Spineless opertunists?
January 23, 2013 at 8:14 am
(This post was last modified: January 23, 2013 at 8:17 am by Something completely different.)
So after the elections in the German state of Lower Saxony (Niedersachsen) not only did the CDU (conservatives) lose and thereby lost a governors seat, but also was the liberterian party (FDP) more or less "rehabiliated".
In the 9 governatorial elections in the past year they were in some cases almoust completly kicked out of the local parlaments, this time they didn`t only stay in the Saxon parlament but also gained votes and received a total of almoust 10%.
The FDP had gone through a change of leadership during the last year and through a lot of internal disturbances.
Still, after 3 years of a conservative-liberterian coalition goverment in Berlin, and knowing the parties history in German politics I somehow cannot help but ask myself if the party consists of spineless opertunists.
One can sum up the history of the German liberterian party in post world war 2 Germany in pritty much one sentence.
Changeing it`s coalition partner depending on whoever is popular right now.
Like in the 1980s when they left the coalition goverment with Helmut Schmitt because he wanted US nuclear missles stationed in Germany, which was unpopular. So they left Schmitt and sided with Helmut Kohl to form a different coalition (the missles where stationed in Germany under Kohl anyway).
Whereever the FDP is in coalition with a left wing party, they play the card of social liberties making a strong emphasis on gay rights and other.
When in coalition with a conservative party, they play the card of being the buisness friendly party and completly forget that they use to be strong on social liberties.
The former head of the FDP and current foreign minister, Guido Westerwelle is a homosexual, and during the early 90s a strong supporter of gay rights.
But it was during the 1990s that the gay rights movement gained momentum and popularity when the mayor of Berlin Franz Wovereit came out as a homosexual, in effect civil unions were made legal on a federal level and marrige in some liberal (northern) states.
The FDP somehow lost it`s support for gay rights when they came into goverment 3 years ago. Generaly, it seems as if on social issues they have moved more and more to the right. I was particular disapointed since I thought with a homosexual as the party leader there might be legal gay marrige on a federal level, but it was Franz Wovereit, who shook hands (and flirted) with the last surviver of the holocaust who was sent to a concentration camp for his homosexuality, whilest opnening a memorial for those who were murdered during the holocaust because of their homosexuality.
Instead Westerwelle traveled to Iran at one point where a homosexual minister shook hands with the president of a country in which homosexuality is punishable by death, only to get 2 German journalists released and for that short boost in popularity which resulted.
The German political arena is a very diverse one with 6 parties in our federal parlament, coalition goverments and compromise is unavoidable for any goverment.
But at least every party has principles and doesnt change their opinion on issues with what ever might be popular within the public.
So the party went through a change of leadership last year and seemed to have regained some of the publics trust trough doing so, jet I am still suspicious because of their history of opertunism and change of principle.
Regulary watching British comedy such as "Have I Got News For You" and "Mock The Week" I have noticed how Nick Clegg, the head of the British libdems is oftern called spineless.
So what are they like in your country?
I know that for example in Austria, Italy and other conservative European countries the liberterian parties are so right leaning in their social policies that they oftern even attract neo nazi support.
In the 9 governatorial elections in the past year they were in some cases almoust completly kicked out of the local parlaments, this time they didn`t only stay in the Saxon parlament but also gained votes and received a total of almoust 10%.
The FDP had gone through a change of leadership during the last year and through a lot of internal disturbances.
Still, after 3 years of a conservative-liberterian coalition goverment in Berlin, and knowing the parties history in German politics I somehow cannot help but ask myself if the party consists of spineless opertunists.
One can sum up the history of the German liberterian party in post world war 2 Germany in pritty much one sentence.
Changeing it`s coalition partner depending on whoever is popular right now.
Like in the 1980s when they left the coalition goverment with Helmut Schmitt because he wanted US nuclear missles stationed in Germany, which was unpopular. So they left Schmitt and sided with Helmut Kohl to form a different coalition (the missles where stationed in Germany under Kohl anyway).
Whereever the FDP is in coalition with a left wing party, they play the card of social liberties making a strong emphasis on gay rights and other.
When in coalition with a conservative party, they play the card of being the buisness friendly party and completly forget that they use to be strong on social liberties.
The former head of the FDP and current foreign minister, Guido Westerwelle is a homosexual, and during the early 90s a strong supporter of gay rights.
But it was during the 1990s that the gay rights movement gained momentum and popularity when the mayor of Berlin Franz Wovereit came out as a homosexual, in effect civil unions were made legal on a federal level and marrige in some liberal (northern) states.
The FDP somehow lost it`s support for gay rights when they came into goverment 3 years ago. Generaly, it seems as if on social issues they have moved more and more to the right. I was particular disapointed since I thought with a homosexual as the party leader there might be legal gay marrige on a federal level, but it was Franz Wovereit, who shook hands (and flirted) with the last surviver of the holocaust who was sent to a concentration camp for his homosexuality, whilest opnening a memorial for those who were murdered during the holocaust because of their homosexuality.
Instead Westerwelle traveled to Iran at one point where a homosexual minister shook hands with the president of a country in which homosexuality is punishable by death, only to get 2 German journalists released and for that short boost in popularity which resulted.
The German political arena is a very diverse one with 6 parties in our federal parlament, coalition goverments and compromise is unavoidable for any goverment.
But at least every party has principles and doesnt change their opinion on issues with what ever might be popular within the public.
So the party went through a change of leadership last year and seemed to have regained some of the publics trust trough doing so, jet I am still suspicious because of their history of opertunism and change of principle.
Regulary watching British comedy such as "Have I Got News For You" and "Mock The Week" I have noticed how Nick Clegg, the head of the British libdems is oftern called spineless.
So what are they like in your country?
I know that for example in Austria, Italy and other conservative European countries the liberterian parties are so right leaning in their social policies that they oftern even attract neo nazi support.
)
