Germany goes to the polls this weekend

[Suff]

And there have been some interesting moves in the polls.

It will be interesting to see how it plays out but, right now, it looks like the chancellor will be from a different party.

2 more days then the election. All to play for some would say.

[Workingman]

PMSL laughing.

Because the CSU/CDU does not look like being the biggest party the rest - SPD and Greens etc - are now described in the media as "far-left" even though they are pro EU. And any new coalition in Germany will still be for the EU.

How desperate do you anti EU types have to get? You won in the UK with lies and falsehoods. We're out. Get over it.

£350m NHS per week bus - remember?

[Suff]

Sorry, was I mentioning the EU?

The main reason I am watching this at all is the possible impact on Giga Berlin which is now heading on for six months late.

I don't give a damn about the implications for the EU. Nobody said Left or Far left were not for the EU. In fact they are all for it. It is the AFD who don't want the EU. That's hard right.

It is, however, always worth knowing what your allies are up to when the world is a troubled place.

[cromwell]

Merkel has been the boss in Germany for so long. It will seem strange at first when she's gone.
Apparently some guy called Scholtz is favourite to become Chancellor?

[Suff]

Yep, Olaf Scholtz is the chosen candidate of the SPD who currently lead in the polls. Armin Laschet is the chosen candidate for the CDU/CSU to replace Merkel. Apparently he has a bad case of foot in mouth disease and suffers for it, the CDU/CSU have dropped from over 30% to second place.

We have neighbours across the road who are over here from Germany. He's a Brit, she's German. They are like a lot of Germans right now, not happy with any of them.

[Suff]

And the SPD win by a very small margin and the Greens got more than expected. The only government which would not need the Greens would be SPD/(CDU/CSU). Both of whom have stated they are looking for fresh partners.

However both got just over/under 1/4 of the vote and the rest are fractured, leaving the Greens with the largest chunk of the remaining by a long way.

This should take a month or two to sort out. Meanwhile the existing order carries on.

Once it is done and dusted we will see which new face will be gracing the NATO and G7 meetings. What that person says will be different because the political landscape is now different.

Hardly a new dawn though.

[TheOstrich]

This should take a month or two to sort out. Meanwhile the existing order carries on.

With all the horse-trading which will be going on, I think that might be rather optimistic, Suff.
I suspect Merkel might be around for a lot longer yet - before being approached to become the next UN General Secretary .....

[Suff]

before being approached to become the next UN General Secretary .....

If she can stop her hands shaking long enough. Her health has been deteriorating for a while now. She would be mad to take it.

As for optimistic. We should at least set an optimistic target. No matter what the reality. At least then, after another 4 months, we can say it was unreasonably long....

[Workingman]

Ten days.

That is how long it has taken for the SPD, Greens and FDP to start serious talks. The move is leftwards but still very much in the centre. The CDU-CSU look to have been frozen out. With Die Linke, another leftist party, in the background the German right could be in for a long and cold winter.

There are still negotiations to be had, but the three to four month limbo period looks to have been shortened.

[TheOstrich]

Is that Olaf Shultz, then? He has already made two public snidey cracks about Britain and Brexit, so he's not on my Christmas Card list.