Archive: https://archive.is/20250304200800/https://www.ft.com/content/316ef73e-cf54-4d38-af5b-7166c684a13a
A provision would exempt defence spending above 1 per cent of GDP from the debt brake rules, allowing Germany to boost spending on its armed forces by an unlimited amount at a time when Europe faces the prospect of losing US guarantees that have underpinned its security since Donald Trump began his second presidential term.
The future coalition partners will introduce another constitutional amendment to set up a €500bn fund for infrastructure, which would run over 10 years. They are also planning to loosen debt rules for states.
To put this into perspective…
The CDU sued the last government over 60 billion oif debt that were already accounted for but could not be allowed for investments into infrastructure and green transformation of industry when it was originally planned for covid. Then they spend 3 years and the whole election campaign defending the debt brake as something fundamentally important that they will never allow to be circumvented. While telling everyone that the former government just can’t handle money of course.
And just days after the election they decide that the country really needs about ~1 trillion in new debts (500b on-time for investments, defense budgets being ignored for calculations and loosened debt rules for the states).
That’s obstruction in it’s purest form. They sabotaged the country for years just because there cannot be any solution when they aren’t in power.
Great summery, but I have one addition: The CDU tries to use a qualified majority that could have formed at any time before the election but will be gone after the new Bundestag constitutes. That also means that while they will likely lead the next government, right now they are still the opposition
I hate Merz and the Goons of CDU/CSU (can we legally call them right, now?) so god damn much…
I would prefer to not call them CDU/CSU anymore, as they have proven to reject everything the C, D or S stands for 😁
That’s why, we usually refer to them as Union. However, it’s a loose one, as the Bavarian party often does it’s own thing.
…nor is there ever a good solution when they are in power, for which there is plenty of evidence.
Their “good solutions” is not reverting everything the former government did then waiting for the results of those policies and claiming them as their own success.
Which can be then translated to enough votes by morons to spend another decade doing nothing and funneling money to friends and family. Rinse and repeat.
Very well put.
A provision would exempt defence spending above 1 per cent of GDP from the debt brake rules, allowing Germany to boost spending on its armed forces by an unlimited amount at a time when Europe faces the prospect of losing US guarantees that have underpinned its security since Donald Trump began his second presidential term.
I mean, one can complain about the specifics, but I’m pretty sure that there has to be some kind of mechanism to permit for higher defense spending, at least in time of conflict or impending conflict.
Let me go back and dig up spending as a percent of GDP for World War II, but it was way, way above 1% of GDP. Without some mechanism, a country would be simply unable to fight in a major war.
kagis
Okay, here:
EDIT: I have to admit that while I don’t think I’ve ever looked up Japan specifically before, I am very surprised that Japan’s percentage is lower than most other powers. I wonder if it had something to do with collapsing GDP due to destruction of the merchant fleet coupled with having to spend a fixed amount on the basic necessities, like food production, or something like that.
The Main Problem is, that the CDU has no Incentive to di anything useful. They forced the last government to work with a reduced amount of money, which caused the government to collapse, but at the same time they want to get the cheers for investing into stuff. They dont want to kill the debt break so that they can excerpt pressure onto the coming governments if they aren’t part of it.
People here don’t complain about the military spending. People complain about the absolute dishonesty of Merz who campaigned on no new debt spending whatsoever right until election day. Everybody who watched a bit more closely than Merz’ voters knew this was a complete lie. Multiple economic institutes as well as his Social Democratic/Greens/Left Party rivals called out his tactics as a lie before the election.
And there’s a second bit, which is that CxU has a bit of a faible for lining their own pockets. Merz with his chemical industry connections and his lack of any morality whatsoever is promising to bring that out in full force where Merkel banished that dynamic down to row 2 and below.
It is so disgusting that Merz deliberately prevented this with pleasure when the traffic light coalition was still in power.
Let me explain: Friedrich Merz, leader of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) intentionally blocked certain policies uring the time when the “traffic light” coalition (SPD, Greens, and FDP) were in power in Germany. Merz was not just passively opposing these actions, but did so with a sense for political reasons.
Im german and I know he is an asshole.
We need an arena so we can throw in Putin, Trump, Merz and other trash politicians and rich idiots so we can finally just live in peace.
Im sure during new year 2019 to 2020 a rocket hit me somewhere and launched me to a dystopian timeline I shouldnt even be here. I didn’t deserve to be watching this mess unfold. Why am I here?
It is so disgusting that Merz deliberately prevented this with pleasure when the traffic light coalition was still in power.
The traffic light coalition, or at least the remaining red-green part of it, is still in power. The new Bundestag is elected but has not constituted yet. Merz now tries to use the majorities of the parting Bundestag and government to secure funds for his time in office, but his proposal will have the next governments run into pretty much the same problems again.
It must be bitter especially for the greens to support this debt-spending on infrastructure that they were not allowed to do (by FDP and CDU) while in government, so will they just vote it through quickly now?
Of course the Greens will just vote for it because it’s the right thing to do for the country, no matter who does it. And as always they will be punished by the voters for it, who love to reward those conservative liars.
This blatantly undemocratic farce of forcing it though the outgoing parliament that has no legitimacy left deserves punishment by the voters. But sadly this kind of disregard of the democratic process will mainly strengthen the AfD.
What kind of “infrastructure”? I surely hope they mean affordable housing + renewable energy and not more highways. But who am I kidding? More highways it will be with the CDU 🤦♂️
