2011 State Elections in Germany

[MaxQue]

Groß-Gerau wins a price as the first municipality (that I noticed) where the Schuldenbremse is under 60%. Even Darmstadt was 60.2%.

If that is not too complicated, what is Schuldenbremse?

[MaxQue]

Conservatives here at the local level would build neither and lower taxes

Well, here, my city has a right-wing mayor. He builds things and lower taxes and still manages to have a surplus.

Most right-wing local administrations are actually sane. They understand than a city has services to deliver and than they will lose badly if they don't. Hence why the previous mayor of my city lost by a gigantic margin in 1999 and why I think mayor Ford won't be relected in Toronto.

Being ideologic is a bad idea at municipal level.

[MaxQue]

Does the CDU/CSU/FDP coalition still have a majority in Germany's upper chamber as of August 2011?

No, they've lost their majority in the Bundesrat with the election in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia in May 2010. From that on they at least had to win over the Greens, who were in coalition with CDU in Hamburg (in March 2011 SPD won an outright majority there) and with CDU and FDP in the state of Saarland (that three-party-government still exists).

And since the Coalition lost both Hamburg and Baden-Württemberg to the Red-Green camp in March, the SPD now is in the position - theoretically - to obstruct all law which has to go through the Bundesrat.

Wow. So it looks like the SPD/Greens are on track to win the 2013 elections? Any reason why Germany is moving left recently compared to itself from 2005 or all the other countries in Europe lately?

Europe seems to move to the same side.

Against governments.
Economical crisis is hitting hard, so, government parties lose and opposition parties win, roughly.

[MaxQue]

First Schleswig-Holstein poll after the Boetticher scandal, by Forsa:

32%  (+7) SPD
30%   (-2) CDU
19%  (+7) Greens
  4%   (-2) Left
  4%   (nc) SSW
  4% (-11) FDP
  7%  (+1) Others

Does they have a 5% threshold, or it is different?

[MaxQue]

First Schleswig-Holstein poll after the Boetticher scandal, by Forsa:

32%  (+7) SPD
30%   (-2) CDU
19%  (+7) Greens
  4%   (-2) Left
  4%   (nc) SSW
  4% (-11) FDP
  7%  (+1) Others

Does they have a 5% threshold, or it is different?

Yes, SH has a 5% threshold - except for the SSW, which is the party of the Danish minority in SH. The SSW is excluded from the threshold and they will always get at least 1 MP.

? Nobody sued than the law was clearly unfair because it gives a party an advantage over the other ones?

[MaxQue]

No buyer remorse in B-W, I see.

I'm surprised, I thought they would quickly regret dumping CDU.

[MaxQue]

No buyer remorse in B-W, I see.

I'm surprised, I thought they would quickly regret dumping CDU.

Surprisingly, I somewhat approve of the Green led government in B-W. Never thought I'd say that.

Are they ruling from the right, or what?

[MaxQue]

How big is Rügen West as a percentage of MV ?

Logically, I suppose 1/36.

[MaxQue]

State Election Mechlenburg-Vorpommern

The Seat goes to the SPD (FDP comes in third; so no chance for the seat.)

And the Greens are winning the party list vote:

http://wahlen.m-v.de/2011_kom_land/htm/L_WK33.htm

How come? That doesn't seem quite logic.

[MaxQue]

The Piratemania is getting utterly ridiculous. WTF, 9%, seriously ?

Isn't it great?

Well, I prefer than angry youth people vote Piraten than NPD.

[MaxQue]

Oh, Berlin managed to beat Quebec NDP for the most random crop of candidates elected.

[MaxQue]

Heh. Kreuzberg-Friedrichshain borough assembly.

Greens 35.5 (+2.5)
SPD 20.8 (-4.
Pirates 14.3 (+14.3)
Left 12.5 (-4.0)
CDU 7.9 (-0.9)
Partei 2.8 (+1.3)
...
FDP 0.9 (-2.9)

D'Hondt and a 3% threshold giving
Greens 22
SPD 13
Pirates 8
Left 7
CDU 4

and for the five-member administration, chosen by D'Hondt from the assembly (the job distribution is decided by the assembly, though)
Greens 3, SPD 1, Pirates 1. Wheee.

Did Pirates had candidates for borough assemblies?

[MaxQue]

Atfer the techno bubble, the housing bubble, now there is the Pirates bubble.

It will hurt when it will burst.

[MaxQue]

Atfer the techno bubble, the housing bubble, now there is the Pirates bubble.

It will hurt when it will burst.

I hope it burst soon. One-issue outfits don't deserve to get more than 1%, especially when this issue is so pathetically unimportant.

Copyright laws and regulation of Internet will be a very important debate soon.
State will try on control it. See HADOPI in France or other laws putting limits on the Internet by invoking "defence of copyright". "Defence of copyright" is the excuse than States uses to put limitations on Internet, like they use "terrorism" to reduce civil liberties.

[MaxQue]

Little question about Germany (I hope).

From what I understand, Speigel is a news source.

Is it German?
Is it a newspaper?
If yes, which kind?

[MaxQue]

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

[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)

[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!

[MaxQue]

For which government?

[MaxQue]

2% for the FDP?!! I thought than 3-4% were their base.
Where their voters went?

[MaxQue]

Special.

Only 3 parties would get seats.

[MaxQue]

I fail to understand what FDP is trying to do.