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German left-of-centre majority edges ahead as Merkel prospects dim - poll

REUTERS

 

German Chancellor Angela Merkel attends a presentation of a newly designed 2-Euro coin at the Chancellery in Berlin, Germany February 10, 2017. REUTERS/Hannibal Hanschke

 

BERLIN (Reuters) - Three left-leaning German parties would now win enough combined support to oust Chancellor Angela Merkel in September's election, according to an opinion poll by the INSA institute to be published in Bild newspaper on Tuesday.

 

The newspaper said in advance of the report that it was the first time "in a long time" that a left-of-centre coalition would have enough support to knock the Christian Democrats out of office.

 

The three parties had enough votes to form a coalition after the last election in 2013 but opted not to join forces because of lingering SPD opposition to alliances with the hard-left Linke party. Support for all three parties fell after that and was long short of a majority before the INSA opinion poll.

 

The poll found that the Social Democrats would win 31 percent to 30 percent for the conservatives, unchanged in the last week. The Linke party would win an unchanged 10 percent and the pro-environment Greens were also steady, winning seven percent for a total of 48 percent for all three leftist parties.

 

That would leave just 47 percent for the three other parties likely to clear the 5 percent threshold and win seats in the next parliament, the poll of 2,028 voters found.

 

The CDU and their Bavarian sister party would win 30 percent, the Free Democrats (FDP) 5 percent and other smaller parties below the 5 percent threshold, according to the poll.

 

(Reporting by Erik Kirschbaum; editing by Grant McCool)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2017-02-14

[daveAustin]

Anyone, just get the woman out. 

[Baerboxer]

3 hours ago, daveAustin said:

Anyone, just get the woman out. 

 

As unappealing as Merkel is, check out Schulz. Not exactly a wonderful alternative.

[Ulic]

The fat lady is warming up and will be singing shortly.

[sweatalot]

Would be good to get rid of that woman

- on the other hand the devastating policy would not change

 

Hope the "far right" make it

 

Edited February 14, 2017 by sweatalot

[elgordo38]

3 hours ago, Baerboxer said:

 

As unappealing as Merkel is, check out Schulz. Not exactly a wonderful alternative.

There is not even a mediocre alternative anywhere. 

[Baerboxer]

Just now, elgordo38 said:

There is not even a mediocre alternative anywhere. 

 

Germany in the same boat as the UK then.

[elgordo38]

Just now, Baerboxer said:

 

Germany in the same boat as the UK then.

I would like to say its a brave new world go it alone but I sincerely cannot. Go it alone OK its the bravery part that I find challenging. 

[dunroaming]

2 hours ago, Baerboxer said:

 

Germany in the same boat as the UK then.

Not quite the same boat but the problems have a few parallels.

 

In Britain did the liberal pendulum swing too far?  I think it did and now we are getting the backlash, a backlash that is disproportionate and triggered by anger.  How do you redress the situation to appease those who feel that Britain is not controlling its own borders or its own spending whilst remaining a compassionate society that believes in equality for all?  It seems pretty straightforward, just get out of the EU and then the problem is solved.

 On the face of it that should be enough but is it addressing the underlying issues in the UK and in Europe.  The increase in racism and homophobia, the rise of the fascist right which is getting traction, not only in Europe but also in the USA.  Whilst that is the agenda for many it is not the agenda of all.  Far from it.  There must be middle ground here but whilst you have such strongly voiced sides nobody seems willing to look for it let alone find any sort of agreement.  The result is that the countries involved will be split even further.

[Thongkorn]

5 hours ago, Ulic said:

The fat lady is warming up and will be singing shortly.

Sorry thought it read Swinging.

[Grouse]

1 hour ago, dunroaming said:

Not quite the same boat but the problems have a few parallels.

 

In Britain did the liberal pendulum swing too far?  I think it did and now we are getting the backlash, a backlash that is disproportionate and triggered by anger.  How do you redress the situation to appease those who feel that Britain is not controlling its own borders or its own spending whilst remaining a compassionate society that believes in equality for all?  It seems pretty straightforward, just get out of the EU and then the problem is solved.

 On the face of it that should be enough but is it addressing the underlying issues in the UK and in Europe.  The increase in racism and homophobia, the rise of the fascist right which is getting traction, not only in Europe but also in the USA.  Whilst that is the agenda for many it is not the agenda of all.  Far from it.  There must be middle ground here but whilst you have such strongly voiced sides nobody seems willing to look for it let alone find any sort of agreement.  The result is that the countries involved will be split even further.

The liberal democratic world order is collapsing. This is partially due to inequality but also global migratory pressures. We face a dangerous rise in right wing nationalism now. I'm worried. You should worry too ?

[lovelomsak]

17 hours ago, Grouse said:

The liberal democratic world order is collapsing. This is partially due to inequality but also global migratory pressures. We face a dangerous rise in right wing nationalism now. I'm worried. You should worry too ?

Why worry. Right wing nationalism is being forced on us as a form of protection  because of migratory pressures. Right wing nationalism is the new evolving reality

[dunroaming]

2 hours ago, Grouse said:

The liberal democratic world order is collapsing. This is partially due to inequality but also global migratory pressures. We face a dangerous rise in right wing nationalism now. I'm worried. You should worry too ?

I do worry.  In a world where right wing nationalism becomes the norm I would have no place and nor would my family or friends.  People would be persecuted and aggression and bullying becomes acceptable. 

[ELVIS123456]

Unfortunately Germans appear to be still carrying the guilt of WW1 and WW2 - and are reluctant to embrace Nationalist pride again. Certainly they have valid reasons - but unless they get some of it back - they wont have anything to be 'proud' about. 

[Saradoc1972]

1 hour ago, dunroaming said:

I do worry.  In a world where right wing nationalism becomes the norm I would have no place and nor would my family or friends.  People would be persecuted and aggression and bullying becomes acceptable. 

But that is what is happening now. You tell someone you are unhappy with how the asylum/immigration/islamization issues are handled, they come after you, call you nazi, racist, "concerned citizen" in a derogatory way that leaves no questions open they think you are the former two things, and a couple other things that don't really translate. Somebody finds out you're with AFD, you get your house smeared with paint and slogans by some "Antifa" goons, which strangely are never found by police: as in: never. Leading AFD politician Meuthen got a deep-frozen cake hurled full force at his head, 17-y-o who did it was identified, never heard of him being convicted. Press will never fail to publish some arguable misstep of the new right-wing opposition on the front page, government parties get the coverage they want, and state television is actually banned (not by the law, it"s just about who keeps his job) from reporting on certain issues. Especially things that did not happen, woeful backlog of laws they should have churned out by now, due to government show-room politics that become the agenda of news-outlets.

 

We don't need AFD or the other "far-right" parties to come to power to slide into fascism, it already is coming back under a different name. 

 

And I don't like patriotism or nationalism. It's just not called nationalism when Germany under Saint Angela opens the borders to a million plus unvetted fortune-seekers out of misguided political believes, and tries to tell anybody else in Europe they now need to do the same, or else. Don't need AFD for that.