The farmers are paralyzing the country with their protests. At the same time, radical forces are becoming increasingly stronger. Is Germany already in a state crisis? A comment by Georg Anastasiadis.
On the same day that the farmers brought the country to a standstill in a powerful demonstration, a new political force, the Wagenknecht Party, saw the light of day in Germany. What seems like a coincidence are actually symptoms of crisis that can be traced back to one and the same cause: the loss of authority of three established parties, which (had to) form a government together that emerged from free elections despite deep ideological differences and are overwhelmed by the force of global events . Governmental crises are part of the nature of democracies. It only becomes dangerous when social disruption becomes visible, which leads to government crises and state crises. Is Germany already in such a state crisis?
The special sacrifice for the farmers was a serious mistake
If you take a step back, you can at least see which foreign power is benefiting most from the current problems in Germany: It is Russia and its bloody dictator Putin, who, after the AfD, now has a second political party at his service, the Wagenknecht Party movement in Germany. In any case, this must be of deep concern to those who value social tolerance and peace based on freedom and respect for the rights of others and who do not want Europe to come ever more under the influence of an aggressive great power that is eager to gain land.
If one remains fair, one must critically assess the traffic light fallout of the special sacrifice for the farmers: the very profession that produces cheap food and guarantees national security of supply, preserves the cultural landscape and protects nature with ever new, expensive, but sometimes necessary environmental regulations to suddenly withdraw the necessary subsidies was not a well-thought-out policy. The farmers' anger, evident in the significant mobilization during yesterday's blockades, is now acting as a catalyst for other parts of society. There is a risk of a wildfire.
Grand coalition could dampen the boom of radical parties
The popular parties SPD, CDU and CSU in particular have particular responsibility for the country in this situation. It is understandable that the SPD, Greens and FDP are shying away from new elections due to their current weakness. But the Union must also make sure that the community it wants to govern tomorrow maintains its basic social consensus and that radical forces do not gain the upper hand in the shadow of tectonic shifts in geopolitics – from the current wars to the possible election of Trump. Since it is feared that the helpless traffic light will no longer be able to move beyond a policy of the lowest common denominator in the last two years of its term in office, it would be best if the Chancellor and his SPD support the Union to form a grand coalition from the center of the Bundestag elected in 2021, at least for a one-year transition period in order to jointly implement important national decisions – such as common European defense and a reform of the debt brake. That could heal wounds, bring peace to the troubled country and at least dampen the dangerous boom of radical parties.
George Anastasiadis
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