Merkel the final year - what will be her legacy?

[par avion]

With German Federal elections expected to be held on 26 September this year, this will be Merkel's final year in office. What will be her legacy? Having been in power since 2005 she was unassailable until her 2015 hicup in inviting in one million new German Doctors, Engineers and Scientists.

After that it was all down hill with the AFD as the opposition after the 2016 election. Her reputation recovered a little bit in her resonse to the initial wave of Covid. But with the new wave engulfing Germany it has slipped again.

 

[Old Stab]

The mass immigration that is now causing Western Europe huge problems.
The rise in Islamic terrorism throughout Europe by the followers of the religion of peace.

Her legacy will be that of cultural suicide in encouraging the mass migration of another culture that is totally at odds to that of the civilised world.

 

[vvaannmmaann]

I mis read the thread title and assumed it was another Harry and Her thread. I then considered that pa had some gen no one else did...
Sorry.

 

[Dafty duck]

Her legacy will be the mass influx of peaceful "doctors" and "engineers" hell bent on destroying the Western way of life. In another time she would have been shot as a traitor.

 

[Toastie]

The death of The Consensus Opinion or Doing The Right Thing To Benefit The Most People.

Across Europe and enthusiastically embraced elsewhere, principally in North America the only real consensus now is “you’re either with us or against us”. Merkel and her soft left have created fertile ground for every self entitled idiot to dictate their own self serving agenda. You are either a woke fundamentalist on some narrow interest mission or a fascist who dares to suggest that.

When the main opposition in France, Germany, Italy, Canada and as of January, the US are increasingly right leaning nationalists, the probable outcome of their battle with federalist, increasingly left leaning apologists can only widen that gulf. Repeat in any number of nations worldwide.

Identity Politics at the expense of improving the country for all is the First World equivalent of Wealth Grabbing Dictatorship at the expense of improving the country for all in the Third World. The reality is the former is just a variation of the latter, usually exercised through iniquitous taxation policies and equally iniquitous distribution of state funding. The principal is the same, those in power take from those not in power and fund their own ends; everyone else can get fecked.

And results will be the same. People will suck up only so much.

 

[LeoRoverman]

On balance I think she has done relatively well over her time her down side has been to underpin the the self effacement of Germany. Her tendency to believe in more Europe at the expense of new German identity has been her greatest fault. One suspects that this has had far more to do with the experience of Soviet Russia than any guilt trip that Germany should have had has worked to that end. One could be forgiven for thinking that she failed given Germany's reputation with reference to the ECB and the loathing that the institution has gained, but imho that has been precisely why France has had this tactic.
But there has been something else which is that Germany under her leadership ( quasi benign communism) has been the balance to France's self serving communism, the EU it'self being a commune. Little wonder that it has so much attraction for the left, particularly in this country, which under St Jeremy has taken to a peregrination in that direction. Thus the allusion to Good cop bad cop is very apt.

That said she has been very careful of the interpretations of state aid and fending of EU censure whilst consolidating the asset stripping of Britain, a matter in which Blair and Brown colluded ( and let us not forget in the order of service one Peter Mendelsohn and the Kinnocks)
, which is odd given both Macron and Merkel's insistence of "the level playing field". It can only be level if they control everything and at least Boris has put a stop to that. Fishing being the prime example! A classic case of "what's your's is mine and what's mine's me own".
On balance she's no Adenouer or Kohl but she won't be forgot for all the wrong reasons.

 

[CrazyLegs!]

AfD, the migrant crisis, and Brexit

 

[bobthebuilder]

Her legacy will be the impoverishment of Southern Europe. During her Chancellorship, Germany has enjoyed a captive market of countries with exchange rate parity and interest rate equivalence in which to dump its manufactured goods. It has sucked capital out of the PIIGS (and France) and substituted it with debt.

 

[Ravers]

She accidentally (on purpose) touched my bum at the official D Day commemoration last year.

I imagine above everything else, she’ll remember that as her finest moment in office.

 

[Listy]

With German Federal elections expected to be held on 26 September this year, this will be Merkel's final year in office. What will be her legacy? Having been in power since 2005 she was unassailable until her 2015 hicup in inviting in one million new German Doctors, Engineers and Scientists.

After that it was all down hill with the AFD as the opposition after the 2016 election. Her reputation recovered a little bit in her resonse to the initial wave of Covid. But with the new wave engulfing Germany it has slipped again.

I think that she'll be remembered.

Anti-truck barriers are called Merkel's Lego. Some wag in the above picture decided to paint the barriers bright colours. It is a bit like how the US learned and kept the word 'Hooverville'

I suspect that one poor press conference which kick started the whole migrant wave will be her lasting memory, and how she's recorded in the history books, like Chamberlain is remembered for that one photograph. It in reality is unfair to Chamberlain, and, maybe, its unfair to Merkel.

 

[Krautman]

The so-called Energiewende, the transition from Nuclear power and coal to renewables, a costly and by no means resilient Mumbo jumbo. The Euro crisis and following this the debt union. The refugee crisis and last but not least, this horrible woman has managed to piss off all NATO partners.
The failure in the COVID-19 pandemic is the smallest problem. Not to mention the AfD, our new fangled jew hating Nazi Party.

 

[Krautman]

Her legacy will be the impoverishment of Southern Europe. During her Chancellorship, Germany has enjoyed a captive market of countries with exchange rate parity and interest rate equivalence in which to dump its manufactured goods. It has sucked capital out of the PIIGS (and France) and substituted it with debt.

Look at the TARGET 2 balances and what happens when the debtor countries default. Germany is involved with 33% according to its capital share in the ECB and will then have to pay for exactly this share.

 

[AsterixTG]

Definitely be the immigration crisis, however, I suspect that in the not too far future when the EU/Eurozone collapses, how she has set Germany up will leave it pretty much the only man standing that isn't absolutely crippled financially, all things being relative.

Germany will then hoover up it's neighbours under a blanket of 'stability and security' to protect against Russia (which is really China as Putin has died and left a massive power vacuum filled by a man backed by Beijing) - and then the fun and games start again.

How's that?

 

[theoriginalphantom]

She accidentally (on purpose) touched my bum at the official D Day commemoration last year.

I imagine above everything else, she’ll remember that as her finest moment in office.

you know that was actually @jarrod248 in a dress, don't you?

 

[bobthebuilder]

Look at the TARGET 2 balances and what happens when the debtor countries default. Germany is involved with 33% according to its capital share in the ECB and will then have to pay for exactly this share.

Schadenfreude.

 

[cityloyal]

Definitely be the immigration crisis, however, I suspect that in the not too far future when the EU/Eurozone collapses, how she has set Germany up will leave it pretty much the only man standing that isn't absolutely crippled financially, all things being relative.

Germany will then hoover up it's neighbours under a blanket of 'stability and security' to protect against Russia (which is really China as Putin has died and left a massive power vacuum filled by a man backed by Beijing) - and then the fun and games start again.

How's that?

Not sure the rest of Europe/Germany relates to what we perceive as an immigration 'crisis'? And for Germans who still have collective guilt over WW1/WW2, I'm not sure they could/can bring themselves to raise an eyebrow about it neither at the time, now, or in the future. I don't think it will define Merkel's reign among Germans or Europe more broadly.

Your right on your second point though. Germans are a bit like the Chinese in that respect IMO - they play the long game.

 

[AsterixTG]

Not sure the rest of Europe/Germany relates to what we perceive as an immigration 'crisis'? And for Germans who still have collective guilt over WW1/WW2, I'm not sure they could/can bring themselves to raise an eyebrow about neither at the time, now, or in the future.

Your right on your second point though. Germans are a bit like the Chinese in that respect IMO - they play the long game.

You don't think? I think it's just starting - Africa is on the move.

 

[cityloyal]

You don't think? I think it's just starting - Africa is on the move.

My gut feeling is no.

By the time - if ever - Germany and Europe wakes up to this it'll be wayyy too late (if it isn't already).

Edited to add: because the EU/European approach to this seems not to be about stopping the problem, but spreading it around. They're not concerned about stopping them.

 

[Krautman]

Your right on your second point though. Germans are a bit like the Chinese in that respect IMO - they play the long game.

That is a myth, if there is one thing that is not done in Germany it is to think in the long term. The best example is Merkel's abrupt about-turn on nuclear energy after Fukujima. After all, one wants to be re-elected and so one gives in to every twitch of the population.
A crying refugee girl and the reaction of many people to Merkel's cool behaviour towards her have led to "We'll manage!" and the opening of the borders. When the mood changed after the riots on New Year's Eve, politicians went to the other extreme and wanted to Europeanise the problem and keep every refugee out. This then led to the refugee agreement, which made them and the whole of the EU to Erdogan's plaything.
In the last two or three decades, German politics and German chancellors have all too often lacked moderation and the ability to pause and reflect, something that their predecessors like Schmidt managed to do.
One must not forget that Merkel has developed from a neoliberal reformer who flew to Bush to assure him of her support for the Iraq war to a red-green chancellor who has almost destroyed the entire conservative wing of the CDU.
This horrible person is arbitrary and the only thing she ever cared about was staying in power. In the process, she has destroyed a lot in Germany and Europe and whether that can ever be repaired is questionable.

 

[par avion]

That is a myth, if there is one thing that is not done in Germany it is to think in the long term. The best example is Merkel's abrupt about-turn on nuclear energy after Fukujima. After all, one wants to be re-elected and so one gives in to every twitch of the population.
A crying refugee girl and the reaction of many people to Merkel's cool behaviour towards her have led to "We'll manage!" and the opening of the borders. When the mood changed after the riots on New Year's Eve, politicians went to the other extreme and wanted to Europeanise the problem and keep every refugee out. This then led to the refugee agreement, which made them and the whole of the EU to Erdogan's plaything.
In the last two or three decades, German politics and German chancellors have all too often lacked moderation and the ability to pause and reflect, something that their predecessors like Schmidt managed to do.
One must not forget that Merkel has developed from a neoliberal reformer who flew to Bush to assure him of her support for the Iraq war to a red-green chancellor who has almost destroyed the entire conservative wing of the CDU.
This horrible person is arbitrary and the only thing she ever cared about was staying in power. In the process, she has destroyed a lot in Germany and Europe and whether that can ever be repaired is questionable.

Its easy to forget that Merkel is meant to be a conservative - the CDU being equivelent to the Tory party. She has been the face of Germany and de-facto head of the EU since 2005. Junker and UVDL would ever make a decision without getting her say so first. Look at the recent Brexit deal. She was determined to protect the German car industry and Macron and his fishermen could lump it. (mind you it helps that Macron is used to being told what to do by old ladies - having married one.) Also she was determined that there would be a deal during Germany's turn as president of the EU.

On the other hand the cavalier way that she tore up the Dublin Agreement in 2015 together with Sweden in an act of pure virtue signalling and when vast numbers of fighting age males flocked in from all over the third world, not just Syria, many from safe countries like India and Ghana. She then decides that it is an EU problem and burden sharing is the answer. To his internal credit Cameron told her 'to do one.' Her sorrry fat arrse was saved by the new bad boy of Europe old Viktor Orban and his fence. 'A fence wont stop them' cried the luvies, Well it stopped 99 percent of them.

The thing is who will replace her? Her anointed successor KKK has proved to be an absolute dud. The CDU has been in a grand coaltion with the SPD since 2005. That was lucky to survive 2016 and has been creaking ever since with both the CDU and SPD losing voter share to the AFD and the Greens.

This next year should prove interesting both for Germany and the EU.