From USA Today: "Far-right election win leaves Germany's leader Merz shaken." German Chancellor Friedrich Merz leads the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), a major so-called "conservative" political party in Germany. So why is the Alternative for Germany party considered "far right"? Perhaps I'm missing something, but as best as I can tell, it is because they put Germans and Germany first. Thus, they want to deport illegal aliens and refugees, end support for Ukraine, and patch things up with Russia so Germany can once again enjoy low energy prices. Conversely, Merz hardly sounds conservative with his tax and spend mentality:
Merz, whose own approval ratings have sunk to record lows, faces more state elections in the coming weeks and into next year, though he hopes his mix of reforms and higher spending in some areas will revive growth in Europe's largest economy.
The Brookings Institute delves more into why the AfD cannot be allowed to succeed, noting:
Many of its proposals would be familiar to MAGA voters: segregation or deportation of refugees, abolition of funding for public broadcasters, total overhaul of schools and law enforcement, no more wind farms, rollback of LGBTQ+ rights, rejection of historical guilt, overtures to Russia.
Worst of all, it has condemned the Bauhaus school of design--an early brutalist form of architecture popular in Germany in the 1920s and early '30s. Other strikes against the AfD are that its leaders favor "policies of low taxes, welfare cuts and privatization" and its two main leaders are an economist and a businessman, respectively. In other words, as far as I can tell, the AfD is considered "far right" because it doesn't support communism or communism-lite.
More: "Germany’s Merz shocked by far-right state election triumph but doubles down on unpopular reforms"--AP.
They'll be lucky if AfD is as far right as it goes.
ReplyDeleteIt will be worse for them if the Muslims obtain power.
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