Elections in Germany update:No turn to the right, after all!

Christian-Democratic candidate Chancellor Angela Merkel presented her "competence team" the other day, which includes Paul Kirchhof. His radical tax plans are based on a "unitary tax line" of 25% - Walter, help me out here, are we actually talking a flat tax here? That is pretty radical!

In any case, it's sent the Greens into confusion. Campaign chief Fritz Kuhn lambasts it, calling it "socially unjust": "The Christian Democrats have made an enormous mistake" in proposing that those who earn least should pay more. But, perhaps signalling the Greens' ever more middle-class, pseudo-libertarian orientation, their finance expert Oswald Metzger praised it profusely. "Finally somebody who thinks straight on tax policy!", he gushed, wishing Kirchhof "much elan and luck in the implementation" and calling his appointment "a good signal for the future of Germany".

Its people like him that drive me left. Your country will need the Linkspartei, I tell ya.

nimh, yes, he was talking about a flat tax! Yet, there'd be some minor modifications - less taxes for lower income - so it'd finally amount to a system with three steps: 10%, 15%, 25%. Nevertheless, the focus would be on a flat tax.

His argument is that it'd be socially more responsible to have everybody pay the same taxes, including those who at the moment have nominal tax rate of some 45%, but due to deductions can get away with rates far below the 25% he proposes. He wants to do away with all the 824 exceptions included in German tax law at the same time. And he's independent, yet views the CDU/CSU program as closest to his ideas.

The right-wing liberals in Holland, who are rebranding themselves as the bold folk, this year for the first time launched a plea for the flat tax too...

I was a bit surprised that Kirchhof said that the Union was closest to his ideas, not the FDP.

I must say that, while being opposed to a flat tax system, I think it'd be a good idea to get rid of some of the exceptions we currently have.

The Green party seems to be indeed confused about this. It would be nice to get a bit more from them on this issue.

And than, someone will please explain how to pay all 'boons' from the varous programs ...

Raised VAT, maybe?

Hmm.

Exactly.

The polls seem to be asleep.

In the ZDF-Politbarometer of the Forschungsgruppe Wahlen, today's data compare to last week's as follows:

CDU/CSU 43% (no ch.)
SPD 30% (+1)
Leftists 8% (no ch.)
Greens 8% (-1)
FDP 8% (no ch.)

Merkel's proposed rightwing government would get 51%, the opposition 46%; same as last week.

In the ARD Sonntagsfrage by Infratest dimap, today's results compare to last week's as follows:

CDU/CSU 42% (no ch.)
SPD 31% (+1)
Leftists 9% (no ch.)
Greens 8% (no ch.)
FDP 7% (no ch.)

Merkel's proposed rightwing government would get 49%, the opposition 48%; compared to 49% versus 47% last week.

Wen wollen Sie wählen?

Wahl-O-Mat zur Bundestagswahl 2005 hilft bei der Entscheidung

Indicate for thirty political positions whether you agree, disagree or are neutral on the question, and find out which party you agree most with!

(In German)

Hey! Whaddaya know.

I've done plenty of these election-tests - they're perplexingly popular in Holland. Maddeningly, I always get the same result - without exception. Green Left in Holland, Agalev in Belgium, the Greens in Germany. Last time, that is, in 2002, I got the Greens in Germany.

No longer.

Interesting. This time I used the possibility to "weigh" issues; to give some of the 30 questions a double weight ("Thesen gewichten, dann Ergebnis anzeigen").

Picture looks different then - but the outcome is still the same.

In my case, FDP wins hands down, and the preference gets even more pronounced if important issues are weighed twice as strong. I expected that.

What I didn't expect is that "Die linke/PDS" did better for me than the SPD. I usually find myself in loyal opposition to the SPD, but I have no respect whatsoever for "Die Linke /PDS". But the surprise vanishes when I consider that Gysi and Lafontaine both have a track record of populism, of promising everything to everyone. They also both have a track record of caving in when they were promoted to leading important ministries, and suddenly had to deliver something.

I don't think "Die Linke" is really more attractive than the SPD for nimh and me. It is merely more irresponsible in its campaign promises.

I do.

I have really no affinity left for the SPD at all anymore, or perhaps - OK - a little more still with the SPD than with the Dutch Labour Party, which is ten years "ahead" of the SPD on the road of centrist liberalism still. The only thing that evokes any sympathy whatsoever in me for the Social-Democrats still is their history, and those of their members who still get emotional about it. Otherwise, Wim Kok for example (former Dutch PM and Labour leader), doesnt mean a whit more to me than any other liberal. Neutral I am at best.

I'm heavily invested emotionally in the Social-Democratic tradition, but in that of yesteryear, when the leader was still a mensch. Some say that the Socialist Party in Holland and now the Linkspartei in Germany offer nothing but a reproduction of the Labour/SPD programme of twentyfive years ago. Thats right, and thats exactly why it attracts me. No more sell-outs. I totally long back for a classic socialdemocratic party, instead of the "yet another liberal party" we have now.

Programmatically speaking, my ratio keeps me with the Green Left instead of the Socialists in Holland, because it is more forward-thinking, innovative - and especially, because it's more out-going, tolerant (European Union, immigration). And the same does go for the Greens in Germany, but they have drifted so far off into FDP-like liberal clientalism for the now well-off '68 generation that they just dont weigh up against the emotional appeal of the Left anymore. I want a party that does actually care about common folk, about those who earn less than average. Who think employee rights, minimum wage and illness benefits are as important or more as solar energy, gay marriage and Dosenpfand. The Greens sometimes seem to care even less than the SPD-top.

I'm curious what Walter gets. Hey Walter, do you get SPD or Linke from that test?

This anonymous 'Wahl-O-Mater' got exactly the same results in both issues:

Hehheh, he got Die Linke too. <grins, backslaps Walter>

You don't really expect me to publish my result, do you? We get 80% CDU votes in here!


Well, I was a bit surprised - but only just a bit.

I've the same aversions against Die Linke as Thomas has got, especially against the "PDS-part".

But nimh is completely correct: they follow those ideas, I liked x-years ago, with "my party".

I grins you something!!!





(Mrs Walter just said, she had expected that outcome.)

Leader still a mensch? And that's an argument for PDS/Die Linke over the SPD? Perhaps Walter should give you an update on the people involved.


Lafontaine and Gysi don't strike me as caring for the common folk. Maybe I could interest you in the "Anarchistische Pogo-Partei Deutschlands"?