German political parties and elections

[Aeternitas]

Germany Fights Right-Wing Extremism


"Nazis out!" reads the poster during a protest march in Saxony

German President Horst Köhler has called on all Germans to actively oppose anti-Semitism, while politicians across the spectrum debate banning the right-wing NPD party.

Article

© DW 2005

[Menydh]

You will find this article/reader opinions at DW-Word.de at least significative. Don't miss the one individual advocating against NPD.

Why the NPD Shouldn't Be Silenced

The far-right National Democratic Party's behavior at a recent memorial ceremony for Holocaust victims prompted many to ask why the party isn't banned. But most of DW's readers felt the NPD has a right to a voice.


I think that the NPD should not be banned. Their party has just as much right to voice their beliefs as the Greens, CDU and the SPD. How long are people going to label the Germans Nazis? That was 60 years ago. This is a different age now. These people just want jobs for Germans, their social money to go to Germans and not "Ausländer". Some might view their comments differently, but behind closed doors I'll bet it is a different story. -- Michael Fuller/USA

The NPD should not be banned as a party unless they are a viable threat to overthrow the German government by violent means rather than through the election process. They have the right to freedom of speech. In a constitutional democracy, who would be entitled to decide to ban the party short of an amendment to the consitution through the means set up for that process? -- John Thomas

Trends in many EU countries illustrate that far-right parties are here to stay and NPD/CVU could gather enough votes in 2006 to enter the Bundestag. The German unemployment rate is increasing and government reforms are highly unpopular. I think the increasing pessimism in the public about the state of the economy will give the NPD/DVU more votes. However, the most effective way to oppose these far-right groups is not through left-wing violence. The federal and state governments should work actively to improve the economical condition of Germany and initiate more actions for multicultural harmony. The NPD/DVU hate of non-Germans is a tragic result of an ignorant ideology. -- Atilla A. Iftikhar

It may come as a shock but in a true democracy even unpopular speech is protected. If only "correct" speech is free then you do not have freedom of speech. One would think this principle would by now be fundamental in a free society. -- JL Ronish

NPD should not be banned yet, however if their policy and rhetoric worsen then the party should be banned from all states. It is possible they will encourage more hate and even violence against people they consider "un-patriotic". Such intimidations could lead to physical assaults by NPD supporters which cannot be tolerated by the government. The neo-Nazis and other extremists propagating hate and violence should not be tolerated by the society. Unfortunately, it seems considerable supporters in the former East enjoy such political parties. -- Atilla A Iftikhar

I've just returned from Iraq. The US, my country, claims it is building democracy there. Is this conceivable? People point to Germany and Japan as successes. Does Germany have a democracy? A year or two ago your Parliament expelled a Syrian member for comparing Israelis to Nazis in treatment of subject peoples. Now this NPD speaker in the Saxony parliament has his microphone turned off for calling the bombing of Dresden mass-murder by Anglo-American gangsters. And his party is under banning threat. Is that democracy? My theory of democracy is that it grows from inside a community, indeed is the growth of community as people learn to trust each other. Did the "Allied" foster-fathers of the German nation only delay Germany's development of democracy by imposing a democratic constitution? What do Germans think? -- Chris Rushlau

After reading the article, the only thing I can say is that Silvana Koch-Merin, Markus Soeder, Michael Muller and Christina Weiss will be out of work. At least a new generation of politicians will take care of the German interests, instead of somebody else's. The construction of so many foreign memorials, with any excuse, is appalling and a way to try to form the wrong idea in the German people before the general elections. Vielen Dank! -- Luis Iñarra


http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,1564,1470315,00.html

[Aeternitas]

The federal and state governments should [..] initiate more actions for multicultural harmony.

The NPD/DVU hate of non-Germans is a tragic result of an ignorant ideology.

Atilla A. Iftikhar

Why does it not surprise me?

[Phlegethon]

Originally Posted by Mynydd

Atilla A Iftikhar

This Paki is entitled to his opinion. In Pakistan.

[Aeternitas]

Haider founds new Austrian party

Joerg Haider was in bullish mood unveiling his new party

Joerg Haider, the controversial former leader of Austria's right-wing Freedom Party, is to split from his old allies and head a new political party.

Full article

[Menydh]

Just when I thought that Libertines are the extremists..

[Agrippa]

Haider's going mad, its just about his person. He supported the entry of Turkey to the European Union and he agitates against the right wing of the party and all nationalists. He spoke about a "ideology-free new party" and it was clear against whom he was speaking.

Even some of his mentors just dont know what happens and why he destroyed the party over the last years.
He was always just a populist and I was never a fan, but now we can just ask ourselves if he's mad now or someone influenced him.

He visited the USA and made some courses there (Harvard), he met Greenspan, Strom Thurmond, Henry Kissinger and after this he was never the same and as I said a former mentor of him said, that nobody knows what was up with him afterwards. Viktor Frankl is a personal friend of him too btw...
He's a traitor not only to his people but to many close friends which helped him to come so far in policy, because without their help he would have been nothing.
But ok, thankfulness is nothing you can reckon with in policy.

The next election might lead to a total catastrophy for both parties the old FPÖ and the "BZÖ".
I can just imagine how desperately the clown Haider will try to make the "old party" responsible for everything.

He was always a "funny guy", dancing with female Negrids in a banana tutus on stage if he thought that would bring temper in the hall.
I never understood how anybody could trust this subject...

If you think that the FPÖ was once more successful than the ÖVP and is now just a small and easy to control appendix of the ÖVP lead government, well, why should the intriguer Schüssel have anything against further cooperation.

He knows too good that in the moment a broken government might lead to a change of government.

[Aeternitas]

Originally Posted by Agrippa

He visited the USA and made some courses there (Harvard), he met Greenspan, Strom Thurmond, Henry Kissinger and after this he was never the same and as I said a former mentor of him said, that nobody knows what was up with him afterwards.

Not surprising at all.

As I read in one article in NF, he is a political chamaleon. Moreover he lacks solidarity. Solidarity is essential within a party and when it comes to politic overall. A lot of persons though confuse the political scene with a circus and you get such behaviour.

[Agrippa]

If you ask people which were important in the party at that they time why they gave all the power to him, well, he deserved it at this time and was the only hope in a desperate situation and nobody could predict what would come, how he would change.
That are people which hear to you as long as they are in charge and feel save, then they show their true face and all depends on whether they have character or not...
Well, if its about Haider, all should know now whats up with him.

[Menydh]

Originally Posted by Agrippa

He visited the USA and made some courses there (Harvard), he met Greenspan, Strom Thurmond, Henry Kissinger and after this he was never the same and as I said a former mentor of him said, that nobody knows what was up with him afterwards.

Interesting. As they say, the devil is in the details.

Originally Posted by Agrippa

If you ask people which were important in the party at that they time why they gave all the power to him, well, he deserved it at this time and was the only hope in a desperate situation and nobody could predict what would come, how he would change.

Yet another reason to reject the centralisation of ideas and resources around a leader, Führer, Caudillo, or whatever you want to call them.

[Ederico]

Disassociation from Extremists is only reasonable when those Extremists have no sound backing to their positions and end up damaging Nationalism rather than helping it.

However in Haider's case it seems that he is moving to the Centre not simply on mere modes of expression and an attempt to be more pragmatic and Nationalist at the same time. He seems to have lost any sort of ideal in his Politics.

[Phlegethon]

If he ever had ideals, that is.
Anyway, this split was overdue and could bring about the reemergence of the old FPÖ - under Gudenus, Mölzer, Scrinzi, Trattnig, Rosenkranz, Alois Huber and others. But a big problem is that the party is heavily in debt, which probably was the main reason for Haider to jump off board. He is getting his new BZÖ outfit sponsored by the Jewish Stronach family in Canada.

[Agrippa]

Is Stronach really Jewish? Never saw a proof for this...

[Phlegethon]

It does not really make a difference anyway. He is a neocon, which is bad enough.

[Agrippa]

Originally Posted by Phlegethon

It does not really make a difference anyway. He is a neocon, which is bad enough.

Agreed. But just for the value of the truth I wouldnt call anybody a Jew if he is none even if he would behave like the negative stereotype of a Jew.