahead of the SPD opposition: Jeremy Corbyn would love to be that unpopular :)
 

Herr Tubthumper

Well-known member
NSC Licker Extraordinaire
Jul 11, 2003
59,073
The Fatherland
She's so unpopular that, according to the latest polls, her party is currently 12% ahead of the SPD opposition: Jeremy Corbyn would love to be that unpopular :)

She also got 42% of the popular vote in the last election just 2 years ago. This is remarkable for modern Germany.
 


Simster

"the man's an arse"
Jul 7, 2003
54,093
Surrey
She's so unpopular that, according to the latest polls, her party is currently 12% ahead of the SPD opposition: Jeremy Corbyn would love to be that unpopular :)

But as I understand it from fairly politically moderate German relatives, it's by default. I was interested to read what [MENTION=599]beorhthelm[/MENTION] posted immediately after me, because that is exactly what I hear from them!
 

Herr Tubthumper

Well-known member
NSC Licker Extraordinaire
Jul 11, 2003
59,073
The Fatherland
But as I understand it from fairly politically moderate German relatives, it's by default. I was interested to read what [MENTION=599]beorhthelm[/MENTION] posted immediately after me, because that is exactly what I hear from them!

What do you mean by default? That the opposition is weak?
 

Simster

"the man's an arse"
Jul 7, 2003
54,093
Surrey
What do you mean by default? That the opposition is weak?
Yes. Obviously.

I see parallels with Tony Blair who swept to power on a tide of ant-Tory sentiment (from their perceived incompetence), ploughed money into the NHS and schools, but then after a few years ran out of ideas and will forever be remembered by his final shameful big decisions - arse-licking the Americans by leading us into an Iraqi war.

This ignorant policy on opening the doors to Germany (and by extension the EU) will be her Iraq war.
 


Herr Tubthumper

Well-known member
NSC Licker Extraordinaire
Jul 11, 2003
59,073
The Fatherland
Yes. Obviously.

I see parallels with Tony Blair who swept to power on a tide of ant-Tory sentiment (from their perceived incompetence), ploughed money into the NHS and schools, but then after a few years ran out of ideas and will forever be remembered by his final shameful big decisions - arse-licking the Americans by leading us into an Iraqi war.

This ignorant policy on opening the doors to Germany (and by extension the EU) will be her Iraq war.

But the SPD increased their vote at the last election and went into coalition instead of her preferred FDP. And the SDP were able to squeeze Merkel as they got a number of key concessions out of her. My take is the opposition was stronger at the last election, not weaker.

I guess recent events might have changed all this though?

As an aside I'm not defending Merkel. More pointing out my understanding of the situation.
 

Simster

"the man's an arse"
Jul 7, 2003
54,093
Surrey
But the SPD increased their vote at the last election and went into coalition instead of her preferred FDP. And the SDP were able to squeeze Merkel as they got a number of key concessions out of her. My take is the opposition was stronger at the last election, not weaker.

I guess recent events might have changed all this though?

As an aside I'm not defending Merkel. More pointing out my understanding of the situation.
The opposition might well have strengthened but it doesn't mean they aren't weak - just that they had been weaker.

Her position on unilaterally opening the doors of 800,000 immigrants was nothing more than an ego trip, playing with the sentiments of the German public who are largely acutely sensitive to accusations of their historical treatment to foreigners. Just because she got away with it, it doesn't make it right. Under Merkel, they plan to swell their population by 1%, which is utterly ridiculous for a variety of reasons.
 

Gwylan

Well-known member
Jul 5, 2003
31,320
Uffern
Yes. Obviously.

I see parallels with Tony Blair who swept to power on a tide of ant-Tory sentiment (from their perceived incompetence), ploughed money into the NHS and schools, but then after a few years ran out of ideas and will forever be remembered by his final shameful big decisions - arse-licking the Americans by leading us into an Iraqi war.

This ignorant policy on opening the doors to Germany (and by extension the EU) will be her Iraq war.

But the SPD broadly supports the line on refugees (as does the third placed Green Party). The only dissenting parties are her CSU allies in Bavaria and the far-right groups.

The problem that Germany faces is its very, very low birth-rate and politicians of all parties know that this is an issue for the future. That's why there's no serious political opposition to Merkel's policy
 

Simster

"the man's an arse"
Jul 7, 2003
54,093
Surrey
But the SPD broadly supports the line on refugees (as does the third placed Green Party). The only dissenting parties are her CSU allies in Bavaria and the far-right groups.

The problem that Germany faces is its very, very low birth-rate and politicians of all parties know that this is an issue for the future. That's why there's no serious political opposition to Merkel's policy
I would think that nobody in power dares to dissent, because they risk being labelled with those far-right simpletons - much like the middle class hand-wringers in this country who squirm whenever a working class white has dared to stand up on Question Time and complain at anything that might be perceived racist, when in actual fact they might have a very real point.

Whilst a low birth-rate is a very real issue, so too is large scale immigration from people in the way Merkel has allowed.
 


Gwylan

Well-known member
Jul 5, 2003
31,320
Uffern
I would think that nobody in power dares to dissent, because they risk being labelled with those far-right simpletons - much like the middle class hand-wringers in this country who squirm whenever a working class white has dared to stand up on Question Time and complain at anything that might be perceived racist, when in actual fact they might have a very real point.

Whilst a low birth-rate is a very real issue, so too is large scale immigration from people in the way Merkel has allowed.


Some people in power do dissent, as I said, the CSU leader, Seehofer, has objected. And this has had some effect, remember that Merkel has now accepted that there can't be unlimited immigration and there's a need for limits - up to 500,000 a year - so it's not free-for-all that's being intimated.

You say that the low birth rate is a real issue (which it is: there won't be the workers to support the welfare and pension structure in about 30 to 40 years time) but how is it going to be fixed? There are only two options: more births (and you can't force people to have kids) or immigration (there is a third option: dismantle the welfare structure but German pensioners are well looked after and there'd be howls of protest on that). The low birth rate is something affecting many European countries (as well as Japan and China) and politicians have rather belatedly woken up to the fact that this is an issue
 

Herr Tubthumper

Well-known member
NSC Licker Extraordinaire
Jul 11, 2003
59,073
The Fatherland
I would think that nobody in power dares to dissent

I would have thought the SPD, the the lesser left parties, didn't dissent because they're left wing and inherently support such policies.
 

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