German elections prediction

[Shi Huangdi]

But shouldn't you have wanted the Free Democrats, which is the Classical Liberal party, to win? That'd make a little more sense for you.

[David Floyd]

Yes, but I'm of course talking about the two candidates who had a chance - Schroeder is the lesser "evil", for lack of a better word, from my perspective.

[Shi Huangdi]

Well the FDP would have been part of a coalition if Schroeder had lost, so at least there would be one party in government semi-friendly to freedom.

[David Floyd]

Yes, that's true, and I also am in favor of Stoiber's tax cuts policy...although calling any European political party friendly to freedom, in the sense that I mean freedom, is quite a stretch to say the least.

[seraphin]

ok....as a german i have to post here...

so first: forget all this classical-liberal-freedom-party=fdp garbage.
it isn't that way anymore since years:
economy is the only topic where FDP remained being the freedom party after mid 90s. anywhere else the greens took over these positions:
the FDPs allowance was crucial to the rising of observation possibilities for example.

second: according to german post-war political traditions stoiber was the most conservative candidate imaginable.
he has a touch of a racist and is doubted to be ultra-conservative in youth and family politics - fortunetly german women pushed him back to the "hey-lets-prohibit-the-pill"-pit were he came from.

all over germany and all over the world is a discussion about FRG's weak economy taking place, but in fact many germans do not see it that bad.
an important poin is that all over the 90s there were one big fear: the 2 and a half trillion d-mark mountain of debt that made any initiative impossible.
schroeder has taken away this fear from us germans , by making more reasonable budgets and as a traditionally fearful people we are thankful for that.
and now tax cuts will be the next big thing which kohl didn't got done in 16 years amd which schroeder has already started with the last four years.

the success of the greens if not of the whole government is also based on fair treat of minorities and the handling of the minor pollitical topics:
the greens have succeded in many points of their all-time political agenda:
-homsexuals have gained equal rights
-a new immigration law has been made (which was very friendly towards all the turks, croats,bosnians living in germany for years if not for decades)
-an end to the usage of nuclear power has been found
-thanks to energy taxes on oil and gas germany is far ahead of the 25% reduction of co² emmissons and has found a methode to keep financing of pensions stable.

in fact german economy isn't that weak it is allways shown as. a great part of that "weakness" is simply fear that our economical and social system cannot survive angloamerican neo-liberalism in the future.
it is a bit funny: 10 years ago everybody (even in germany itself) believed we wounld not make it another 5 years that way...5 years ago: the same...
and now it hasn't change that much all over the time and it still works...
...so don't be so sure we are near an economical breakdown


fez? what word are you searching for?
scheiße? ficken?

[Boris Godunov]

seraphin, but doesn't Germany have to make some very painful changes to its economy in order to secure future prosperity (that's what all our pundits say, anyway).

And what is the status on the integration of the East?

[Adalbertus]

schroeder has taken away this fear from us germans , by making more reasonable budgets and as a traditionally fearful people we are thankful for that.

Schröder himself is a pure media manipulator. He has no other ability, but apparently it suffices to get elected. He had to good ministers, Eichel for finances (and he was the driving force behind the sort-of-consolidation of the budget. But remember, the same happened after Kohl took over under Stoltenberg. No difference.), and Fischer in foreign affairs. The rest was the usual crap. The Kohl government was neither better nor worse.

fez? what word are you searching for?

Let's circumvent the autocensor by excessive use of other languages. Pimmel Cheney is certainly worse but uncensored ... And finally the french pronounciation of Putin will be censored

[Boris Godunov]

Pimmel Cheney? I will use that from now on...mwuahahaha

[Adalbertus]

You should also note that the SPD always tries to give the right to vote to groups that probably will elect them. In the 70's it were the 18-21 year's old, in the last four years due to massive naturalizations (some of them long should have been, for others it might be better if they never were). No "human rights" involved on either side. It is simply party politics.

[Winston]

Rats.

[Gangerolf]

Originally posted by Fez
****. How do you say that in German?

I think "scheisse" is ok.

[BeBMan]

Originally posted by DinoDoc
Like Hitler, Schroeder know well how to stir up the rabble against a foreign threat.

LOL

Despite I´m satisfied with the results, our justice minister who made those stupid statements should be fired asap. However, I rather think Schröder will take probably the more silent way out - he will assign simply another person for that job now, after the elections are done, to solve the problem. This entire mess has probably costed him a secure victory, such statements aren´t popular at all here. The same goes for antisemitic remarks of one of the leading politicians of the free democrats - they costed them a lot of votes.

[Roland]

Originally posted by Boris Godunov
seraphin, but doesn't Germany have to make some very painful changes to its economy in order to secure future prosperity (that's what all our pundits say, anyway).

Guess who pays them.

[DinoDoc]

Originally posted by BeBro
LOL

I was hoping people would find it amusing.

Despite I´m satisfied with the results, our justice minister who made those stupid statements should be fired asap.

I doubt that anything is going to happen to the minister by the wording of Schröder's apology.

[DanS]

"all over germany and all over the world is a discussion about FRG's weak economy taking place, but in fact many germans do not see it that bad."

Don't know how it could be much worse.

"I doubt that anything is going to happen to the minister by the wording of Schröder's apology."

She has already fallen on the sword.