this post was submitted on 16 Dec 2024
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[–] [email protected] 17 points 21 hours 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 20 hours 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.

[–] NateNate60 5 points 19 hours 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 19 hours 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 15 hours 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] 1 points 19 hours ago

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 12 hours 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] 4 points 12 hours 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 11 hours ago* (last edited 11 hours ago) (1 children)

Thanks. What does Merz say?

[–] [email protected] 4 points 11 hours 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 11 hours ago* (last edited 11 hours 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 10 hours 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] 1 points 10 hours ago* (last edited 9 hours 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] 1 points 9 hours 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.

[–] JayObey711 33 points 1 day ago (6 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 20 hours 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

[–] JayObey711 0 points 13 hours 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.

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[–] [email protected] 39 points 1 day 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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[–] NateNate60 87 points 1 day 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 day ago

Where have I heard this one before?

France? Sweden? Italy? US? Netherlands?

God, I hate the world rn.

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

squabble over the best way to keep themselves out of government

FTFY

[–] [email protected] 42 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (4 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] 4 points 1 day 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.

[–] Cobrachicken 12 points 1 day ago

I'm dreading their outcome...

[–] Plagiatus 3 points 1 day ago

"Social Democrat Party" maybe?

[–] Gammelfisch 2 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands = Socialist Democratic Party of Germany

When will the USA have version of the SPD which can contend with the Democrats and Government of Putin?

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 day ago

Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands = Socialist Democratic Party of Germany

yes. that's exactly what I'm critizising

[–] [email protected] 19 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day 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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