this post was submitted on 16 Dec 2024
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[–] [email protected] 34 points 6 days ago (3 children)

Everyone in the comments saying that the "left" needs to be stricter on immigration is not reading the news apparently. First of if you are anti human rights you are not left anymore. And if you allow the normalisation of right wing policy you are not left anymore. And if your left party suddenly starts shifting to the right noone votes for you anymore. True leftists are disappointed by you and right wingers won't stop voting for the true right.

[–] [email protected] -1 points 6 days ago (2 children)

Summarising left wing ideologies as pro-immigration is exactly the reason the far right is rising, but sure, go for another 40 years of the same politics, I'm sure it'll work eventually

[–] [email protected] 1 points 6 days ago

Politics is not about winning. Sticking to your principles and your morals instead of selling out and supporting the death of thousands in the mediterranean sea and the middle east is worth more than winning some seats in parliament. There is no one reason the right is on the rise. Populism and giving in to the temptation of power are definitely leading factors though.

[–] [email protected] -2 points 6 days ago (3 children)
[–] [email protected] 6 points 6 days ago

I have not heard that one but yea. If you tell someone to be more Cambodian that would make them less Scottish probably.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 6 days ago

Sometimes there really aren't any Scottish dudes in attendance. Shame, but there you have it.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 6 days ago

Sean Connery is a true Scotsman. QED.

[–] [email protected] 18 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Germany electorate, please pleasantly surprise us. It's been as dark year. Don't vote in Nazis as well.

[–] [email protected] 17 points 6 days ago (3 children)

They are already in parliament and will gain votes but they will not govern, that's pretty much guaranteed. We will get a conservative-led government though, a little to the right of Merkel. Most probably a conservative/social democratic coalition (think Mitt Romney Republicans with Biden Democrats) or a less likely less stable conservative/green coalition (think Mitt Romney Republicans with AOC Democrats).

The new government will be pro Ukraine (with the conservatives and greens extremely so, with the social-democrats a little hesitant but mainly, too) but also pro-Israel (with the greens more hesitant). All parties involved are pro European integration.

To be honest, foreign policies will not change much except for the European Chat Control legislation. While the current German government is strongly against it, Social Democrats are somewhere between indifferent and in favor, conservatives are strongly in favor and while Greens are against it, I can see them agreeing to a bad compromise with the conservatives.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 6 days ago (1 children)

If that happens I will happily accept a CDU+SDP grand coalition. Just no fucking AfD please for Christ's sake

[–] [email protected] 3 points 6 days ago

AfD will not govern on national level in the next four years. I expect that CDU in some eastern state will eventually form a coalition with the AfD, but that has to happen first before they try on a national level. Then it will depend on the fall-out of that state coalition what will happen next.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 6 days ago

That makes me feel better. Thanks. I worry about the UK and our FPTP and Reform. They could gain power with it.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 6 days ago (1 children)

I agree with most of what you said, except the Greens being less pro-Israel. They have passed a ridiculous non binding resolution with the CDU that calls for every University, Theatre, Museum and other place of science or culture to have a "structured dialogue" with the internal security. In other words they want to place an internal security agent at every of these places to make sure nobody who is not "without a doubt not antisemitic" aka anyone who isn't radically pro Israel receive any funding, projects, exhibition spaces or prizes.

Also the head of the "German Israeli Society" Volker Beck is a member of the Green party and former MEP for the Greens. He calls for Israel to permanently annex Gaza, called for denying food and other basic necessities to Gaza as a "bargaining" for Hamas to release the hostages.

These kind of statements are illegal under German laws, specifically made after the Nazi era to prevent incitement to hate and violence against minorities.

The Green party have a genocidal fascist in their own rows and they make no effort to remove him. And this is just the tip of the iceberg. Looking at statements from Baerbock, the current foreign minister, who boasts about her background in international law and also justifies murdering civillians, spreads Israeli disinformation and openly denied Israeli war crimes despite available video evidence. Also all weapon deliveries needed approval by the Foreign ministry and the Economic ministry, both run by Green ministers, with the other Minister Habeck being now the "chancellor candidate" of the Green party.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (1 children)

Volker Beck [...] calls for Israel to permanently annex Gaza

Where does he do that? (I know this is 4 days old.)

Also all weapon deliveries needed approval by the Foreign ministry and the Economic ministry, both run by Green ministers, with the other Minister Habeck being now the "chancellor candidate" of the Green party.

And there have been no weapons deliveries for the best part of 2024 (iirc, the last German weapons deliveries were in February), with the Greens stepping on the brakes there.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (1 children)

https://xcancel.com/Volker_Beck/status/1867482839488385329#m

"Israel will not withdraw from all of Gaza. Otherwise 7th of october would be repeated in the time to come"

So he demands an indefinite occupation, which utlimately means annexation, in particular as Israeli settler terrorists as well as government ministers are making plans for settling in Gaza.

Thank you for that twitter workaround link.

As for weapons deliveries another 100 million € worth have been approved since August and are currently in delivery or in part have arrived already.

https://www.timesofisrael.com/germany-approves-over-100-million-in-arms-exports-to-israel-angering-rights-groups/

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 days ago

I don't think that's what he means, see this Phoenix interview (German). No doubt his ideas are rather harsh (not the best word, but I need to leave now) though.

(Ftr, for anyone confused at this exchange -- the Twitter thing was in a completely different thread.)

[–] [email protected] 1 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Scholz's Social Democratic Party (SDP) is trailing heavily in opinion polls, while the conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) under Friedrich Merz appears to be on course for a return to government.

Can someone more informed than me tell me if this means recreational weed will be legal in Germany or no?

[–] [email protected] 5 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Recreational weed is already legal in Germany as of this year. Some hardliners of the CDU have claimed they want to re-criminalize it, but most people assume that it's just pre-election posturing as all of their possible coalition partners have previously supported legalization. It would be a very unpopular move with barely any support.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago) (1 children)

Thanks. What does Merz say?

[–] [email protected] 5 points 6 days ago (1 children)

He is against legalization and (ironically) claims that it leads to a higher crime rate. He's a populist and many of the things he says are just hot air, so it's not taken too seriously at the moment.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago) (1 children)

Thanks! Seems like that would hurt him.

I haven't been to Germany since the legalization. Is it easy to buy in most small towns? How many dispensaries are there in a 1km radius in cities like Berlin? Are the dispensary staff super knowledgeable and helpful regarding the different strains for treating different ailments?

[–] [email protected] 1 points 6 days ago (1 children)

It's a very complicated situation. Weed can't be sold freely, you have to be a member of a Cannabis-Club to be able to obtain it. You can also harvest your own without being in a club. Some hardware stores sell plants, and some online-pharmacies will sell it if you have a prescription (very easy to get). The whole legal situation is extremely complex due to a number of EU laws restricting open sale.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago) (1 children)

Wow A German citzen cant buy a gram in-person legally at a dispensary in Berlin (it has to be done online?)? And its not available for tourists?

The US has made buckets of income from weed tourism. The German implementation sounds like its leading people to grow their own and just gift it out to their friends. Very surprising missed opportunity to the tourism economy.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 6 days ago

From my understanding the EU prohibits a commercial legalization, which is also the reason it has only been "decriminalized" or "tolerated" in other European countries. The current implementation is basically our lawmakers tip-toeing around the EU laws in the hopes of being able to change them at some point in the future.

[–] [email protected] 88 points 1 week ago (2 children)

Far-right German nationalist party slowly rising in vote share while traditional centrist and liberal parties squabble over the best way to keep them out of government while unable to form a stable government themselves

Where have I heard this one before?

[–] [email protected] 62 points 1 week ago

Where have I heard this one before?

France? Sweden? Italy? US? Netherlands?

God, I hate the world rn.

[–] [email protected] 15 points 1 week ago

squabble over the best way to keep themselves out of government

FTFY

[–] [email protected] 42 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (5 children)

*SPD

I'm already dreading the elections...

Edit: realized that BBC is calling them SDP. Which is... weird. It's a mix of translating the name, but also keeping the letters, but wrong.

Just write the real name and translate its meaning.

They also do it for the other parties, where it by pure chance works. Except for AfD. Where they don't translate the initials. Very chaotic

[–] [email protected] 5 points 6 days ago

I think it’s fairly common to not translate the initials for political party names. Most English commentary I’ve seen uses just the initials. That said, it is a little weird they translated the names and used the initials at the same time.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 1 week ago

I'm dreading their outcome...

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[–] [email protected] 39 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Now watch the elections being heavily targeted by Russian propaganda and Germany not doing a single thing about it.

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[–] [email protected] 20 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (4 children)

"The AfD will not get into government because no-one will work with it to form a coalition. But the far-right is eating into the share of the vote that goes to the two centrist big-tent parties which have always put forward modern German chancellors."

  • haha sweet Summer child, as if CxU aint hell-bent in working with those as Koalition Partner already. They even called the greens their direct Opposition
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