Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Germany's coalitions "boutique": "Traffic Light:, "Jamaica" etc!

My avid readers on Twitter recall that 12+ months ago I was arguing that Germany and Europe would be better served by an CDU/CSU-SPD rather than the CDU/CSU-FDP coalition.

(Actually, here is also an excerpt from my blog post "Various Thoughts on EU, US and other affairs, June 1-5", June 7, 2010 (ie 18+ months ago): "I re-iterate my view that it would be in Germany's national interest & the EU's for Mrs Merkel to re-do the grand coalition with SPD (2005-09)")

What do you think, 12+ months later? Would it have made a difference these past 12+ months?

1.5 yrs to go for fed GER elections btw!

By the way, on Sunday (Feb 26),  SPD's Steinmeier suggested inter alia the possibility of a "Traffic light" coalition (SPD-Greens-FDP) after the next federal elections! (source: Welt Online)

It should also be noted that in "coalition-speak", a "Jamaica coalition" (politics) would be: CDU/CSU + FDP + Greens! Oh my!

So which other arrangement would be less "weird", in your opinion?

Traffic light coalition (SPD-Greens-FDP) or SPD-Greens-CDU/CSU (Jamaica) or national unity or technocratic?

Mr. Steinmeier's comments are troubling and in my opinion put into question the SPD readiness to govern Germany but formulating and presenting a policy agenda and philosophy of progressive type. Add to that concerns as to what effective changes a F. Hollande win on May 6 can bring to France and the Eurozone, and you have .....!

At present, I can only think of Denmark and Cyprus as EU member states with purely non-conservative governments. Maybe I am forgettng 1-2. But the UK, France, Germany, NL et al are in the hands of either conservative or conservative-liberal democratic governments (see other blog post of mine today).

PS1 What would the world 2day be if: Angela Merkel had studied economics, sociology or at least psychology instead of physical chemistry?

PS2 Merkel (CDU leader) is a physical chemist and Rösler (FDP leader) a medical doctor. Analyse this (philosophically and politically)!

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