Merkel's Coalition Partner: Failure of CDU, SPD Talks Will Be 'Catastrophe' for Germany

PJ Media ^ | 01-18-2018 | Michael van der Galien

[Michael van der Galien]

Horst Seehofer -- the leader of the Christian Democrats (CDU) ally, the Christian Social Union -- is calling on Angela Merkel and Social Democratic Party (SPD) leader Martin Schulz to make sure that the talks between Merkel's CDU and Schulz's SPD are successful. Seehofer says the Social Democrats shooting down the results of the talks on Sunday would absolutely be a "catastrophe" for Germany.

When asked by German newspaper Bild whether he has faith in the SPD -- which seems to be internally divided on the question whether or not it should form a coalition with the CDU -- Seehofer answered with "a firm yes." Martin Schulz, he continued, "is currently fighting" for the coalition, "and the SPD has historically always taken responsibility" when doing so was necessary, he added.

However, if the party votes to end the talks and to abort the coalition on Sunday, Seehofer believes "it will be a political catastrophe for our country." Seehofer thought Merkel would not be reelected chancellor: "[Germany would have] new elections and new coalition negotiations. I can only appeal to all involved to unite and form a new government. Everything else will be devastating for Germany."

Clearly, Merkel agrees that CDU and SPD must form a new government. After all, she has already agreed to Schulz's far-reaching plans to create a "United States of Europe." During the failed talks with the liberal (per the European sense of the word, which closely fits the U.S. definition of "conservative") FDP and the Greens (socialists with a focus on climate change), Merkel seemed to support the liberals' point of view that a federal European Union would not be beneficial for Germany. After those talks collapsed, however, she has been giving über-federalist Schulz whatever he wants with regards to the European Project.

[KyCats]

As these talks progress it’s becoming more and more clear that SPD has the upper hand. Merkel on the verge of doubling down on her betrayal of Germany with a further lurch to the left.

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks Michael van der Galien. Her first term as fuhrer was in coalition with the socialists -- there were no other options, and it didn't last long.

[pepsionice]

I would offer the observation that the SPD held basically a ‘pair of twos’ in their hand and they’ve run into rough times the past seven days.

What came out of the talks was a 28-page agreement ‘draft’ that the CDU-CSU and SPD folks could agree upon. If you look at the past three elections and the coalition agreements that came to exist....they were normally 120-pages in length (average). It’s an extreme marginal amount of agreement.

So the SPD had to take the draft and get their internal leadership and the youth-SPD group (everyone under the age of 35) to vote on it and agree. Shocking, but the youth-SPD folks have dumped big-time negativity on the agreement....lots of stuff missing. From the overall party, it’s a mixed signal. There’s supposed to be a big meeting this weekend, and a final vote within the Party. Some folks think it will just marginally pass. Some suggest the coalition won’t occur, then going to option B or C.

Option B is a minority government, with very weak paths ahead (run just by the CDU-CSU folks). It might last a year...maybe two. It would be a big negative upon the EU scene.

Option C is a second vote. The CDU-CSU machine might be able to repeat it’s 32-percent win. The SPD has suffered in public view the last hundred days, and would NOT repeat it’s 20.5-percent win....dropping probably down to 18-percent. What would a second election give you? Basically a repeat of this mess that you have currently and really make a lot of Germans frustrated with the political mess created.

My belief is that the SPD just wants to get some marginal agreement worked up, pretend to do a coalition for twelve months and then force a new election with a happier agenda.

It’s safe to say that politics in Germany is now pretty screwed up, with most Germans agreeing that it’s time for Merkel to move on, but finding there’s practically no one that they really feel can sit in the Chancellor’s seat. The top two parties (CDU and SPD, center-right and center-left) are losing voters in practically every election and don’t have a message that sells well. Toss in the migration problem, lack of affordable housing, yearly tax-chat-reform, and a dozen-odd problems facing society...you’ve got a soap-opera-like atmosphere.