Boris Palmer, mayor of Tübingen and Green party member, spoke out in favour of limiting the number of refugees in Germany; putting up fences on the external borders of the EU; and deporting violent refugees back to their home countries, even if they're from Syria. A fellow Green party member mentioned Palmer's views in a speech at a party conference and literally told him to "just shut up". Is that a culture of open debate? That's not what I imagine.
Telling Boris Palmer to "shut up" is excersing free speech. Just like Boris Palmer is excersing free speech when he expresses those views you mentioned above.
As a matter of fact, Canan Bayram - the one who told Boris Palmer to "shut up" - also heavily criticized her own party's lead candidates in the very same speech. She compared Cem Özdemir and Katrin Göring-Eckardt to "CDU local-level chairman". And this was the
inaugural adress of the whole convention, held right before party chairman Özdemir held his speech. Now, explain to me how this constitutes "a lack of open debate"? Do you know any other political party where it is even conceivable that the federal chairman of the party is critized in this manner in the inaugural adress of the whole convention? Is it even conceivable that Angela Merkel is called a "Green party local-level chairwoman" in the
inaugural adress of a CDU national convention? Do you really think this is "a lack of open debate"?? Wouldn't it be in fact a lack of open debate had Canan Bayram
not held her speech at the convention?
Has anyone within the party ever actively attempted to prevent Boris Palmer to speak at a Green convention? Has anyone within the party ever attempted to expel Boris Palmer from the party? Has anyone ever attempted to oust Boris Palmer as mayor of Tübingen? The answer is no on all three accounts. He's free to say anything he wants. He just shouldn't accept that everybody praises him over it. There's a right to free speech, not a right to be praised for your opinions.
As a side note... Canan Bayram was of course pandering to her own base in a pretty shameless manner. Bayram currently tries to succeed Hans-Christian Ströbele in Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg as the only directly elected Green member of parliament. Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg is arguably one of the most left-wing electoral districts in the whole of Germany. And the Green voters in that district certainly constitute THE most left-wing Green voter base in any district anywhere. Harshly criticizing Boris Palmer scores points there. Harshly criticizing the lead candidates and chairmen of the national Green party also scores points there.
Canan Bayram was pandering to her base because in Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg it's either the Green Party or the Left Party who wins the district. Just like Boris Palmer is probably pandering to
his base down in Baden-Württemberg with some of the remarks he usually makes. It's just politics. It's for that reason that I didn't really like Bayram's speech myself because it just came across like a opportunistic stunt to me. It was so obvious and transparent. Ah, well, and I didn't like it because I see no reason to unneccessarily trigger Boris Palmer. He just becomes totally insufferable for the next three months if you troll him like that. Of, course Bayram doesn't care about that either because she doesn't have to deal with Palmer directly up there in Kreuzberg.
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