German Elections

[saxitoxin]

Germany's election is Sunday ... you need 5% of the vote to gain seats in parliament.

[saxitoxin]

cheat sheet copy/pasted from Der Spiegel and AntiWar ...

RIGHT-WING PARTIES


Angela Merkel (vocation: politician | trivia: named by Forbes "world's second most powerful person")
Christian Democrats
Latest Poll: 38%

Attack Syria: Maybe | Same-Sex Marriage: No | Taxation: Keep Income Tax at Current Levels | Nuclear Power: Yes | Immigration: Tighten Regulations | Boycott Israel: No

Philipp Rösler (vocation: heart surgeon | trivia: Barack Obama once offered to help him locate his biological parents in Vietnam)
Free Democrats
Latest Poll: 7%

Attack Syria: No | Same-Sex Marriage: Maybe | Taxation: Cut Income Tax | Nuclear Power: Yes | Immigration: Loosen Regulations | Boycott Israel: No

LEFT-WING PARTIES


Peer Steinbrück (vocation: politician | trivia: grandfather executed for refusing command of a Hitler Youth company during Battle of Berlin)
Social Democrats
Latest Poll: 28%

Attack Syria: No | Same-Sex Marriage: Yes | Taxation: Slight Income Tax Increase on High Earners | Nuclear Power: No| Immigration: Loosen Regulations | Boycott Israel: No

Katja Kipping (vocation: journalist | trivia: degree in American Studies from the University of Dresden)
The Left (renamed Communist Party of East Germany)
Latest Poll: 9%

Attack Syria: No | Same-Sex Marriage: Yes | Taxation: Big Income Tax Increase on High Earners | Nuclear Power: No| Immigration: Loosen Regulations | Boycott Israel: Yes

Jürgen Trittin (vocation: journalist | trivia: exempted from military service as a conscientious objector)
Greens
Latest Poll: 6%

Attack Syria: No | Same-Sex Marriage: Yes | Taxation: Slight Income Tax Increase on High Earners | Nuclear Power: No | Immigration: Loosen Regulations | Boycott Israel: Maybe

SINGLE ISSUE PARTIES


Bernd Lucke (vocation: economics professor | trivia: former staff member at the World Bank)
Alternative
Latest Poll: 7%

abolish the euro; expel Greece, Spain, Italy, Portugal from EU

Bernd Schlömer (vocation: government statistician | trivia: self-declared "devout Catholic")
Pirate
Latest Poll: 3%

reform IP laws; increase privacy laws

[Phatscotty]

Which party is against bailing out Greece and promotes austerity?

[saxitoxin]

Which party is against bailing out Greece and promotes austerity?

Alternative for Germany (Bernd Lucke) and the Free Democrats (Philipp Rösler)

[Lootifer]

I voted for more Piracy

[saxitoxin]

if the latest poll was accurate and elections were held today, possible governments according to the Telegraph:

Christian Democrats-Social Democrats (Grand Coalition) - 66% of vote
Christian Democrats-Free Democrats-Alternative (Black-Yellow-Blue Coalition) - 52% (the current gov't plus Alternative)
Social Democrats-Left-Green-Pirate (Red-Red-Green-Orange Coalition) - 50%*
Betiko-MeDeFe ("Versatile") - 0%

* Social Democrats and Greens say they won't coalition with The Left due to it being declared an extremist group by the Office for the Protection of the Constitution

[MeDeFe]

Which party is against bailing out Greece and promotes austerity?

Alternative for Germany (Bernd Lucke) and the Free Democrats (Philipp Rösler)

Maybe it's because your current avatar inspires far less respect, but I simply must object to this statement. The free democrats are going to do whatever the CDU/CSU want if it means they get to play government again. If that includes bailing out Greece, they will have no problem with it.

And calling the SPD "left-wing" is a stretch if you consider how they acted once they got to form a ruling coalition with the green party a few years ago. They made Helmut Kohl look positively socialist, and most of the same people are still in charge. Most of those who objected left for The Left.

[saxitoxin]

The Pirate Party sent a drone to hover menacingly over an Angela Merkel election rally yesterday in protest of her not taking a hard enough line against American strongman Barack Obama's attacks on democracy. The drone then crashed onto the stage in front of Merkel.

The US National Security Agency whistleblower’s state surveillance revelations have handed a golden opportunity to the burgeoning party that demands higher digital privacy standards. “I think we can – unhappily – use this NSA scandal for our ends,” said Pirate hopeful Anke Domscheit-Berg, a leading voice in the party’s NSA-critical campaign.

http://www.irishtimes.com/news/world/eu ... -1.1530904

[saxitoxin]

Which party is against bailing out Greece and promotes austerity?

Alternative for Germany (Bernd Lucke) and the Free Democrats (Philipp Rösler)

Maybe it's because your current avatar inspires far less respect, but I simply must object to this statement. The free democrats are going to do whatever the CDU/CSU want if it means they get to play government again. If that includes bailing out Greece, they will have no problem with it.

If ol' Saxi said that people would be all up in his grill calling him too idealistic ... it's a lose-lose for poor ol' Saxi.

Besides, you were supposed to start this thread ... I waited until the last minute and then had to pick-up the ball.

[GreecePwns]

it being declared an extremist group by the Office for the Protection of the Constitution

Wait, this is a thing? A party with seats in parliament declared extremist?

Are they basically a continuation of the SED or something?

[saxitoxin]

it being declared an extremist group by the Office for the Protection of the Constitution

Wait, this is a thing? A party with seats in parliament declared extremist?

Are they basically a continuation of the SED or what? How did this come about?

I'll defer to MeDeFe for a fuller response, but the Office for Protection of the Constitution (BfV) monitor The Left as a subversive group due to its heritage as the Socialist Unity Party.

BfV publicly publish a list of groups they declare as "threats to the constitution" and any member of a group on the list can be placed under surveillance. The Left has 10% of seats in parliament but 1/3 of those MPs are subject to surveillance, according to Der Spiegel.

[MeDeFe]

it being declared an extremist group by the Office for the Protection of the Constitution

Wait, this is a thing? A party with seats in parliament declared extremist?

Yes, it's quite silly.

Are they basically a continuation of the SED or something?

Not exactly.

The PDS (Party of Democratic Socialism) which existed from 1989 to 2005 was the closest thing to a continuation of the SED, but already in 1990 they distanced themselves from several viewpoints and goals which the SED had held and most of the old guard retired from leading positions in the party.
In 2004 the WASG was formed mostly by former members (including MPs) of the SPD who had grown extremely dissatisfied with the direction their party had taken under the chancellorship of Gerhard Schröder.
The two parties fusioned in 2005 and formed Die Linke.

Calling the party a continuation of the SED is grossly misleading at this point. They are Germany's only relevant left-of-center party today, but in no way I can see extremists or a threat to the constitution.


As a side note, some people claim that the Federal Office for Protection of the Constitution is called such because the constitution needs to be protected from it. It appears to do its official job about as well as the NSA appears to protect the privacy of US citizens.

[saxitoxin]

All the parties made miniature dioramas of the future Germany under their control for Mininatur Wunderland in Hamburg. The Free Democrats explain the scenes in their diorama.




"Look. The FDP have put a big sign in the village green so we can tell how much debt there is. Germany has no debt, thanks to the Free Democrats."


"Look. The Safe Money truck. Free Democrats only take some money for taxes but spends it wisely. No inflation."


"Look at all the construction. Free Democrats abolished rent control and now capitalism is helping us win-win in cooperation."


"Let's take these surveillance cameras down. Aufedersein, Herr Obama!"


"The gays can queue in a line and give us their blood. The gays can give blood and adopt children under the Free Democrats. Who did the shit job parking?"

[saxitoxin]

The LEFT made a diorama of their utopia. Here is Chairman Gysi -




"Those fat cats are giving money to buy the election. We should do something epic."


"Okay. Look. Here is an independent photocopy shop. We can print copies of THE LEFT manifesto and distribute them at the big anti-capitalist rally."


WE DEMAND FAIRNESS! - END THE SURVEILLANCE STATE!


"We'll park here and make pirate radio broadcasts. Those fat cats won't be able to motor down this avenue if we park like this."


"Under THE LEFT everyone who is unemployed or mentally/physically disabled will get free bus tickets and buses will go everywhere, even into the forests and the countryside. But not Bavaria. We win-win when we cooperate together."

[saxitoxin]

Christian Democrat utopia -




"All you Hungarians, Greeks and Poles are free to come to Germany because we are part of a united EU under the Christian Democrats. Don't stay too long, though."


"The Christian Democrats are improving the lives of people in rural areas. They do things that make sure people know they respect traditional German stuff, like build 10-meter tall Nutcrackers. Also, there's a church."


"The Christian Democrats gave all schoolchildren Kindle e-readers. We must prepare German youth for the 21st century and Bavarian youth for the 20th century."


"Look. The Christian Democrats have increased the police for our safety."


"Christian Democrats support family values. They built generation houses - these are places where couples in their 20s live with their parents and grandparents."

[notyou2]

Yes but if the pirates win their will be free booty for everyone.

[jonesthecurl]

Read my sig.

[saxitoxin]

German Backlash to Greens Vegan / Pedophilia Proposals

Germans look set to punish the Green Party for urging that public cafeterias go meat-free on a designated "Veggie Day" each week in order to help the environment and reduce cruelty to animals. Borrowing colorfully from English, German newspaper Bild described public reaction to the idea as a "shitstorm."

At her party's final campaign rally on Saturday, Merkel joined in, slamming the Green proposal.

"I grew up in a Christian house. We didn't eat meat on Fridays. I think every restaurant should have a vegetarian dish, but we are a party confident people can manage their own lives," the German prime minister added. "We are confident people will live a reasonable life and we don't want to deprive them of this opportunity."

To be sure, the "Veggie Day" flap is far from the only thing hurting the Greens' chances at the polls Sunday. Their dalliance in the 1980s with legalizing pedophilia has gotten extensive, negative press attention during the election campaign.

http://www.politico.com/blogs/under-the ... 73206.html

[saxitoxin]

Final Polling Results Before Voting Today ...

http://www.wahlrecht.de/umfragen/forsa.htm

Christian Democrats - 40%
Social Democrats - 26%
The Greens - 10%
The Left - 9%
Free Democrats - 5%
Alternative for Germany - 4%
Pirate Party - 2%
Other - 4%

[BigBallinStalin]

lol what's with those models? It's so weird.

[saxitoxin]

Exit Polling ...

http://www.welt.de/politik/wahl/bundest ... -raus.html

Christian Democrats - 42.3%
Social Democrats - 25.7%
The Left - 8.6%
The Greens - 8.1%
Alternative for Germany - 4.9%
Free Democrats - 4.5%
Pirates - ???
Other - ???

total turnout - 73%

- If exit polling is valid, would be the biggest single party take since 1990.
- In response, Switzerland decides to keep military conscription.
- The Free Democrats may have lost all 93 of their seats in Parliament.
- MeDeFe reportedly moving to Sweden. Night Strike reportedly moving to Germany.

[notyou2]

Exit Polling ...

http://www.welt.de/politik/wahl/bundest ... -raus.html

Christian Democrats - 42.3%
Social Democrats - 25.7%
The Left - 8.6%
The Greens - 8.1%
Alternative for Germany - 4.9%
Free Democrats - 4.5%
Pirates - ???
Other - ???

total turnout - 73%

- If exit polling is valid, would be the biggest single party take since 1990.
- In response, Switzerland decides to keep military conscription.
- The Free Democrats may have lost all 93 of their seats in Parliament.
- MeDeFe reportedly moving to Sweden. Night Strike reportedly moving to Germany.

purportedly......just saying