Germany’s AfD: What’s in a Eurosceptic Manifesto?
The AfD may be Germany’s new eurosceptic party, but their short manifesto is primarily concerned with Germany and German politics. Here is the wordle to prove it.
Category: Politics
NPD Leadership Struggle: Welcome Back Dear Friends to the Show that Never Ends
Germany’s ultra right-wing NPD is the party that never fails to amaze. After leader Holger Apfel was forced to resign over the (alleged) harassment of ‘young comrades’ just before Christmas, his predecessor Udo Voigt made it clear that he wanted his old job back. But Udo Pastörs (what is it about this name?), who helped…
The CDU-Greens Coalition in Hesse: Why It Matters
The new CDU-Green coalition in Hesse opens up a whole host possibilities beyond the entrenched pattern of party competition in Germany. Volker Bouffier emerged as an unexpectedly shrewd political operator who presented his party – in Hesse, the other Länder and perhaps even in Berlin – with new options beyond the unloved Great Coalition and the outdated CDU/FDP formats. Plus lots of interesting stuff about names in German Politics
The Great NPD Leadership Crisis (Christmas Edition)
The NPD ended 2013 with a veritable Christmas Panto. On December 19, Holger Apfel, who had become party leader in 2011, stepped down from this and other party offices citing his ill health. On December 22, the party’s highest decision making body published a communique that urged Apfel to ‘disprove allegations directed against him’. Within hours, the nature of these allegations emerged, first in the blogosphere, then in the mainstream media: One ‘young comrade’ (male) claimed that the (drunken) leader had sexually harassed him during the electoral campaign. Shortly afterwards, Apfel left the party for good.
Leader of German “National Democrats” (NPD) Resigns
Holger Apfel, the leader of Germany’s right-wing extremist National Democratic Party (NPD), resigns. Apfel’s move adds to the NPD’s many woes: The NPD is very nearly bankrupt as a result of financial irregularities. Moreover, the party’s constitutionality is currently being investigated by the Federal Constitutional Court. These proceedings could result in a ban of the NPD.
Meanwhile in Germany: The Great Coalition Treaty Vote
SPD votes on the coalition agreement It’ another slow week for German politics, what with the Mandela Memorial, near-civil war in Thailand, the standoff in Ukraine and the South Korean/Japanese Chinese skirmishes. BUT: a small-scale CDU party conference of some 180 delegates has approved unanimously of the CDU/CSU/SPD agreement (a ‘Coalition Treaty’ in German parlance,…
Germany 1990-2011: Some Extra 700 Cases of (Attempted) Right-Wing Murder?
Federal investigators in Germany have launched a probe into 3300 unsolved cases of (attempted) murder. 746 crimes could have been committed by right-wingers for political reasons.
German Coalition Talks: Crunch Time
The CDU/CSU/SPD coalition talks are set to come to a conclusion tonight. The more interesting question however is if and how the September election will affect the party system in the medium term. My reading is that the high levels of segmentation that we have seen in the past are becoming unsustainable.
Meanwhile, in a Parallel Universe: The Great SPD Party Conference
This weekend, the SPD held their party conference in Leipzig. In some alternate reality, this conference would have approved of the SPD/Green coalition agreement. On our plane, the party conference could be a turning point for the ongoing coalition talks. Or perhaps not. Also featuring: A ruse within a feint within a plot.
November 9: Germany’s Modern History, All in a Day’s Work
If you are a bit like me/bone lazy/easily distracted by lots of other interesting things, you could try to cover four of the five things students will actually remember the essentials of a one semester German politics class in about three seconds by mumbling “November 9”. If you are slightly more risk adverse, you could…