2011 State Elections in Germany

[Middle-aged Europe]

Well, I asked that because we saw during a course than the teacher had that as his internet homepage. (He is German, obviously.)

Half of Germany has probably bookmarked the page.

[MaxQue]

Well, I asked that because we saw during a course than the teacher had that as his internet homepage. (He is German, obviously.)

Half of Germany has probably bookmarked the page.

It is so popular?
I know no country where a media source is so widespread.
(And he left Germany years ago)

[Filuwaúrdjan]

It is so popular?

For a news magazine, absolutely.

[Franzl]

Two new federal polls:

GMS (24.10.2011):

CDU/CSU 33%
SPD 29%
Grüne 17%
Piraten 7%
Linke 6%
FDP 4%

sonstige 4%

----------------> Red (SPD)/ Green = 46%, other represented parties = 46%


Forsa (26.10.2011):

CDU/CSU 31%
SPD 27%
Grüne 16%
Piraten 10%
Linke 8%
FDP 3%

sonstige 5%

----------------> Red (SPD)/ Green = 43%, other represented parties = 49%

[You kip if you want to...]

Two new federal polls:

GMS (24.10.2011):

CDU/CSU 33%
SPD 29%
Grüne 17%
Piraten 7%
Linke 6%
FDP 4%

sonstige 4%

----------------> Red (SPD)/ Green = 46%, other represented parties = 46%


Forsa (26.10.2011):

CDU/CSU 31%
SPD 27%
Grüne 16%
Piraten 10%
Linke 8%
FDP 3%

sonstige 5%

----------------> Red (SPD)/ Green = 43%, other represented parties = 49%

With numbers like this, would a grand coalition be, more or less, a certainty?

[Middle-aged Europe]

With numbers like this, would a grand coalition be, more or less, a certainty?

Probably.

Unless a somewhat bolder SPD politician tries to do a SPD/Green minority government which is tolerated by the Pirates. Not very likely though.

Cooperation with the Left on the federal level doesn't seem to be an option with the direction that party is going lately and everything.

[Tender Branson]

New Infratest dimap poll:



Greens at lowest level since 1.5 years and it looks like the Pirates have peaked.

[Tender Branson]

New Emnid poll:

30% CDU/CSU
28% SPD
17% Greens
10% Pirates
  8% Left
  3% FDP
  4% Others

33% CDU/CSU/FDP government
63% SPD-Greens-Pirates-Left opposition

[Franzl]

Merkel has decided that she has found another principle that needs to be thrown out of the window:

It appears that a general minimum wage is currently being planned.

[Tender Branson]

Merkel has decided that she has found another principle that needs to be thrown out of the window:

It appears that a general minimum wage is currently being planned.

Yeah, I've heard about it yesterday.

Time for a fusion between CDU/CSU to the CDSU (Christian Democratic Socialist Union).

[MaxQue]

Merkel has decided that she has found another principle that needs to be thrown out of the window:

It appears that a general minimum wage is currently being planned.

That idea is so socialist than provincial right parties in Canada implanted it!

[Middle-aged Europe]

Merkel has decided that she has found another principle that needs to be thrown out of the window:

It appears that a general minimum wage is currently being planned.

About time.

[Antonio the Sixth]

Merkel has decided that she has found another principle that needs to be thrown out of the window:

It appears that a general minimum wage is currently being planned.

About time.

Indeed. The question being, why in the world the social-democrats, who have been in power for 20 years from 1945 on, have never implemented it.

[Middle-aged Europe]

Merkel has decided that she has found another principle that needs to be thrown out of the window:

It appears that a general minimum wage is currently being planned.

About time.

Indeed. The question being, why in the world the social-democrats, who have been in power for 20 years from 1945 on, have never implemented it.

Minimum wage hasn't really existed as as political issue in Germany until a couple of years ago. For a long time, it was assumed that the agreements between the labour unions and the employers would do the job. Of course, one could say that the unions were also more powerful back then.

[minionofmidas]

For a long time, they did.
It is really only the Hartz IV reforms that pretty much required the introduction of a minimum wage at the same time in order to make sense.

[Franzl]

Merkel has decided that she has found another principle that needs to be thrown out of the window:

It appears that a general minimum wage is currently being planned.

That idea is so socialist than provincial right parties in Canada implanted it!

As otherwise stated, it wasn't an issue in Germany until fairly recently and even lefties, I think, will admit that it wasn't necessary for a rather long time.

That said, I support a minimum wage actually and think it's a necessary, and relatively harmless, thing to have right now. It's just that I was making fun of Merkel for changing her "opinion" yet again

[Antonio the Sixth]

I wonder how much it will be set at, BTW. In France, the SMIC is at 9€ per hour.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Minimum wage hasn't really existed as as political issue in Germany until a couple of years ago. For a long time, it was assumed that the agreements between the labour unions and the employers would do the job. Of course, one could say that the unions were also more powerful back then.

This is comparable to the situation in Britain between before the Thatcher government, yeah. Which is why it was the Blair government that actually introduced the thing.

[minionofmidas]

Incidentally, this discussion is the first I hear about it.

[Middle-aged Europe]

I wonder how much it will be set at, BTW. In France, the SMIC is at 9€ per hour.

The SPD currently supports 8.50 EUR, I doubt it will be higher than that.

The interesting question is how the FDP will react to it. All things considered, probably another step towards a renewed Grand coalition.

[Tender Branson]

Minimum wage hasn't really existed as as political issue in Germany until a couple of years ago. For a long time, it was assumed that the agreements between the labour unions and the employers would do the job. Of course, one could say that the unions were also more powerful back then.

This is comparable to the situation in Britain between before the Thatcher government, yeah. Which is why it was the Blair government that actually introduced the thing.

It is the same situation in Austria: There's no Austria-wide minimum wage, but all sectors of the economy have a union that bargains the minimum wage and the (minimum) wage increases with the employers each year (the so called Kollektivvertragsverhandlungen). It is something like 8-9€ an hour (for retail trade) and much higher for other industries/branches.

[Antonio the Sixth]

I wonder how much it will be set at, BTW. In France, the SMIC is at 9€ per hour.

The SPD currently supports 8.50 EUR, I doubt it will be higher than that.

I somehow imagined that it would be lower than in France. That said, I don't know what is the difference in prices between France and Germany. I guess they are lower in Germany, right ?

[minionofmidas]

I wonder how much it will be set at, BTW. In France, the SMIC is at 9€ per hour.

The SPD currently supports 8.50 EUR, I doubt it will be higher than that.

I somehow imagined that it would be lower than in France. That said, I don't know what is the difference in prices between France and Germany. I guess they are lower in Germany, right ?

Higher on some things, very much identical on others (most), was ever my impression.

[minionofmidas]

Election will be in march 2012, but Petra Roth proves her evil genius by retiring a year early, and settling the dirty fight for the succession as CDU candidate behind closed doors, as a package deal. Boris Rhein will run.
Meanwhile, the SPD has two candidates, neither all that great, and had intended to let the members vote in February. Now they'll vote in December instead - the membership vote stays.
And the Greens don't have a candidate at all since Lutz Sikorski's death in january. The woman most tipped as the most likely candidate, Manuela Rottmann, had ruled herself out just days ago.

I used to be quite optimistic about this election. Right now I have a sinking feeling... and I can't stand Rhein's guts twenty meters against the wind.

[MaxQue]

For which government?