Passing a “tough on asylum seeker law” a week after the mass deportation plans of the AfD were publicized in Jan. 2024.
Making a “law and order 10 point plan” after the stabbing in Solingen.
Passing of “anti-antisemitism” resolutions that aren’t legally binding, but demand the interior intelligence to screen scientists and artists and deny them funding, if they are not “without a doubt not antisemitic”, despite strong criticism that this directly violates the freedom and independence of science and arts, which is one of the core principals of the Grundgesetz.
Being divided over asking the constitutional court to rule on whether the AfD is constitutional or should be banned for being unconstitutional, with the dominant right wing of the party working to delay such a constitutional procedure against the AfD.
For me these are indications of being on the right side of the center. My understanding of the political center in Germany would be 2009-2021 SPD/CDU. With the SPD being center to center-left and the CDU being center-right to right. Of course this has shifted, with every party that is in the Bundestag except for die Linke having shifted strongly to the right or even far right over the past years. So for someone who is 18 and voted the first time this year, the concept of what is center in German politics probably looks different. And maybe for someone who is much older than me, Merz is closer to the center.
I get that, but I’d still argue that these don’t overweigh the rest of their program. But hey, everyone can have a different opinion (unless we get black/brown)
Passing a “tough on asylum seeker law” a week after the mass deportation plans of the AfD were publicized in Jan. 2024.
Making a “law and order 10 point plan” after the stabbing in Solingen.
Passing of “anti-antisemitism” resolutions that aren’t legally binding, but demand the interior intelligence to screen scientists and artists and deny them funding, if they are not “without a doubt not antisemitic”, despite strong criticism that this directly violates the freedom and independence of science and arts, which is one of the core principals of the Grundgesetz.
Being divided over asking the constitutional court to rule on whether the AfD is constitutional or should be banned for being unconstitutional, with the dominant right wing of the party working to delay such a constitutional procedure against the AfD.
For me these are indications of being on the right side of the center. My understanding of the political center in Germany would be 2009-2021 SPD/CDU. With the SPD being center to center-left and the CDU being center-right to right. Of course this has shifted, with every party that is in the Bundestag except for die Linke having shifted strongly to the right or even far right over the past years. So for someone who is 18 and voted the first time this year, the concept of what is center in German politics probably looks different. And maybe for someone who is much older than me, Merz is closer to the center.
I get that, but I’d still argue that these don’t overweigh the rest of their program. But hey, everyone can have a different opinion (unless we get black/brown)