Stuttgart 21: A Successful & Failed Negotiation

It's mostly as I noted from today's lines:

Zeit.de: A transparent arbitration.....a civil tone....lingering questions.  As Zeit noted....there is this question over planned capacity which model simulations will have to show that occur and prove that the numbers are correct in assuming that 30 percent more capacity does exist in peak times.  Even Zeit points that folks around Stuttgart did learn that public participation is possible in this type of discussion.

Sueddeutsche.de: Some winners....no losers....fire protection was discussed....and more handicapped access.  Sueddeutsche points out that discussion did deal with the speculation issues that folks had brought up, and likely starves off this being brought back up again.  This by itself spins a fair amount of negativity off the future.

Schweizer Fernsehen: Stuttgart 21-Plus....safer.... efficient....and environmentally friendly.  Trees which would have been cut in the near future....still get cut, but the rest would end up being move (transplanted).  Total trees discussed in the overall plan to be cut was 280....so a great portion ended up on the transplant list.  Total cost of changes and improvements?  The bulk of this centers around the suggestion that two additional tracks be carved out of the city.  The suggestion here is 500 million Euro....$675 million dollars roughly.  Noted by the Schweizer reporter....several elements of the Greens stood and said "no" (amongst them, the "Park Guards" group).  This is the problem with the loose-net Green organization.....you could have ten percent happy with this discussion....fifty percent unhappy....and the rest wondering over the agenda in the first place.

N-TV.de: Termination too costly to consider....cries of shame....facts check largely succeeded.  N-TV captured the comment that Heiner Geissler was very happy over the media coverage of the talks which kept the local population involved and demonstrated a number of key points.  N-TV pointed out a summation point from the opposition crowd that climate change was never part of the planning process.  And near the end, N-TV did bring up the fact that protest marches now from hostile feelings....would have to face winter weather.  This is typically not what protest enthusiasts desire when wishing for major crowds.

A conclusion?  No....just moving to round two.  The big point now is the March election.  If the SPD and Greens are capable of generating up a huge amount of interest....then they perhaps capture fifty percent of the control necessary between the two of them....to flip the whole project in a different direction.  The curious thing....is that SPD politicians had uttered approval of the project (at least in the city region)....up until a year ago.  If the SPD does come up very negative over this now and the press asks why the change....then they look a bit foolish.

My perception is that getting fifty percent of SPD and Green votes will be tough because of the general feelings by the media over a very open and friendly discussion.  As for Heiner Geissler?  He probably deserves a Nobel Prize for something....but I doubt that anyone would agree that "peace" would fit into the award description.