It’s been two days since the German Bundestag election, which a center-right coalition of Union and FDP was able to win, and I haven’t yet thought of anything to say. I’ve been waiting for someone more intelligent than I to comment, but since she hasn’t posted yet, I’ll have to wing it.
The best news is that the worst result was avoided, namely the continuation of the do-nothing grand coalition of Union and SPD with both parties shackled to one another. Whether or not one agrees with the direction, at least the new government will have a direction, which the grand coalition (by definition) did not.
The new center-right coalition is also stable, in that it does not depend on so-called “overhang” seats (which have been declared unconstitutional, but only in 2011) nor on the whims of the junior partner (a weakened SPD might have been tempted to later dump the Union in favor the Greens and the Left party).
Both main parties lost ground, but the SPD lost big time, with over 38% fewer votes than in 2005. The minor parties all had record results, in particular the ex-communist Left party was able to gain at the expense of the SPD. The SPD will now have time to sort out its defeat and how to mend fences with the Left, if it doesn’t want to see politics dominated by the Union for decades to come.
As for us, we’re not disappointed to see a more pro-business slant for the next few years, although I would have wished for some Green influence against nuclear power. Change comes slowly in Germany, so new directions come only barely and slightly, but better than no direction at all.
It’s also worth mentioning the Pirate Party, which on a platform of internet freedom and data privacy won 2% of the vote (falling well short of the 5% threshold to enter the Bundestag). I personally find the Pirate Party to be a waste of time and effort. The issues they raise are important, in fact too important to relegate to a splinter party. They should be lobbying today’s politicians instead of starting a new party that may or (most likely) may not have influence in 5 years time.
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Yeah, technically this was probably the best possible outcome, I agree. People with a good job and a decent income will surely profit, but the list of stuff that will get run over by a bulldozer is scary to me:
No minimum wage, instead we’ll keep subsidizing employers that don’t want to pay proper (I’m not talking about high) wages with tax money. Cheap labour and social unrest will begin to grow.
We’ll keep going to war for no good reason, which scares the shit out of me.
Hooray for genetically modified food, Monsanto will already have uncorked the champagne.
No more consumer protection.
The old power stations will run another 50 years, while energy prices go up. Looking at last year, that’s a catastrophy waiting to happen (Krümmel, Biblis).
The guy in the wheelchair is still working on his “vision” of a state like – funny enough – we had in the eastern part of germany until 20 years ago.
Civil liberties? Pah.
My best hope? That I’ll be proven wrong in at least one of the issues above.
I disagree violently with your last part. Not necessarily as a party in parliament, but as a cosnatnt thorn in the side on the streets. That worked quite well this year, and it’s good to have a formal representation of Netizens.
Given how German politics is so concentrated on consultation and consensus, I don’t think you can call anything about it a bulldozer. A baby carriage, maybe. Or better yet, a doll’s baby carriage.
As for the Pirates, I learned in Politics 101 that to get your way on a certain issue, you work with politicians, not against them. By starting your own party, you are by definition working against all other parties. At least two established parties (FDP and the Greens) have established civil liberties wings that can influence politics right now, not maybe someday in a few years when a new party may or may not be in a position of power. I’d love to be proved wrong, though…
Sorry to be such a downer, but nuke-power is perhaps the greenest way going forward.
I find Mr. Koehntopp’s comments to border on something between amusing and disappointing. Surely we could expect more from the advocates of change we can hope for. I’m sure the irony of a living-wage is not lost on you who have to actually figure out if you can afford to hire that next worker and pay him or her a ‘living wage’ or to simply put in a few extra hours yourself rather than to take on the costs and risks of that next incremental employee.
Yes, at least I will admit that life in the cheap seats is easy.