German Elections & Politics

[Beezer]

For those of you who can speak or read German: Michael Klonovsky (center right journalist) has written a rather scathing piece on Petry and her husband Marcus Pretzell, essentially accusing the latter of having the integrity of a used car salesman and the former of being under his spell. Klonovsky was hired last year to be Petry's PR guy/media adviser. Apparently Pretzell then also asked Klonovsky to write some speeches for him. Now it's been revealed that Pretzell never paid for those speeches and flat out denies he has ever used any sort of work from Klonovksy.

Klonovsky has now called on AfD members to depose of Petry and Pretzell (who's head of the party's NRW branch and presumably about to be elected into the state parliament). In his view the couple are preoccupied with fighting enemies (real or imagined) within the party rather than attempting to advance any sort of policy or fighting for the general good of the party.

https://www.michael-klonovsky.de/16-michael/artikel/474-bonnie-und-clyde-der-afd

[ApatheticAustrian]

Pretzell is disgusting as a human being, not even talking politics and klonovsky is totally in the right and can easily prove it.

[Tender Branson]

For those of you who can speak or read German: Michael Klonovsky (center right journalist) has written a rather scathing piece on Petry and her husband Marcus Pretzell, essentially accusing the latter of having the integrity of a used car salesman and the former of being under his spell. Klonovsky was hired last year to be Petry's PR guy/media adviser. Apparently Pretzell then also asked Klonovsky to write some speeches for him. Now it's been revealed that Pretzell never paid for those speeches and flat out denies he has ever used any sort of work from Klonovksy.

Klonovsky has now called on AfD members to depose of Petry and Pretzell (who's head of the party's NRW branch and presumably about to be elected into the state parliament). In his view the couple are preoccupied with fighting enemies (real or imagined) within the party rather than attempting to advance any sort of policy or fighting for the general good of the party.

https://www.michael-klonovsky.de/16-michael/artikel/474-bonnie-und-clyde-der-afd

The AfD seems to be a total disaster internally and an infant political party compared with the well-oiled FPÖ here.

[DL]

I've never liked pretzels...and know i especially don't like Pretzells!!

[Beezer]

For those of you who can speak or read German: Michael Klonovsky (center right journalist) has written a rather scathing piece on Petry and her husband Marcus Pretzell, essentially accusing the latter of having the integrity of a used car salesman and the former of being under his spell. Klonovsky was hired last year to be Petry's PR guy/media adviser. Apparently Pretzell then also asked Klonovsky to write some speeches for him. Now it's been revealed that Pretzell never paid for those speeches and flat out denies he has ever used any sort of work from Klonovksy.

Klonovsky has now called on AfD members to depose of Petry and Pretzell (who's head of the party's NRW branch and presumably about to be elected into the state parliament). In his view the couple are preoccupied with fighting enemies (real or imagined) within the party rather than attempting to advance any sort of policy or fighting for the general good of the party.

https://www.michael-klonovsky.de/16-michael/artikel/474-bonnie-und-clyde-der-afd

The AfD seems to be a total disaster internally and an infant political party compared with the well-oiled FPÖ here.

Not really surprising though considering the age of both parties. Hell, a little over a decade ago even the FPÖ was on the brink of death due to an internal split.

In other news...Schulztrain derailed:

[rob in cal]

  Anything causing the Schultztrain derailment, or just the honeymoon period wearing off?

[ApatheticAustrian]

Everyday nonsense and return of ctitical Merkel voters, shocked by the possbility of a SPD chancellor.

as you may see, the little parties are weak, weak, weak.

[adma]

Reality. Truth hurts? Stop being fascists against everyone you don't agree to. You're no upper race or every non-left Person isn't human garbage, ok?!

You sound like a 15-year-old who's about to gun down his parents.

And you're sounding like someone out of arguments, in other words: A leftist.

I don't think you "get" the gravity of what I'm inferring.

[Terry the Fat Shark]

Infratest dimap poll:
CDU/CSU - 34 (+2)
SPD - 31 (-1)
AfD - 11 (+/-)
Greens - 8 (+/-)
Left - 7 (+/)
FDP - 6 (+/-)
Others - 3 (-1)

[Terry the Fat Shark]

New Emnid weekly tracking federal numbers, biggest lead for CDU/CSU since February 4th

CDU/CSU - 35%  (+/-)
SPD - 31% (-2)
Left- 9% (+1)
AfD - 9% (+/-)
Greens - 7% (+/-)
FDP - 6% (+1)
Others - 3% (+/-)

[IceAgeComing]

The fall of the SPD is really rather disappointing: I mean I'm not a big Shultz fan (other than for the irony that in the "year of populism" the big winner could be the man who last year was President of the European Parliament) but he'd be a whole lot better than Merkel and that's a positive.  Also good that the AfD are currently doing a UKIP, I approve of every far right party doing that.

The TTIP/CETA thing is understandable really: considering that Germany have always been the big force behind the growth of free trade between the EU and other countries: and the thing really isn't as unpopular there as it is in other EU countries.

Reality. Truth hurts? Stop being fascists against everyone you don't agree to. You're no upper race or every non-left Person isn't human garbage, ok?!

You sound like a 15-year-old who's about to gun down his parents.

And you're sounding like someone out of arguments, in other words: A leftist.

Sorry to go back to an old post; but its highly amusing to see you posting this when your best argument seems to be insulting anyone opposed to you or saying that they've been "lied to" by the media without presenting the truth that you allegedly have.  It means that there's not any real point in having a debate: since that requires both sides to debate in good faith and think critically about their own views on the world, both of which you don't seem at all willing to do (the fact that conveniently your point of view is "the truth" and anything else is a lie to you demonstrates that) so what's the point for anyone?

[Zinneke]

The point is that he gets a paragraph of attention.

[adma]

The point is that he gets a paragraph of attention.

Yeah: "attention", rather than "argument".  And the reality is that he misconstrues those who can't be bothered arguing with his sort as being "out of arguments".  So, he demands more attention.

I don't know what web-access protocol is; but I wouldn't be surprised if he's posting from within protective custody.

(It's also worth noting that various recent mass murder/crime incidents, like the Quebec mosque shooting, were prefigured by the perpetrators getting all Klartext89-like on message boards and social media.)

[Zanas]

Just ignore the guy.

Anyway, isn't that the first poll in ages where the AfD isn't a clear third without ex aequo ? The way it's going, we should soon se them overtaken by the Left, or, god forbid, by the FDP...

New Emnid weekly tracking federal numbers, biggest lead for CDU/CSU since February 4th

CDU/CSU - 35%  (+/-)
SPD - 31% (-2)
Left- 9% (+1)
AfD - 9% (+/-)
Greens - 7% (+/-)
FDP - 6% (+1)
Others - 3% (+/-)

[Beezer]

Most recent polls have put it at around 9-10 percent for a while now which appears to be their floor. Of course they could fall further but just remember that the party is still polling rather well despite neverending infighting, accusations of Antisemitism and so forth. So I personally have a hard time believing it will drop much further although next weekend's party conference could of course lead to another split.

[🦀🎂🦀🎂]

If Petry does leave, would that hurt the party? How much of AfD's success is due to approval of her as a leader?

[ApatheticAustrian]

word is, höcke now triest to get petry expulsed from the party.

[Beezer]

If Petry does leave, would that hurt the party? How much of AfD's success is due to approval of her as a leader?

I'd say most AfD-supporters have no problem with the party being on autopilot. It's not like Petry or Lucke were/are these firebrand leaders that galvanized the masses into joining the AfD. Petry and Pretzell leaving would hurt the party only in the sense that infighting or internal dissent tends to wreak havoc with the polling #s of most German parties. Then again, the AfD has been able to at least partially buck that trend because, as I mentioned, most of its voters primarily see it as a protest vehicle or they agree with its general stance on immigration and national identity. The make-up of the actual leadership cadre plays little to no role here.

[Klartext89]

If Petry does leave, would that hurt the party? How much of AfD's success is due to approval of her as a leader?

It would be the best for the party cause Petry and her career politician husband without any credibility Pretzell are acting like paid agents.

But it's not Höcke who is trying to get Petry out (ApatheticAustrian is again ill-informed, I'm afraid), it's nearly the whole AfD Crew. Even liberal alliis like Weidel are turning their shoulders away now.

The sooner this sh**t gets solved and Petry and Pretzell follow low energy Lucke, the better for the AfD and of course for Germany.

But I doubt that the result will be much different with or without Petry. 80% of Germans are totally media manipulated and won't vote for AfD because they can't think for themselves anymore and the big majority of the 20% who still have a functional brain are either backing AfD no matter what (cause people like me don't give a sh**t about what the media says) or are voting tactically for e.g. FDP to help them enter parliament and prevent red-red-gree nightmare or CDU/CSU because the fear of EU Extremist Schulz is big...

But let's see, my bet is still on 12,4% AfD in September. Very excited to have Patriots in the Bundestag again (in former times there were a lot of Patriots from CDU/CSU in parliament...)

[ApatheticAustrian]

Petry is no messias but she is capable, educated, speaks amazing english for german standards and is no woman who can easily be vilified.

her enemies are mostly grey, boring, old men or radicals.....

[Klartext89]

Petry is no messias but she is capable, educated, speaks amazing english for german standards and is no woman who can easily be vilified.

her enemies are mostly grey, boring, old men or radicals.....

Especially Weidel and Meuthen. Totally grey, boring, uneducated and radical. Lmao, you're embarrassing yourself...

[ApatheticAustrian]

Especially Weidel and Meuthen. Totally grey, boring, uneducated and radical. Lmao, you're embarrassing yourself...

i said mostly.

weidel is part of the alliance trying to oust höcke, as you know, even if she is not part of the shrinking petry camp. she has the best chances right now cause she is laying low.

meuthen is kind of strange - after the stupid "war" against petry re: the splitting of the AfD faction in the BW parliament, he seems more like another kind of "petry-ish" politican.

well, he is better than gauland anyway.

[Beezer]

Greens now at 6% in two fresh polls: http://www.wahlrecht.de/umfragen/index.htm

[Zanas]

And that's it : AfD fourth behind die Linke. But I see they had already fallen from third in an Allensbach poll from late March, polling even fifth.

[Hifly]

And that's it : AfD fourth behind die Linke. But I see they had already fallen from third in an Allensbach poll from late March, polling even fifth.

What's "it"? At the moment AfD and Linke are polling roughly the same.