'Currently the FDP is the preferred coalition partner for Merkel and the CDU. The two parties are sitting on around 14 and 35 percent of the German vote respectively. Which means that together they could rule by a slight margin.' The FDP has also been poaching conservatively inclined voters from the CDU, stealing away supporters upset by compromises the CDU has made in their four-year coalition with the Social Democrats. The FDP has always been the CDU's preferred partner for government.' (Der Spiegel)
The steady decline in support for the socialists and communists of the centre 'left' across Europe has struck in Germany. For they may have shed their old party names and made their peace across old divisions on how to realise socialism, but they are the same dreary, dirigiste authoritarians, aiming for permanent powers in the interests of 'progressive' governance. They had thought that with Lisbon they could embed themselves for good in all our lives, no matter how we voted, democratic control at last removed from any influence on the permanent, self-renewing, centre left administration of the European Union. But democratic referendums have delayed them too long and despite the present avoidance of democratic process in most countries, they have been delayed again by constitutional and legal safeguards to democracy.
Apart from the retreating tide of 'social democracy', and its identification by the majority of European voters with socialism, a fresh, constitutional, challenge to Lisbon that could delay Berlin’s ratification has been lodged in Germany's Constitutional Court. It argues that laws created to allow ratification of the Lisbon treaty in Germany, rushed through before the elections under the old grand coalition regime with strong centre 'left' representation, leave the Bundestag ill-equipped on controlling further European integration, and that these new laws do not guarantee sufficiently the pre eminence of the German Constitution and its court over the powers that may be ceded to the European Union.
In asking the Constitutional Court to issue an injunction, until they deliver their final verdict, halting ratification by president Horst Köhler (a spokesman said yesterday that the President's legal experts were examining the new challenge and could not say if or when they would act.), the constitutional challenge points up the level of the clash between German, constitutionally protected interests, and EU attempts to interfere in what is happening over Opel.
To say that Germany was not pleased with the behaviour of GM, or of the American government, over the Opel negotiations is both an understatement and another story. But when Peter Mandelson thinks to try and stick his nose in, it causes serious rethinking of the effects of Lisbon on a Germany that is solidly centre right, and equally solidly convinced that it should not pay even a euro to condone a fellow member state's economic and financial debacle brought about by socialist folly.
The Times says that:
'Lord Mandelson’s letter to Ms Kroes [EU Competition Commissioner, ed.] sends a signal to Magna that it does not have a free rein in decisions over redundancies [at Opel and Vauxhall, ed.] if it wants state aid', and that, ' funds already handed over by Berlin to secure German jobs are subject to European approval. Brussels can veto the money if competition regulators believe that the state aid serves as a political fix rather than being aimed at securing the long-term viability of a business.'
And the German Constitutional Court can veto any external interference in the economic or other well being of German citizens - and if these newly-passed, social democratically inspired laws that supposedly permit the ratification of the Lisbon treaty fail to reinforce that, the constitutional challenge to the German ratification of Lisbon will succeed.
It is not just the Czechs, the Poles, and the Irish standing firm. The dead hand of socialism embodied by Mandelson, through New Labour, to European progressive post democratic rule has the Germans looking askance too.
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5 comments:
An interesting analysis and one that almost induces a tinge of optimism.
I had not noticed that the tide of social democracy* had peaked and was beginning to ebb, but perhaps you are right.
Now if only we had a British Constitutional Court! Alas, the chance to create such an entity had passed by about 1947; anything put in place now would have the dead hand of New Labour all over it, and would simply serve to entrench the progressive agenda, with all its troughers, busybodies, prodnoses, nannies, and bullies.
* As ever, I aver that the prefix "social" negates the meaning of whatever follows. "Social democracy" is a classic example.
I think the Germans will ratify though. The court will find a way, its just trying to remind ministers that it is top dog.
O/T You did a piece a while back on how to deal with an unwanted lover, re Obama/Brown. It was clear that one of them was much more serious about the relationship than the other.
Do you have any advice for Mr Brown now that his texts are going unanswered and his emails unread? Gordon is rumored to be a tad depressed already. Should he seek counseling? Throw himself into a rebound affair with Mrs Merkel? Write long poems or compose some music? I fear the usual 'get over it mate- fish in the sea' form his male friends won't be enough. After all this was 'The One.'
But Bill, once they ratify, they will no longer be top dog, so what's their game?
Pleace vote for democracy and against the treaty of lisbon
Dear irish people!
Pleace stop the treaty of lisbon! Is is antidemocartic, militaristic, antisocial. The disadvantages are much bigger, than the advantages. The EU can live with its actuell laws. They should only be changed into a democratic direction. With the treaty of lisbon, the european council is able to change this treaty in great parts without asking the parliament. This is nearly the same law, which mades the nationl- rassistic- party of Germany so powerfull in our country in the year 1933. Our basic law (the german constitution) and all other european constitutions should not be replaced by the treaty of lisbon. But the new treaty tries to bring all right- sytstems in a lower level than the new european right. Here is my informationpage: http://sites.google.com/site/euradevormwald/english . When you have some more english information, pleace send me a link or text or write it into the visitors book of my page. And pleace spread this text all over Ireland.
In the hope in your activities for a better Europe, Felix Staratschek, Freiligrathstr. 2, D- 42477 Radevormwald (Germany)
In the meantime, vote online about the EU. Vote YES or NO to Free Europe Constitution at www.FreeEurope.info
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