Question is how much they actually do what they said before, when they are in power.
Merz has been talking heavily about more support for Ukraine, when it served to drive a wedge between the previous government, as the former coalition partner FDP wanted to use Ukraine support spending to cut social spending and climate investments.
The whole reason that is possible is a “debt limit” article in the constitution, that prohibits the country from taking on new debt, even if that debt is used for investments that will pay back much more money. This article was put in place mainly by the CDU but tolerated by the SPD a few years back. The CDU also sued against using leftover money from the emergency Covid fund to finance green investment. Green investment would have reduced the need for energy imports, including direct and indirect imports from Russia, which would have helped Ukraine. Also it put much more pressure onto the public budget, which reduced the legroom for Ukraine support.
The goal of the CDU was solely to use this to blow up the previous government, which eventually succeeded. Meanwhile the CDU worked hard to establish the radical pro Putin AfD Nazis further and it is possible that they will form the next government together.
Merz has ruled out forming a government with AfD hasn’t he? I think he did on TV last night. So I assume he will try to form a government with SPD.
Anyway, I really am not massively informed on German politics. But I’ve heard a couple of good things from Merz so far (his support for Ukraine, and his desire to make Europe more independent of the USA). I hope he will maintain his commitment to those ideas.
Merz also said that he would never accept any working together with the AfD, not in public not in private. Anyone in the CDU that would do so, would be kicked out of the party immediately.
Now whjat we have seen instead on the past year is the CDU working together with the AfD often on the local and state level. on the federal level they finally worked together about three weeks back, when they first passed a resolution against Migration and then barely failed to pass a law together. Merz said, it isn’t his fault if the AfD was voting together with them and if the other parties weren’t willing to pass the [far right anti human rights anti constitutional rights] laws together with them.
Merz is a far right populist and habitual liar. If he will not rule together with the pro Putin Nazis he will use it as a maximum threat for making a potential SPD coalition partner fall in line with him on all possible topics. If you follow more actively the next months, you will hear Merz lying day in day out.
Fair enough. I will probably read more about him within the near future. I’m not saying I absolutely believe he will stick to support for Ukraine and European independence, I’m just saying that I hope he does.
Merz has ruled out forming a government with AfD hasn’t he?
If Friedrich Merz rules out that it will rain later today, better bring an umbrella. That guy is a pathological liar and a shameless opportunist.
He will do whatever gives him the most power. The only reason for him to form a coalition with the SPD is that he can use the threat of the AfD to blackmail the (anyway spineless) SPD into doing whatever he wants.
Maybe I will end up disappointed then. I just hope to see Europe standing on its own two feet if the US has no interest in Europe anymore. And I hope to see Europe continuing to back Ukraine.
I just hope to see Europe standing on its own two feet if the US has no interest in Europe anymore.
I doubt that Merz will do too much in this regard unless forced to, as he is in the pocket of his former employer, BlackRock, a US based investment firm.
Question is how much they actually do what they said before, when they are in power.
Merz has been talking heavily about more support for Ukraine, when it served to drive a wedge between the previous government, as the former coalition partner FDP wanted to use Ukraine support spending to cut social spending and climate investments.
The whole reason that is possible is a “debt limit” article in the constitution, that prohibits the country from taking on new debt, even if that debt is used for investments that will pay back much more money. This article was put in place mainly by the CDU but tolerated by the SPD a few years back. The CDU also sued against using leftover money from the emergency Covid fund to finance green investment. Green investment would have reduced the need for energy imports, including direct and indirect imports from Russia, which would have helped Ukraine. Also it put much more pressure onto the public budget, which reduced the legroom for Ukraine support.
The goal of the CDU was solely to use this to blow up the previous government, which eventually succeeded. Meanwhile the CDU worked hard to establish the radical pro Putin AfD Nazis further and it is possible that they will form the next government together.
Merz has ruled out forming a government with AfD hasn’t he? I think he did on TV last night. So I assume he will try to form a government with SPD.
Anyway, I really am not massively informed on German politics. But I’ve heard a couple of good things from Merz so far (his support for Ukraine, and his desire to make Europe more independent of the USA). I hope he will maintain his commitment to those ideas.
Merz also said that he would never accept any working together with the AfD, not in public not in private. Anyone in the CDU that would do so, would be kicked out of the party immediately.
Now whjat we have seen instead on the past year is the CDU working together with the AfD often on the local and state level. on the federal level they finally worked together about three weeks back, when they first passed a resolution against Migration and then barely failed to pass a law together. Merz said, it isn’t his fault if the AfD was voting together with them and if the other parties weren’t willing to pass the [far right anti human rights anti constitutional rights] laws together with them.
https://www.dw.com/en/german-lawmakers-reject-contentious-immigration-law/live-71465034
https://jacobin.com/2025/01/germany-afd-cdu-far-right/
Merz is a far right populist and habitual liar. If he will not rule together with the pro Putin Nazis he will use it as a maximum threat for making a potential SPD coalition partner fall in line with him on all possible topics. If you follow more actively the next months, you will hear Merz lying day in day out.
Fair enough. I will probably read more about him within the near future. I’m not saying I absolutely believe he will stick to support for Ukraine and European independence, I’m just saying that I hope he does.
If Friedrich Merz rules out that it will rain later today, better bring an umbrella. That guy is a pathological liar and a shameless opportunist.
He will do whatever gives him the most power. The only reason for him to form a coalition with the SPD is that he can use the threat of the AfD to blackmail the (anyway spineless) SPD into doing whatever he wants.
Maybe I will end up disappointed then. I just hope to see Europe standing on its own two feet if the US has no interest in Europe anymore. And I hope to see Europe continuing to back Ukraine.
I doubt that Merz will do too much in this regard unless forced to, as he is in the pocket of his former employer, BlackRock, a US based investment firm.
Well, shit. I will just follow the news and hope for the best while expecting the worst.