Euroscepticism in Germany: Silent no more | The Economist
AS FOUNDER of a new Eurosceptic party, Bernd Lucke, an economics professor, is among the most controversial figures in Germany. The website of his Alternative for Germany party went online this month. Its first gathering is in April, and it has until the summer to collect up to 2,000 signatures in each of Germany’s 16 states in order to get on the ballot for the federal election in September.
Supported by an impressive list of fellow professors, Mr Lucke has three main goals. The most urgent is an “orderly dissolution” of the euro, with a return to national currencies or to new, smaller and more homogenous currency blocks. He wants a decentralised European Union with less bureaucracy and more emphasis on the single market. He favours more direct democracy, with Swiss-style plebiscites.
Meanwhile elsewhere on the web called the party right-wing populists.
Just to be clear, "populist" is a loaded word but generally, at least in my circles, meaning reckless politics for votes. I would like to remind everybody that many of the party founders are professors, some of which were advisers to the past 3 German chancellors.
Anything that isn't approved by the "old" parties, both in Germany and around the Western World are called extremists.
Anyways, I'm happy there's finally a voice in this country which calls for a form of direct democracy and a stop to the completely undemocratic practices of what is called the European Union and its army of unelected and overpaid "law makers".
AS FOUNDER of a new Eurosceptic party, Bernd Lucke, an economics professor, is among the most controversial figures in Germany. The website of his Alternative for Germany party went online this month. Its first gathering is in April, and it has until the summer to collect up to 2,000 signatures in each of Germany’s 16 states in order to get on the ballot for the federal election in September.
Supported by an impressive list of fellow professors, Mr Lucke has three main goals. The most urgent is an “orderly dissolution” of the euro, with a return to national currencies or to new, smaller and more homogenous currency blocks. He wants a decentralised European Union with less bureaucracy and more emphasis on the single market. He favours more direct democracy, with Swiss-style plebiscites.
Meanwhile elsewhere on the web called the party right-wing populists.
A new German party is tapping into the trend of the anti-Euro and anti-EU movement across Europe. The Alternative für Deutschland party (transl. Alternative for Germany, AfD) shows that Germany is ready for a new right-wing populist party and is promoting withdrawal from the Eurozone.
The unsolved Euro crisis casts a pall over the development of Europe and has paved the way for an anti-Euro and anti-EU movement. Solidarity is questioned and nationalistic ideas are fostered in the minds of European citizens. The growing success of Eurosceptic parties in EU member states reflects this development. Besides all controversial opinions about German intentions in solving the Euro crisis, Germany stuck out with its firm pro EU stance – until now. A new German party is tapping into the trend of the anti-Euro movement across Europe, providing an alternative to established German parties.
Just to be clear, "populist" is a loaded word but generally, at least in my circles, meaning reckless politics for votes. I would like to remind everybody that many of the party founders are professors, some of which were advisers to the past 3 German chancellors.
Anything that isn't approved by the "old" parties, both in Germany and around the Western World are called extremists.
Anyways, I'm happy there's finally a voice in this country which calls for a form of direct democracy and a stop to the completely undemocratic practices of what is called the European Union and its army of unelected and overpaid "law makers".