German voters slide inexorably to common sense …

fancythat

a. I am not a "supporter of Reform" - I do wish you would get your ideas right about me.
Frankly, I am fed up of you misrepresenting, not reading what I say correctly, etc etc.
Where have I said "I am a supporter"?
I have said I may vote for them.
I have also said, multiple times, I am a floating voter, and by definition, I float.
That is not that hard to understand.
Please read, and better still, ingest correctly.

If someone told me that they would vote for whoever, any reasonable person would assume they supported their policies.
If you find that offensive I have no problem with you reporting my posts.

My goodness twaddle, have just gone back to one of those links you posted, from the BBC, describing symbolic and other links that the AfD has with the Nazis.
I am sorry if this comment is triggering for some Posters, but the notion that they should gain power is concerning.

Cossy I think we are at either side of the centre of the so called political spectrum but I absolutely and wholeheartedly agree with your post at 11.41.
So well put that I can not add to it.

11:41Cossy

Errr I think you are over reacting to my post and twisting it to suit your own agenda.

FriedGreenTomatoes2

Good luck to the AfD and Reform.
Common sense is finally emerging. The welfarism cannot (and should not) be sustained.

Having read all the links other posters have provided about AfD- I expressly do not wish the party good luck

I do not view AfD's ideology as common sense. AfD consistently advocates for closer ties with Russia- how is that common sense?

UK intelligence views Russia as the most acute state threat to British security. British security agencies ( including cybersecurity) assess that Russia is relentlessly engaging in hybrid warfare against the UK and Europe, blurring the line between peace and war. I prefer peace, civil order and democracy.

I'm not sure what you mean by welfarism FGT2.

And again about the Russian malevolent interference, report today on the BBC about the trial of the arsonist who attack Starmer's property.
The criminal had taken money from a Russian source to do this.

MT62

My friend from Germany tell me the German people want Germany back to pre-Angela Merkle.

Exactly what our German relatives say MT62.
When Merkle went crazy and opened the borders to all and sundry I predicted then that she would walk away afterwards and she did just that.

David49

We should all take notice what is happening in other countries it's not just Germany, Hungary, France, Italy are all moving to the right in politics, how much we will follow time will tell.

Im hoping that national interests dont take centre stage because if Germany stops bankrolling the EU and become protectionist there could be big changes afoot. With an aggressive Russia on our doorstep and the US stepping back, we need unity.

I agree, David49.

I'm currently in France for a few months and keeping abreast of politics here. France is keeping a respectful distance as regards politics in Germany, (they have to try to be united, especially as the latest joint defence project has just gone pear-shaped).

In France, political analysts are saying that, should the AfD win in the upcoming election, then a similar move to the right may rapidly gain traction in the hexagon.

Time will certainly tell.

dw.com survey "How do Germans view Angela Merkel's legacy";

61% said the country's situation has deteriorated since Merkel left office.

LemonJam

dw.com survey "How do Germans view Angela Merkel's legacy";

61% said the country's situation has deteriorated since Merkel left office.

I would say it’s much higher than that. How many were surveyed anyway?

One of our German relatives works as an Interpreter and used to send us loads of reports when Merkle was opening the doors as wide as she could.

Not completely understanding that report LemonJam.
Are they saying that the situation has deteriorated because Merkle has gone?

Sunshinegirls

11:41Cossy

Errr I think you are over reacting to my post and twisting it to suit your own agenda.

That’s entirely your prerogative and actually I wasn’t twisting yours, or anyone else’s, post.

LemonJam

dw.com survey "How do Germans view Angela Merkel's legacy";

61% said the country's situation has deteriorated since Merkel left office.

I bet more than that!

LauraNorderr

Cossy I think we are at either side of the centre of the so called political spectrum but I absolutely and wholeheartedly agree with your post at 11.41.
So well put that I can not add to it.

Thank you.

Despite (a very few) accusations to the contrary, I do my very best to have balanced views.

We can all have different political persuasions and actually agree on many things or even have well thought, educated, civilised debate.

Merkel had 16 years as Germany's Head of Government from 2005 to 2021. There is no specific study measuring whether Germans feel Germany was better before 2005 when she took office than today. But longitudinal quality of life surveys offer a better picture and most studies show the vast majority of Germans feel life is better today though significant pockets of nostalgia and economic anxiety remain all on DW- Deutsche Welle website.

Merkel like all politicians the world over reaps praise and criticism. However that particular report in the headline staes that "most Germans say the country is worse off today than when she was in office", i.e. 61%. She was a popular leader for the majority of Germans and was the first head of government to leave office of her own accord, i.e. not voted out.

It then goes onto list reasons given e.g. "bad government" was to blame since she left office.

Posters may criticise her stance to open borders but the country is still faced with tackling a shortage of skilled workers in a world facing a mounting threat of nationalism.

We see how nationalism plays out in Russia with Putin and how it plays out with Trump in the US. We have ring side seats to Russia's invasion of Poland and Trump's various actual and proposed invasions. US ICE civil order and mass deportation drive does not seem to have reaped any benefits for the country domestically or on the global stage in my eyes. The eye watering costs to maintain ICE activity and military campaigns detract from other budgets and for what benefit? The UK can afford neither of those patterns of spending.

The UK is struggling to work towards a fit for purpose defence budget as we speak and we are out of the EU so no longer a member at the EU defence table. I do not think Reform or AfD talk common sense in this context.

Thank you Lemonjam for, as always, a simple and concise explanation and post.

Thanks LemonJam. An 'ace' post, as usual.

Interesting post LemonJam.

The criticism I've read says, that after Merkel's retirement, things unravelled and that there was no long term planning. I think many Germans feel the country hasn't moved forward, resulting now in a void and nothingness.
The current chancellor, Merz, looks more decisive.

I would like to challenge, respectfully, the postulation that people voting in the way with which you agree, is " common sense".
Of course, a world view with which you concur might seem that way to you, but that doesn't validate the claim.
I am a Christian, and my worldview is that the world would be a better place if everyone followed the teaching of Christ
Would I claim this as " common sense" - no.
Do I think that any atheist, Jew, Sikh etc lack " common sense" because they don't see the world through the same lens as me- of course not.
Our views are dear to us, but that doesn't make them " common sense".

The OP posted her opinion: "Good luck to the AfD and Reform. Common sense is finally emerging. The welfarism cannot (and should not) be sustained".

FGT2 has chosen not to contribute to the thread debate (so far at least) and that's fine. We don't know why FGT2 holds her opinion but thats fine also. That doesn't stop others posting their views and the reasons why they hold their views....

MartavTaurus

David49

We should all take notice what is happening in other countries it's not just Germany, Hungary, France, Italy are all moving to the right in politics, how much we will follow time will tell.

Im hoping that national interests dont take centre stage because if Germany stops bankrolling the EU and become protectionist there could be big changes afoot. With an aggressive Russia on our doorstep and the US stepping back, we need unity.

I agree, David49.

I'm currently in France for a few months and keeping abreast of politics here. France is keeping a respectful distance as regards politics in Germany, (they have to try to be united, especially as the latest joint defence project has just gone pear-shaped).

In France, political analysts are saying that, should the AfD win in the upcoming election, then a similar move to the right may rapidly gain traction in the hexagon.

Time will certainly tell.

I think in France experience in general suggests that votes in the first round go far Right or far Left as a protest, then everyone calms down and votes for the centre in the second round.

Merkel had a run of relative prosperity and migration was not as much of an issue as today, modern Germany has always coped well with migrants in the past, millions from Eastern Europe and Turkey drove the economy. Time are harder now and as in the UK migrants are an issue.

Germany is the main paymaster for the EU any changes will make a big difference, change there will change the EU so we should take notice. It's not just Germany; France, Italy, Hungary and probably the UK will go that way.

It's a problem in all western countries the Neo Liberal economic policy has not produced prosperity for most, only larger borrowings. Polititians are more interested in votes than growing the economy, I can't see any change likely the OBR is predicting the UK will be borrowing 350% of GDP within 50 yrs We should take notice because Japan is already borrowing 250% the cost to the economy has been massive.

Most of the problems in Germany with immigrants are in the former East Germany, which, with the exception of Berlin, is still much poorer than the West. Most of the immigrants were dumped in areas of the East because people don't want to live there and there's a shortage of workers. Former East Germans have never been exposed to multi-culturalism as the West has and are socially quite backward. If you look at a map where the AfD is popular, there's a very clear dividing line which runs along the former East West border.

I don't think it's "common sense" to support any party that is basically a one issue party based on immigration. I wonder if FGT has actually read the AFD manifesto. these are just a few snippets:

Remigration (ie mass deportation) and an end a constitutional right to asylum, basically detaching Germany from the UN
Return to ancestry based citizenship. You'll need ethnically German parents to be classed as a German even if you are born there and spend your life there, you'll be a second class citizen and could be deported.
Lifting sanctions on Russia and ending weapons delivery to Ukraine. Huge benefits for Russia!
Return to using coal and abolish net zero aspirations. If poorer countries suffer, so what!
Aboishing the euro and returning to the Deutschmark.
Tax breaks to ethnically German families who have large families. This does sound like the Nazis!

Nothing common sense about any of the above IMO!

I lived a couple of miles outside the centre of Munich for nearly 3- 4 years in the early days of my marriage (husband's job). Around this time the total proportion of foreign residents was just under 10% of Bavaria's population- mostly Turkish and Italians on "guest worker" agreements. There was a great Italian cafe that sold gorgeous gelato take out in many flavours, downstairs from our flat I fondly recall! Turkish and Italian restaurants flourished locally also.

In 2026, I've just googled, the figure has risen to around 18% of the total Bavarian population. The Turkish and Italian communities remain large but there have been recent surges heavily driven by successive crises- most notably conflict in Ukraine and increased global labour migration. This is typical of the rest of Germany, i.e. the non-German population registered in the Central register of Foreigners 2026 sits at roughly 14 million out of a total population of over 83.4 million.

Germany apparently has one of the world's lowest fertility rates in the world-around 1.3 (slightly less than UK at 1.41) and has recorded more deaths than births since 1972 not dissimilar to the trend in the UK. The population would decrease year on year if it wasn't for immigration.

The modern German economy heavily relies on foreign born labour as a result of this natural population decline and has done so for over 50 years.

It is no surprise that AfD and Trump's government that promote remigration but grapple with declining birth rate- remedy- encourage American born women to stay home and have large numbers of children. Musk leads the way with 7!