Germany: Dispute over immigration between CDU and CSU mounts

[President Johnson]

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Ah, he's just like me I suppose.

He said Hartz IV did not mean poverty. For that statement he was harshly criticized by the media.
He is also pro-life; after a female doctor was fined 6,000 € for illegal advertising for abortion (she wrote on her websites that abortions belong to her catalog of services), Spahn approved of that sentence and he said there was no need for him to change that law.
He also disapproves of euthanasia. He even doesn't want to give critically ill patient lethal drugs.

Is he that socially conservative? Seriously? I automatically thought he was more socially liberal because he's gay lol.

He's definitely more conservative than Merkel on social issues. I doubt he'll ever be chancellor. If Mutti doesn't survive this (doubt that), she would be replaced by AKK or even Wolfgang Schäuble. My first choice from the CDU ranks would be Armin Laschet and Peter Altmaier second. Norbert Lammert is also decent man, but probably not avaiable.

[mvd10]

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Ah, he's just like me I suppose.

He said Hartz IV did not mean poverty. For that statement he was harshly criticized by the media.
He is also pro-life; after a female doctor was fined 6,000 € for illegal advertising for abortion (she wrote on her websites that abortions belong to her catalog of services), Spahn approved of that sentence and he said there was no need for him to change that law.
He also disapproves of euthanasia. He even doesn't want to give critically ill patient lethal drugs.

Is he that socially conservative? Seriously? I automatically thought he was more socially liberal because he's gay lol.

He's definitely more conservative than Merkel on social issues. I doubt he'll ever be chancellor. If Mutti doesn't survive this (doubt that), she would be replaced by AKK or even Wolfgang Schäuble. My first choice from the CDU ranks would be Armin Laschet and Peter Altmaier second. Norbert Lammert is also decent man, but probably not avaiable.

If it's going to be AKK she can stay lol. But wouldn't the CDU/CSU grassroots decide the next leader? Aren't they supposed to be fairly conservative (preventing gay marriage for so long even though most CDU/CSU voters have been in favour for quite a while)? Then again, AKK is socially conservative too and they might distrust Spahn because he's gay. What is Schauble's place in the CDU? He was a hardliner on Greece, but so was our Labour Party Finance minister Dijsselbloem .

[Anzeigenhauptmeister]

Is he that socially conservative? Seriously? I automatically thought he was more socially liberal because he's gay lol.

I think he acts extra conservative in order to make advances to traditional CDU voters.
Westerwelle exhibited the same incredible arrogance in 2010 when he taxed welfare recipients with "late-Roman decadence", which was the beginning of the end of his political career. (Well, actually it began even earlier when he refused to answer in English.)

[President Johnson]

BREAKING: After hours of consultations, the parties reportedly found an agreement and Horst Seehofer will remain in office after an earlier report quoted him with the phrase "I am not going to be fired by a chancellor, who is only chancellor because of me".

The parties agreed for so-called transition camps near the border for the asylum seekers Seehofer wanted to reject at the border. The SPD won't like it, but they will ultimately agree since they have no leverage and nothing to gain from a break-up of the coalition.

[windjammer]

So Merkel has won?

[Beezer]

I'd say it's the opposite. Transit centers at the border are a huge win for the CSU.

[Famous Mortimer]

This is supposedly a compromise. The migrants aren't immediately kicked out but the CSU forced Merkel to take an ostensibly harder line than she would have liked.

It's only ostensibly harder though.

German run refugee camps on the border are still going to have a higher standard of living than large parts of Africa. They aren't going to deter migrants.

This just proves the whole CDU-CSU dust up was political theater for the Bavarian elections.

[Antonio the Sixth]

So Merkel caved on everything?

[Tender Branson]

Seehofer met with Kurz/Strache/Kickl yesterday and they decided to close the "southern migrant route" (= Germany/Austria/Italy).



Seehofer wants some "transit centers" for asylum seekers near the Austrian border, where asylum seekers who have already been registered in another EU country are being concentrated and then deported. Some of them to Austria (which is already the case). But most of them to Italy, Greece, Spain and Bulgaria/Romania, where they first entered the EU.

The SPD has said they are against these "transit centers", so we'll see what happens.

At least, there's finally some movement on the issue (even in Merkel's own naive CDU-circle) and while Seehofer used to be quite blunt and damaged the Union, it was still the right thing to do.

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

Germany definitely needs to do something about artists who immigrate from Vienna.

[Frodo]

Chancellor Angela Merkel will likely survive until the end of her current term with this agreement, but 2021 could very well see the Alternative für Deutschland forming the next government at this rate.  Or at least playing a key part in it.   

[President Johnson]

Chancellor Angela Merkel will likely survive until the end of her current term with this agreement, but 2021 could very well see the Alternative für Deutschland forming the next government at this rate.  Or at least playing a key part in it.  

Well, I'm not so sure. Seehofer already threatened to "reopen the issue" if there is no European solution implemented. I guess the guy, at 69, has nothing to lose anymore. If the Bavarian election in October ends in a disaster (< 40% for the CSU), not only Söder will be damaged, he'll also get the blame as current CSU leader and has likely to step down as such. That's probably the reason CSU Parliamentary Chair Alexander Dobrindt urged Seehofer not to resign last week, so that he himself can run for CSU leader after the election disaster.

[mvd10]

Chancellor Angela Merkel will likely survive until the end of her current term with this agreement, but 2021 could very well see the Alternative für Deutschland forming the next government at this rate.  Or at least playing a key part in it.  

Well, I'm not so sure. Seehofer already threatened to "reopen the issue" if there is no European solution implemented. I guess the guy, at 69, has nothing to lose anymore. If the Bavarian election in October ends in a disaster (< 40% for the CSU), not only Söder will be damaged, he'll also get the blame as current CSU leader and has likely to step down as such. That's probably the reason CSU Parliamentary Chair Alexander Dobrindt urged Seehofer not to resign last week, so that he himself can run for CSU leader after the election disaster.

Why don't we just bring Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg back ? I believe in second chances!

[President Johnson]

Chancellor Angela Merkel will likely survive until the end of her current term with this agreement, but 2021 could very well see the Alternative für Deutschland forming the next government at this rate.  Or at least playing a key part in it.  

Well, I'm not so sure. Seehofer already threatened to "reopen the issue" if there is no European solution implemented. I guess the guy, at 69, has nothing to lose anymore. If the Bavarian election in October ends in a disaster (< 40% for the CSU), not only Söder will be damaged, he'll also get the blame as current CSU leader and has likely to step down as such. That's probably the reason CSU Parliamentary Chair Alexander Dobrindt urged Seehofer not to resign last week, so that he himself can run for CSU leader after the election disaster.

Why don't we just bring Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg back ? I believe in second chances!

It's been rumored for a long time, but he has shown little interest so far. I more wish Sigmar Gabriel was still the SPD leader and foreign minister

[Famous Mortimer]

So weird to see people who ostensibly immigration restrictionists calling on a solution FROM THE EU. Do they think an EU immigration plan is going to be good? They're either stupid or just politically posturing.

[Tender Branson]

This is somehow odd:

Salvini (right-wing nationalist) today, during the meeting of EU Interior Ministers in Innsbruck: "We will establish strong security on the EU's outer borders, based on the proposal of our Austrian friends."

Renzi (a Social-Democrat) yesterday: "Salvini is looking to incorporate Italy as a province into a new Habsburg Empire."

[Tender Branson]

So, Horst Seehofer recently had his 69th birthday and on this occasion he noted: "There were 69 deportations to Afghanistan on my 69th birthday."

Today, it turned out that one of the 69 deported Afghans hanged himself in Kabul, something the opposition (and SPD) now uses to call for Seehofer's resignation.

While of course terrible, I don't think Seehofer should step down because of it. People will always try to avoid their deportations and do things much worse, like attacking deportation officers, setting themselves on fire, kill themselves etc. - but there's the clear rule of law, which these people need to understand: The laws are there to be followed, the people are there to be deported if their asylum application was denied and brought out of the country. This needs to be 100% clear. A state cannot be held hostage by these people.

Remain strong, Horst & Co. !

[EPG]

Germans and Austrians justifying deaths because "only following orders" is not a problem at all

[Tender Branson]

Germans and Austrians justifying deaths because "only following orders" is not a problem at all

Funny how you always bring up crazy Nazi comparisons when you run out of arguments ...

Fact is, a country that does not uphold its laws any longer and tolerates illegal immigrants or those who were rejected and who hold that country hostage and blackmail it for selfish personal gains, is not a legitimate country any longer. Maybe a banana republic, but not a country. The rule of law always has to be maintained, otherwise parallel societies and the rule of political Islam, Sharia and the like will find loopholes to slowly spread and metastasize. Better to be vigilant from the start, rather than dealing with all the problems later on (=> see Germany right now).

[Anzeigenhauptmeister]

So, Horst Seehofer recently had his 69th birthday and on this occasion he noted: "There were 69 deportations to Afghanistan on my 69th birthday."

Today, it turned out that one of the 69 deported Afghans hanged himself in Kabul, something the opposition (and SPD) now uses to call for Seehofer's resignation.

Not to mention his criminal career of assault and battery and larceny he chose and built. He had simply forfeited his right of residence.

[DavidB.]

So, Horst Seehofer recently had his 69th birthday and on this occasion he noted: "There were 69 deportations to Afghanistan on my 69th birthday."

This was amazing trolling.