German Elections & Politics

[njwes]

There's a new Forsa state poll for Berlin out (although the next election is in 3 years):
(Changes in comparison to the 2011 election)

...

Piraten: 3% (-6%)

It seems plausible that the Pirates won't have representation in any state parliament a couple of years from now. It was just a fad after all.

It's nice to see the Pirate fad has run its course across Europe, I've seen enough V for Vendetta masks to tide me over for a decade or so

[njwes]

Old Europe, why do you think the opposition to the nationalization (while still quite small) increased so notably since the 2011 referendum?

[njwes]

I have to say, Ursula von der Leyen really fascinates me. A German Lutheran Ph.D involved in politics with 7 kids… that must be the German equivalent of Sasquatch, right?

[njwes]

^The consistency between those polls is pretty amazing! Do German pollsters know something American ones don't?

[njwes]

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As the LINKE staff is getting younger, they also get more greenish, less structurally conservative, more 'hipster urban' to some extent, and GDR nostalgia has never played a large roll in the official party platform. This switch can be seen. The newly-directly-elected Juliane Nagel from the south of Leipzig is an antifascist and antiracist activist from parts of the town entrenched in 'left-wing alternative culture', whereas the old guard types were not able to win direct seats.

Interesting, do you think this trend could improve LINKE's performance in west Germany, to the detriment of GRÜNE?

[njwes]

What position would the Freie Wähler members take generally--generic conservative/center-right?

[njwes]

What position would the Freie Wähler members take generally--generic conservative/center-right?

I think the American equivalent is "moderate".
Their members are the typical "nice men/women next door" with a clean sidewalk and a garden goblin.

lol wait that's great, they should be getting more votes

[njwes]

The next two Lands to hold elections are Hamburg (Feb 2015) and Bremen (May 2015).
If the AfD manages to enter those two states' Bürgerschaften, it won't be possible anymore to imagine the political landscape without them.

But if the other parties continue to refuse to form coalitions with them and essentially ignore them, what role would they have to play? At least until the next parliamentary election?