Merkel resists pressure to change refugee policy

[webfact]

Merkel resists pressure to change refugee policy

Catherine Hardy

 

 

BERLIN: -- Angela Merkel has admitted she is unhappy about the results of Sunday’s regional election.

 

The German Chancellor’s party was relegated to third place behind an anti-immigrant party.

 

Merkel acknowledged her pro-refugee position has a lot to do with the CDU being overtaken in the north-eastern state of Mecklenburg-West Pomerania.

 

However, she resisted pressure to change her policy.

 

“I am very dissatisfied with the outcome of the election,” she told reporters. “Obviously it has something to do with the refugee question.”

 

“Nevertheless, I believe the decisions made were right and we have to continue to work on them.”

 

“Why is Sunday’s vote significant?”

 

The election in Mecklenburg-West Pomerania, Merkel’s political fiefdom, was a humiliating defeat.

 

That, and another potential drubbing in two weeks in Berlin are casting an ominous shadow over the Chancellor’s hopes of winning – or even running – for a fourth term in 2017.

 

Analysts expect her to weather the storm.

 

However, the tide is turning for the chancellor – whose towering approval ratings have carried her party to victory at the polls over the last 11 years.

Support is falling and Conservatives, who feel they have a lock on power after governing the country for 47 of the last 65 years, are blaming Merkel’s pro-refugee stance for their mounting losses.

 

“The beginning of the end of the CDU?”

 

The head of the populist AFD says the Mecklenburg election result could signal the beginning of the end of the CDU.

 

In a statement, Frauke Petry said; “We think it is very unlikely that the CDU in the short run will find a new course, because the core of the party has been removed by Merkel. In Mecklenburg-West Pomerania, we may have seen the beginning of the end of the CDU.”

 

“How unpopular is Merkel?”

 

A recent poll suggests her approval rating has fallen from 67% to a five-year low of 45%.

 

Merkel’s Conservatives could win just 33%, down from 41% a year ago, according to the Infratest Dimap poll by ARD TV.

 

In real terms, that would cost 30 of the party’s 310 MPs their jobs in next year’s federal election.

 

“What they are saying”

 

“It is definitely a slap in the face for her and her policies. She will long be blamed for letting a party to the right of the conservatives get an established foothold. But there is no one in the party who will try to topple her. And if anyone did try, they would get their teeth knocked out,” – Thomas Jaeger, political scientist at Cologne University.

 

“People will see this as the start of the ‘Kanzlerdaemmerung’ (twilight of the chancellor). If a lot of CDU members start seeing this defeat as Merkel’s fault, and members of parliament start seeing her as a danger for the party and their own jobs in the next year, the whole situation could escalate out of control. If the AFDbeats the CDU again in two weeks in Berlin, things could get ugly fast,” – Gero Neugebauer, political scientist at Berlin’s Free University.

 

Angela Merkel is facing “an autumn of discontent”, according to Suddeutsche Zeitung.

 

 

-- © Copyright Euronews 2016-09-06

[jaidam]

If she thought Germany needed more skilled workers, Poland is not so far away. If she thought the birth rate in Germany was too low there are many easy ways to stimulate childbirth among the native population through tax incentives etc. 

 

 i just do not understand why she needed these uneducated, unwilling to integrate, millions of north African members of a hateful ideology. One serious reason? Anybody?

 

 So it will cost her job. But what has this all cost Germany - and I'm not talking in financial terms. Not to mention destroying the EU in one fell swoop. AfD is offering hope that Germans can continue to live in what they know as Germany without feeling excessive guilt for whatever.

[SgtRock]

They say a picture paints a 1000 words.

 

Merkel gets informed of Sunday's Regional election whilst she is at the G20 in China

 

 

This picture says only 4 words.

 

Oh F@&k, I'm done.

Edited September 6, 2016 by SgtRock

[williamgeorgeallen]

skilled migrants, yes. non skilled migrants with no intention of ever integrating, no.

[crankshaft]

I am right and the voters are wrong......

[Credo]

4 hours ago, jaidam said:

If she thought Germany needed more skilled workers, Poland is not so far away. If she thought the birth rate in Germany was too low there are many easy ways to stimulate childbirth among the native population through tax incentives etc. 

 

 i just do not understand why she needed these uneducated, unwilling to integrate, millions of north African members of a hateful ideology. One serious reason? Anybody?

 

 So it will cost her job. But what has this all cost Germany - and I'm not talking in financial terms. Not to mention destroying the EU in one fell swoop. AfD is offering hope that Germans can continue to live in what they know as Germany without feeling excessive guilt for whatever.

I don't think we can attribute a lot of the outcome to the current situation to some well thought out plan.   I think that Ms. Merkel thought she was doing the right thing in extending a welcome to refugees.   Some of that may have been for past guilt, but it also echos of the very liberal and generous thinking that is prevalent in much of the EU.   Germany was well equipped to handle a fair number of refugees.   

 

Unfortunately, what happened was unintended consequences and an unmanageable influx of people.   It was a nice gesture, but she failed to heed that the road to hell is paved with good intentions.   

[SgtRock]

17 minutes ago, Credo said:

It was a nice gesture, but she failed to heed that the road to hell is paved with good intentions.

 

She also failed to heed the warnings from a multitude of sources that spelled out exactly what would happen.

[mesterm]

5 hours ago, webfact said:

A recent poll suggests her approval rating has fallen from 67% to a five-year low of 45%.

 

 

[jaidam]

1 hour ago, mesterm said:

 

 

Stunning that 45% of Germans still support the woman. Presumably ending the era of tolerant socialism and secular democracy in Germany is not enough to turn off voters. Most amusing!

[JHolmesJr]

Too much guilt makes people do crazy things.

[bridge2bridge]

She won't have to CHANGE her policy.

She will be GONE at the next election.

But is it too late for Germany AND Europe?

[ddavidovsky]

6 hours ago, jaidam said:

 i just do not understand why she needed these uneducated, unwilling to integrate, millions of north African members of a hateful ideology. One serious reason? Anybody?

 

I suspect Germany has been so keen to rid itself of its unsavoury past that it has embraced immigration to prove to itself - and to the world - that they are no longer Nazis. It's about time they got over it.

[mesterm]

3 hours ago, JHolmesJr said:

Too much guilt makes people do crazy things.

 

May Allah help them in this trying time. And may more middle eastern countries help the refugees instead.

Edited September 6, 2016 by mesterm

[bangon04]

7 hours ago, ddavidovsky said:

 

I suspect Germany has been so keen to rid itself of its unsavoury past that it has embraced immigration to prove to itself - and to the world - that they are no longer Nazis. It's about time they got over it.

Maybe voting in more extreme right wing conservative parties will help them get over it quicker?

[tomacht8]

Migration is considered by many German citizens as the main problem of the EU.
According to an EU study, 61 percent are against the immigration from outside the EU .

The question "Should be taken in your opinion, additional measures to combat illegal immigration of people from outside the EU?" endorsed a total of 81 percent of respondents from Germany.

This is apparent from the national evaluation of the recent Euro barometer on behalf of the EU Commission.
Evaluation is from February 2015.

Merkel stands with her stupidity, against the will of the majority of German people.
Her ignorance and narrow-minded bigotry can many people no longer endure.
Merkel has to go, as soon as possible!