the german elections: a victory for the left?

dominic

Beast of Burden
here's the breakdown:

xian democrats = 35.3
free democrats = 9.8
= 45.1

social democrats = 34.2
greens = 8.1
party of the left = 8.6
= 50.9

possible governing coalitions are either:

social democrats together with xian democrats = grand coalition that would likely be short lived

or else social dems, greens, and free democrats = a mildly "reformist" govt in the neo-liberal sense

the big winner, however, is the party of the left (linkspartei.), which will likely emerge as the third largest party by the time the next elections roll around -- which shouldn't be too far in the future

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in the meantime, in case people don't realize we're back to the days of class warfare, siemens (the largest engineering company in germany) announced layoffs of 2400 workers in germany

as if to say, if you don't vote xian democrat, you're gonna get the same outcome anyway

(so much for the power of the popular vote!!!)

here's the ny times article

again, it just goes to show that the ny times is indeed a "liberal" publication -- i.e., liberal as in neo-liberal

the ny times is *not* a leftist publication, despite what the idiotic pundits of the american right repeatedly say

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yes, usa has high employment and a growing economy -- but it's strictly hooverville baby!

(again, does anyone actually believe that the current external accounts deficit is infinitely sustainable???)

hardly a model for germany and the rest of europe to follow

what europe and the usa really need is a reinvigorated workers movement

mass strikes!!!

fuck demonstrations -- they don't stop wars and they don't stop corporations from laying off people as they please

if the capitalist class were to have its way, the american and european working classes would either be IDLE or work for the SAME RATES as the chinese (and should the chinese ever agitate for better pay, then whomever will work for less than the chinese, assuming reasonably educated and disciplined workforce)

what people need to fight for is the re-Nationalisation of industry in europe -- or if in the usa, the nationalisation of key industries for the first time coupled with high tariffs and very tight restrictions on the flight of capital to places abroad

or alternatively, possibly a grand market of highly paid workers encompassing europe, usa, canada

and yes, i realize this would look like a system protecting the "haves" against the "have nots"

but what's the alternative???? = to reduce most people to the level of chinese workers -- creating a massive global proletariat -- in which case the only "haves" would the american and european capitalist class and the chinese ruling elite
 

h-crimm

Well-known member
turn out was very high (~75%) for what, to me, looks like another of these "rock vs hard place" elections (like the UK and US).

It's interesting that any possibility of including the left party in the government or recognising the (minor) left balance of votes is totally outside the public discussion.
everything on newsnight was about how the unemployed have shot themselves in the foot (apparently... cos a flat tax is great for the poor or something!) and how buisiness people are disparing; take universal sufferage away from them if they can't use it sensibly i say (not really of course).

the european news media is less gross than fox, but its still giving out this wierd miasma "maybe its time for a bit of 'radical' anti-taxation"
 

owen

Well-known member
ah, dominic, some day your Prince (in the Macchiavelli sense) will come...

s'funny how whenever this is written about the idea that the only way to solve unemployment is neo-liberalism is totally unquestioned.

lenin's tomb has been good on the left party-
http://leninology.blogspot.com
 
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h-crimm

Well-known member
so Merkel is the new chancellor,
about as big a victory for the left as getting blair a third term in the UK?
 

owen

Well-known member
It's just going to be stalemate though, as the SPD have more cabinet posts than the CDU, so they won't be able to carry out too many welfare cuts (sorry, 'reforms') -though the SPD did plenty of that themselves- also it makes the Left Party pretty much the only Opposition.

the last time there was a coalition like this it led directly to the 68 movement, baader-meinhof, and by association krautrockand new german cinema (all in explicit opposition to the german estab) so germany should be a fun place in the next few years...
 

h-crimm

Well-known member
i think the SPD are going to find it pretty easy to disreguard thier electoral mandate and fall in line with the "reformist" agenda. i dont think it's going to be quite the stalemate of the 60s. the difference between the two partys isnt that great is it? its all in the implementation rather than the thrust of policy...

clearly i'd be very happy with a new new german wave, but its a bit unfortunate if we seem to require conservatives to inspire us to that stuff. i think its a bit of a myth as well. the germany of the late 60s was part of a global trend for radical and artistic experimentation, surely? early thatcher might have been a good focus for late punks, but what great art was inspired by late thatcher and major?

it is cool that left/green can assume a larger public appearance as the only opposition, if britain had had PR the libdems would have capitalised much more on thier position outside the centre right consensus...
 
S

simon silverdollar

Guest
h-crimm said:
what great art was inspired by late thatcher and major?

.

rave and jungle.

[and slampt and huggy bear, perhaps...]
 

h-crimm

Well-known member
yeah okay mmaaaaaaayyybe, what about an example of the opposite? (art stagnation in a perfectly liberal culture)
once i see that i'll be ready to move to berlin for the Neue Schmutz-Welle....

jammer is gonna have to change his lyrics if he wants to tour germany in that climate tho




p.s. owen, or anyone; dyou know where i can get deutschland im herbst?
 

owen

Well-known member
i thought the equation recession=musical goodness was pretty established!

think the only times that german popcult haven't been fairly vanguard are the times when it's been most stable and economically successful- mid-late 80s, 50s and early 60s

about deutschland im herbst, well there is a subtitled copy in goldsmiths college library (which is how i saw it) so i'd suggest pestering dissensus goldsmiths cru (i.e not me as of a month ago, but there are others, rambler i think and monsterbobby) to get it for you, otherwise i dunno- it's definitely not reissued
 
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