After Collapse of Coalition Talks, What's Next for Germany?

"The problem is that many people in Germany are really sick of all the old parties; they don't believe any of them, they're unhappy and dissatisfied," says author and journalist Victor Grossman

F24Debate - Has Merkel Still Got It?

Schulz vs. Merkel - What Are the Odds? | DW News

Martin Schulz, the main challenger in Germany's upcoming national election, is the Social Democrats’ new party leader. Schulz’s popularity is high in polls, giving him a chance at dethroning Chancellor Angela Merkel. We take a look at the candidates.

Quadriga: Election Setback – How Wounded Is Merkel?

Following a fourth straight election setback in just a few months, Angela Merkel has been showing some emotion. She has even admitted to making mistakes. But how credible is the chancellor’s change of tone? Is it perhaps just an election strategy?

Fear, Anger and Hatred: The Rise of Germany's New Right

SPIEGEL ONLINE INTERNATIONAL: For years, a sense of disillusionment has been growing on the right. Now, the refugee crisis has magnified that frustration. Increasingly, people from the very center of society are identifying with the movement -- even as political debate coarsens and violence increases. By SPIEGEL Staff

Martin Bahrmann, a local politician in the Saxon town of Meissen, was just preparing to speak in a council debate on refugee shelters when a ball-point pen ricoched off the back of his head. It was a cheap, plastic writing utensil -- blue with white writing.

As a member of the business friendly Free Democrats (FDP), Bahrmann's seat in the regional council is at the very back and the visitors' gallery is just behind him. The pen must have come from somebody in the audience. When Bahrmann turned around, he found himself looking at a sea of hostile faces. Although there were around 80 visitors in the gallery, nobody admitted to having seen who threw the pen. On the contrary: The FDP representative and his colleagues were later insulted as being "traitors to the German people."

Bahrmann, 28, does not draw a salary for his involvement in local politics. It is merely his contribution to a functioning democracy. He was born and grew up in the region he represents and he has known many of the people there for many years. But even he, Bahrmann says, now must be more careful about when and where he makes political appearances. Ever since the regional council discussed transforming the former Hotel Weinböhla into a refugee hostel, the established political parties have been confronted with the hate of many locals. One Left Party representative was spit on as he was walking down the street while another was threatened with violence. Meanwhile, representatives from the right-wing populist Alternative for Germany (AfD) party and the neo-Nazi NPD were celebrated for having voted against the refugees in the regional council.

The pen thrown in Meissen may not have garnered much media attention, but it says a lot about the public mood in Germany, a country in which increasing numbers of people are united against the state, its institutions and its elected officials. It is a country in which antipathy towards democracy is gradually increasing while xenophobia is growing rapidly. And it is a country where incidents of right-wing violence are on the rise and refugee hostels are set on fire almost daily. Read on and comment » | Spiegel Staff | Friday, December 11, 2015

'Euro Dead, Stop the Surgery' – ‘Alternative for Germany’ Party
Anti-euro sentiment is going mainstream in Germany - with the launch of a new party dedicated to pulling the plug on the struggling single currency. The group - called 'Alternative for Germany' - says it has already received thousands of membership requests. RT's correspondent Peter Oliver was at the party's first official convention.

The Scot Destined to Lead Germany

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: How did the son of a Scottish soldier become Germany’s chancellor-in-waiting? Alex Spillius and Zoe Brennan on the rise of David McAllister.

For Germans, it was a vision of the future. Debonair in his sleek dark suit, the suave politician gave a regal wave to the crowd, sharing a secret smile with Chancellor Angela Merkel, standing at his side. She looked on, adoring, her dour features quite transformed as the crowd roared their approval for the man beside her.

Suddenly, the fraulein’s [sic] sombre features rearranged themselves into an uncharacteristic broad grin. He merely adjusted his lilac tie, and permitted himself a quiet smile. Later, he delivered a paean to the leader, saluting her success in steering Germany through stormy economic waters, saying: “Dear Angela Merkel, we thank you and stand as one behind you”.

Just who is this sophisticated European statesman? Meet David McAllister. He was last week mooted as Merkel’s heir apparent at Germany’s ruling conservative Christian Democratic Union party conference in Hanover. Bizarrely, however, his supporters at the congress waved banners proclaiming “I’m a Mac!” – for this leader-in-waiting is a not-so-secret Scot. The son of a wartime British Army captain, McAllister is the first dual German-British citizen to hold prominent public office.

Until last week, he stood out in Germany’s political scene mainly for his strange name, which the Germans struggle to pronounce. Last week, his reputation vaulted far beyond his unusual heritage. With the nation watching, McAllister, 41, played host to Merkel and the Christian Democratic Union as the party gathered at his northern Germany power base in Lower Saxony. It was a triumph for both politicians. Mrs Merkel was re-elected party leader, while McAllister was effectively anointed as her political son and likely successor.

If Germans were in any doubt that a man who married in a kilt, supports both Hanover FC and Glasgow Rangers and still has a taste for Irn-Bru could one day be their leader, they were dispelled amid the near giddy scenes that greeted his and Merkel’s combined appearances. » | Alex Spillius and Zoe Brennan | Sunday, December 09, 2012

Angry Call: President Accused of Threatening Tabloid Newspaper

SPIEGEL ONLINE INTERNATIONAL: German President Wulff reportedly sought to prevent tabloid Bild from publishing a damaging article about his private loan arrangements last month, two newspapers reported this week. He even threatened legal action in an angry voicemail, the contents of which have now been confirmed by the paper.

German President Christian Wulff intervened personally to try to stop mass-circulation daily Bild from running a story last month about a private loan that has damaged his credibility and exposed him to criticism, German newspapers reported this week.

Wulff reportedly tried to contact Bild Editor in Chief Kai Diekmann on Dec. 12 by telephone to complain about an article the newspaper was planning to run the next day, the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung and Süddeutsche Zeitungnewspapers reported on Sunday and Monday respectively.

Wulff only reached Diekmann's voice mail and left a message in which he angrily threatened a "final break" in relations with the Springer publishing house, which publishes Bild, Die Welt and other influential German newspapers, the reports said. The papers claim the president said that if Bild wanted to "wage war," he wanted to hold a meeting about it after his return from an official trip. Wulff was touring several Gulf states at the time Bild ran the story.

According to Bild, Wulff threatened to take legal action against the Bild journalists. Wulff apologized in a subsequent telephone call, Süddeutsche Zeitung added. » | cro/SPIEGEL | Monday, January 02, 2012

German Interior Minister Reopens Bitter Row Over Muslim Integration
THE GUARDIAN: Hans-Peter Friedrich under fire after claiming Islam 'does not belong' in Germany

Germany's new interior minister has said Islam does not "belong" in the country, reopening a bitter debate over the integration of Germany's 4 million Muslims.

Hans-Peter Friedrich, who took office on Wednesday, was being asked by reporters about a gun attack at Frankfurt airport in which two US servicemen were killed and another two injured. Investigators suspect the attack, carried out by a 21-year-old Muslim immigrant from Kosovo, was an act of Islamist terrorism. A federal judge in Karlsruhe on Thursday ordered the suspect be remanded to jail on two counts of murder and three of attempted murder, pending further investigation.

In his first press conference as minister, Friedrich said on Friday that Muslims should be allowed live in modern Germany, but he added: "To say that Islam belongs in Germany is not a fact supported by history." >>> Helen Pidd in Berlin | Friday, March 04, 2011

Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg Quits as MP
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Germany's disgraced former defence minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg, nicknamed "zu Googleberg" after accusations he cheated on his doctorate, has also resigned as an MP, parliament said on Thursday.

The 39-year-old, Germany's most popular minister until his resignation on Tuesday, thereby loses his parliamentary immunity, something he said he wanted to happen, clearing the way for prosecutors to investigate him if they wish.

The public prosecutors' office in Hof in Mr zu Guttenberg's home state Bavaria said that there was enough evidence to begin an inquiry, with about 80 legal complaints against the former minister. >>> | Thursday, March 03, 2011

10% of Germans Want Führer Back - Survey

RT: One in ten Germans would like to see a Führer in power; they see dictatorship as the best option for the country, a survey has revealed.

According to a social study conducted by the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, the longing for a strong hand is still common among Germans.

The poll, aimed at revealing ultra-right and nationalistic feeling, covered 2,400 Germans aged 14 to 90, and yielded unexpected results.

Ten per cent of respondents said that for its own sake, Germany needs a strong leader, a Führer who can rule the country with a steady hand. They pointed out that dictatorship was the best form of government. >>> | Published: Friday, October 15, 2010; Edited: Monday, October 18, 2010

Loki Schmidt gestorben: Fast sieben Jahrzehnte mit dem früheren deutschen Kanzler verheiratet
NZZ ONLINE: In Hamburg ist die Ehefrau des früheren deutschen Bundeskanzlers, Loki Schmidt, gestorben. Die 91-Jährige bezeichnete sich einst selbst als «Angeheiratete der Politik». Mit Helmut Schmidt war sie fast siebzig Jahre verheiratet.

Die Ehefrau von ehemaligen deutschen Bundeskanzlers Helmut Schmidt (SPD), Loki Schmidt, ist gestorben. Die 91-Jährige verschied in der Nacht zum Donnerstag in ihrem Haus im Hamburger Stadtteil Langenhorn, wie eine Sprecherin des Hamburger Büros von Helmut Schmidt auf Anfrage der Nachrichtenagentur ddp sagte. Angaben zu den nähere Umständen lagen bisher nicht vor.

Hannelore Schmidt wurde 1919 in Hamburg geboren. Gemeinsam mit zwei Geschwistern wuchs sie als Tochter eines Betriebselektrikers in bescheidenen Verhältnissen im Stadtteil Barmbek auf. 1931 wurde der Vater arbeitslos, worauf die Mutter als Näherin arbeitete. Schon mit zehn Jahren lernte sie Helmut Schmidt kennen, denn beide besuchten dieselbe Schulklasse. «Wir waren von Anfang an befreundet», erinnerte sich Loki in ihren Memoiren an den Anfang ihren langen und glücklichen Beziehung. Nach dem Abitur absolvierte sie ein pädagogisches Studium und wurde Lehrerin. «Eigentlich wollte ich Biologin werden, aber das scheiterte an den Studiengebühren», sagte sie einmal. >>> ddp | Donnerstag, 21. Oktober 2010

Outpouring of Grief in Germany at Death of Helmut Schmidt's Wife Loki
THE IRISH TIMES: FOR 68 years, Loki Schmidt matched her chain-smoking husband Helmut cigarette for cigarette.

Yesterday, the popular wife of the former German chancellor died in Hamburg aged 91.

Hannelore “Loki” Glasner was born in 1919 in Hamburg and met her future husband in junior school. They married in 1942 and Loki worked as a school teacher, though her husband’s rising political star in the 1950s drew her increasingly to his side for official engagements.

Mrs Schmidt gave up teaching when he became defence minister in the 1960s. She was propelled into the spotlight after Helmut Schmidt succeeded Willy Brandt as West German chancellor in 1974, when a Brandt adviser was exposed as an East German spy.

Though Mrs Schmidt suffered many miscarriages, the Schmidts had two children – a son, who died as an infant, and a daughter.

Even when first lady, Mrs Schmidt pursued a career of her own as one of Germany’s leading conservationists. >>> Derek Scally | Friday, October 22, 2010

EU Blow for Turkey
THE AGE: Berlin – TURKEY'S hopes of joining the European Union have received a blow after Germany gave warning that it was ready to join France and Italy in outright opposition to Turkish membership.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has telephoned Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to tell him that German foreign policy is under review.

Dr Merkel's Christian Democrats and the Free Democrats, which are in coalition talks after Sunday's election, are both hostile to Turkey's accession to the EU.

With almost 3 million ethnic Turks living in Germany, politicians fear EU membership would bring a new flood of immigrants. [Source: The Age] | Thursday, October 01, 2009

Europe's 1st Openly Gay FM
THE STRAIGHTS TIMES*: BERLIN - HE HAD his public coming-out five years ago at Angela Merkel's 50th birthday party and now Guido Westerwelle is in the frame to become Europe's first openly gay foreign minister.

While gay politicians have become commonplace in the much of the West, commentators said Mr Westerwelle's sexual orientation could be an issue in regions such as the Middle East and Asia where homosexuality is widely viewed as an abomination.

The leader of the business-friendly Free Democrats dismissed concerns about a clash between diplomacy and his sexuality in an interview earlier this year.

'I am convinced that today one's private life is no longer an obstacle.

Some other countries may have had a problem with the fact that Angela Merkel became the first female chancellor of Germany. Of course she does not wear a veil on the red carpet when she visits certain Arab states,' he told AFP.

'The American secretary of state (Hillary Clinton) must also hold talks in countries in which women are systematically oppressed. The decision as to who we send as a government representative rests solely with us Germans based on our political and moral standards.'

Under a front-page headline 'His Man Makes Him Strong', the mass-market Bild newspaper on Tuesday called Mr Westerwelle, 47, and his 42-year-old partner, businessman Michael Mronz, 'Germany's top political couple' and splashed photos of the two hugging on election night.

The left-leaning daily Tageszeitung, mourning the election victory of the centre-right, tried to cheer up its readers with an ironic list of its upsides including - at number two - a gay foreign minister.

'It opens up the wonderful speculation whether and how he will be welcomed at state receptions in Saudi Arabia or Syria with his life partner. And whether Michael Mronz, together with (Merkel's husband) Joachim Sauer, will try to get out of the 'ladies' programme' at summits and state visits.'

Gay rights groups hope Mr Westerwelle will keep a pledge to punish countries with records of persecuting homosexuals. He threatened in a 2008 interview with Stern magazine to cut such states' development aid. [Source: The Straights Times] AFP | Wednesday, September 30, 2009

*No pun intended!

Mandate for Change in Germany: Merkel's Center-Right Coalition Wins, Opening Door to Tax Cuts and Labor Revamp
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: BERLIN -- A center-right alliance led by German Chancellor Angela Merkel was set for victory in Germany's national elections on Sunday, opening the door to modest tax cuts and labor-market changes that could help strengthen the fragile recovery in Germany's crisis-battered economy.

Ms. Merkel's conservative Christian Democratic Union and its pro-business ally, the Free Democratic Party, were set to win a small majority in Germany's lower house of parliament, the Bundestag, according to early results. The CDU, its Bavarian conservative sister-party, the Christian Social Union, and the FDP won 48.4% of the national vote on Sunday, according to projections by state broadcaster ARD.

"For corporate Germany, this is a good signal," said Thorsten Polleit, economist at Barclays Capital in Frankfurt. "The FDP, which will feel very confident now, and much of the CDU will want to bring down government spending in order to cut income taxes."

The parties are expected to form a new national government quickly, replacing the fractious bipartisan coalition between Ms. Merkel's CDU and the left-leaning Social Democratic Party that has ruled Germany since 2005.

For the U.S. and other German allies, the election result will bring continuity in German foreign policy, including on Afghanistan, where the FDP is expected to continue to support German troops' presence, while calling for an exit strategy in the medium term. Unlike the SPD, which has had a sometimes difficult relationship with the U.S., the FDP has long been a staunch proponent of Germany's trans-Atlantic partnership.

President Barack Obama called Ms. Merkel on Sunday to offer his congratulations, the White House said in a statement, adding: "The President and Chancellor Merkel agreed that with the election of a strong German government, our cooperation will further strengthen and deepen."

Ms. Merkel, a 55-year-old physicist who is Germany's first female chancellor and its first leader to grow up in the former East Germany, told her cheering supporters in Berlin Sunday night she wants to be "a chancellor for all Germans," an attempt to reassure voters that she would temper market-oriented changes with concern for social harmony. Ms. Merkel said that she would govern for "the workers as well as for the entrepreneurs." >>> Marcus Walker | Monday, September 28, 2009

What to Expect from Berlin after Angela Merkel’s Return to Power
TIMES ONLINE – Analysis: For the past four years conservatives and liberals have been quietly expressing fears that Ms Merkel was a Social Democrat in sheep’s clothing, or at least in a woollen trouser suit.

Now the Chancellor has a chance to prove otherwise. The result will be a subtle change of Germany’s position in Europe.

Fuse the election manifestos of the two parties — the Christian Democrats and the Free Democrats — into a single programme and you come up with a mainland European version of progressive conservatism: there is concern for social justice, a taste for financial regulation, but also a commitment to open markets, deregulation and (when market conditions permit) privatisation.

But while some of that may suggest an affinity with a possible David Cameron government, relations with the Tories are likely to remain frosty because the new German Government is firmly committed to the Lisbon treaty.

The new Berlin Administration will almost certainly see its main friend in Europe as Nicolas Sarkozy; the Social Democrats had some reservations about the French but these are not shared by the Free Democrats.

The main loser of the new government alignment could well be Turkey. The Social Democrats have been a champion of Turkish entry into the European Union for the past 11 years, first in alliance with the Greens, and latterly in Ms Merkel’s Grand Coalition.

Now the Social Democrats are in opposition and Ankara will be faced with sceptical governments in Paris, Berlin and Rome. >>> Roger Boyes | Monday, September 28, 2009

FDP's Joker Westerwelle Shapes up for Coalition with Merkel
THE LOCAL: Guido Westerwelle, who aims to become foreign minister in a new government under Chancellor Angela Merkel, has had to shake off his “joker” image to make it in the often staid world of German politics.

The head of Germany’s biggest opposition party used to make headlines for moving into TV’s Big Brother house for a few hours, painting his party’s election goal on the soles of his shoes, and coming out of the closet.

But the 47-year-old lawyer who was often the life and soul of the party has few laughing now. The FDP’s strength will likely decide whether Merkel can win re-election with her coalition of choice in the September 27 poll.

Westerwelle’s pro-business Free Democrats (FDP), frequent partners of the conservative Christian Democrats over half a century of post-war politics, are keen to play kingmakers again.

After 11 years in the political wilderness, Westerwelle has shaken off his at times foppish image and says he is ready to be the country’s first openly gay top diplomat.

Guido Westerwelle with his partner Michael Mronz
“Of course I made some mistakes when I was young but one grows older and wiser,” he told AFP in an interview earlier this year when asked about his more memorable publicity stunts.

“But the Germans seem to see us positively—otherwise they wouldn’t have given us one of the best results in our history at the last national election.”

Since that 9.8-percent score in 2005, the FDP has seen its support soar at times to within four points of the Social Democrats, Germany’s oldest political outfit and the junior partner in Merkel’s “grand coalition.” >>> AFP | Tuesday, September 22, 2009

ADVOCATE.COM:
An Openly Gay German Foreign Minister? : Take that, Ahmadenijad >>> Julie Bolcer | Friday, September 25, 2009

Merkel's Leftward Shift Positions Her to Win
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: BERLIN -- When German voters go to the polls on Sunday, Angela Merkel is almost assured re-election -- not for keeping the campaign promises she made four years ago, but for breaking most of them.

Ms. Merkel came to power in 2005 on a platform of modernizing Europe's biggest economy by deregulating the labor market, simplifying taxes and granting more freedom to entrepreneurs.

However, her conservative Christian Democratic Union was forced into a "grand coalition" with the left-leaning Social Democrats, and she quickly dropped those plans in favor of higher social spending and rising state intervention.

Ms. Merkel's leftward shift has been welcomed by most Germans at a time of great economic uncertainty. But skeptics in her own party and in the business community warn that Germany can't put off painful decisions about its overburdened welfare state, heavy taxes and strict labor rules indefinitely.

"It's not good that the governing parties have distanced themselves from market-oriented reforms," says Jürgen Grossmann, chief executive of energy company RWE AG. "It's a very short-term populism. There's very little courage to do the unpopular." >>> Marcus Walker | Friday, September 35, 2009

”Xenophobia at the Heart of German Politics”
SPIEGELONLINE INTERNATIONAL: A German state governor has won applause from fellow conservatives for demanding a crackdown on "criminal young foreigners." Immigrant groups and political rivals say he is playing with fire in a debate that reveals the widespread xenophobia obstructing integration in Germany.

An assault by two foreign youths on a German pensioner has triggered conservative calls for a crackdown on "criminal young foreigners" and exposed deeply entrenched xenophobia that casts doubt on this country's ability ever to fully integrate its 15 million inhabitants with an immigrant background.

The 76-year-old pensioner suffered a fractured skull when he was beaten by a 20-year-old Turkish man born in Germany and a 17-year-old immigrant from Greece on December 20 after he asked them to stop smoking on a subway train in Munich, where smoking is forbidden.

The pensioner recovered after a spell in hospital and recalls how they spat at him and called him a "Shit German" before kicking him in the head. Police arrested the attackers shortly afterwards and the case could have been closed as a cowardly assault by two violent criminals who both have long police records.

But a senior member of Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democrats, Hesse state premier Roland Koch (more...), seized on the fact that the attackers weren't German and decided to launch a debate about foreign criminals.

"How much are we prepared to take from a small proportion of violent youths, who frequently have a foreign background?" Koch, who is struggling in his campaign to win a third term in a state election on January 27, told mass circulation Bild Zeitung in an interview published last Friday.

"We have spent too long showing a strange sociological understanding for groups that consciously commit violence as ethnic minorities," he went on. Xenophobia at the Heart of German Politics >>> By David Crossland

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