this post was submitted on 02 Apr 2026
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Europe

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[–] IratePirate@feddit.org 104 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago) (3 children)

To be fair, he and his government have been working tirelessly for this. They've been

  • lying about the necessity of new debt (then immediately taking up unprecedented amounts of it)
  • promising reforms that never came
  • calling the working part of the population lazy bums, all the while preparing tax breaks that will disproportionally benefit large companies and the top 10%
  • fucking up and slowing down the transition towards renewables amid yet another fossil fuel energy crisis
  • copying the disgusting populism of the far right all the while claiming to be trying to contain them (instead of doing the obvious and initiating a constitutional review of the party by the Supreme Court)

What annoys me more than the man himself is the fact that everyone paying even a modicum of attention could have seen this coming from a mile away. And they voted for his party anyway.

[–] Goldholz@lemmy.blahaj.zone 15 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago) (2 children)

Pretty much Lets not forget "Reiche"

[–] spechter@feddit.org 10 points 4 months ago

I'm glad for every second I do

[–] IratePirate@feddit.org 5 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago) (1 children)

Hence I specifically wrote "he and his government". But let's also not forget: ultimately, it was he who put that poorly camouflaged lobbyist into her seat.

[–] HaraldvonBlauzahn@feddit.org 3 points 4 months ago

Can't we call it "corruption" ? Words do have a meaning.

[–] Diplomjodler3@lemmy.world 9 points 4 months ago

Pretty spot on.

[–] Don_alForno@feddit.org 6 points 4 months ago (1 children)

And now that they're disappointed with him, polls move further to the right, so they still don't get the problem.

[–] IratePirate@feddit.org 8 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago) (2 children)

I fear they aren't trying (or likely) to "get" anything. I think we need to come to terms with the fact that for right-wingers, there's nothing rational about their political decisions. Yes, they will rationalise it after the fact when pressed by pollsters, claiming they're mostly concerned about migration or the economy. But if you really drill down, you'll find that many of them live in parts of the country where there are hardly any migrants, and that the economic policies of their favoured right-wing parties would hurt them more than anyone else.

[–] HaraldvonBlauzahn@feddit.org 2 points 4 months ago (1 children)

But if you really drill down, you’ll find that many of them live in parts of the country where there are hardly any migrants, and that the economic policies of their favoured right-wing parties would hurt them more than anyone else.

For example, most migrants live in cities. Many cities have strong Green and little AfD votes.

[–] IratePirate@feddit.org 2 points 4 months ago

Precisely! Where do we see the highest percentages of AfD? Rural areas in Eastern Germany, which have been
a) hit hard by the economic shifts of reunification
b) have suffered from severe population drain because young people follow opportunity, and that does lie in the cities rather than in the countryside. c) hardly see any migrants due to a) and b), but are full of people willing to listen to a good scapegoat story that gives them somebody to hate for the conditions they live in.

[–] Don_alForno@feddit.org 1 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago)

for right-wingers, there's nothing rational about their political decisions.

I agree. But what we're seeing is voter migration from e.g. the social democrats to the fascists. Those can't all be "hardened" right wingers (yet) who are lost to democracy. Otherwise, why would they ever have voted social democrat before? There's a lot of people who are disappointed with politics and feel that no government ever did anything for them. But they turn to the people who openly tell them that they'll fuck them over even worse.

[–] mech@feddit.org 38 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago) (1 children)
[–] DirtPuddleMisfortune@feddit.org 5 points 4 months ago (1 children)

This should be our song for the ESC!

[–] mech@feddit.org 8 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago)

Already proposed it for the lemmyvision song contest, at least:
!lemmyvision@feddit.org

[–] SapphireSphinx@feddit.org 33 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago) (3 children)

He was the third choice even in his own party and I understand why.

[–] GameOverFlow@lemmy.zip 33 points 4 months ago (1 children)

They didn't even elect him chancellor in the first round; I think that was a first in German history. None of his fellow politicians like him. The only ones who vote for him do so only because he holds power, not because they like him.

[–] mech@feddit.org 21 points 4 months ago

The best thing Merkel ever did was box him out.

[–] zaphod@sopuli.xyz 8 points 4 months ago

And only elected as chancelor in the second round, which as far as I know was a first, so he's got that going for himself.

[–] GameOverFlow@lemmy.zip 14 points 4 months ago (1 children)

He was on his lowest after the vote and now is even lower. :D Anyway the poeple will vote him again because he is in CDU.

[–] Chais@sh.itjust.works 5 points 4 months ago

Sad but true.

[–] Diplomjodler3@lemmy.world 8 points 4 months ago

I would like to point out that Chancellor Merz has not become any more unpopular with me personally. That's simply not possible.

[–] 5715@feddit.org 7 points 4 months ago

FTZNFRTZ LCK πŸ₯š

[–] nuko147@lemmy.world 3 points 4 months ago (1 children)

Afd a notch from being the 1st party. Maybe I should consider saving money to move out of Germany in a few years..

[–] Ooops@feddit.org -1 points 4 months ago (3 children)

I that's still a "maybe" in you mind, you have already missed the plot...

[–] nuko147@lemmy.world 4 points 4 months ago

Its easier said than done.

[–] mech@feddit.org 2 points 4 months ago (1 children)

And move where? I can't think of any country that doesn't have the same, similar or much worse issues.
So you might as well stay and add your voice to the fight against the global shuffle to the right, right here.

[–] Ooops@feddit.org 1 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago)

So which other country has nazis + "we are the center and totally normal, yet copy everything the nazis say to the dot" + "we will support any insanity if we just get a part in government" combined at a 2/3+ majority in polls (also two of those in power since forever)... by votes only, even more massive by seats? I'll wait...

Also @Jako302@feddit.org πŸ‘‹

[–] Jako302@feddit.org 1 points 4 months ago

Its not like moving out would solve the problem considering that most of the EU is moving to the far right. You at best buy yourself a few years with that while leaving your entire life behind.

[–] PonyOfWar@pawb.social 3 points 4 months ago

Checks out. No matter the political ideology, I can't imagine why anyone would like Merz.

[–] Matombo@feddit.org 3 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago)

Hm.. who would have thought that insulting 99% of the population as lazy makes you unpopular? Hmm...

[–] kommmaklar@feddit.org 3 points 4 months ago

Has never been popular

[–] idiomaddict@lemmy.world 2 points 4 months ago

There’s a problem with the Staatbild.

[–] Ooops@feddit.org 2 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago)

In reality both covernment parties combined have lost only around 5% in polls.

Because voters are totally brain-dead. They will cry and complain, then vote for them again anyway, repeat again and again and again... ad infinitum, ad nauseam.

[–] TankovayaDiviziya@lemmy.world 1 points 4 months ago

There are no other comparably popular leader in the midst of rising far-right who could counter them.

Ah sheet, here we go again.