German Political Trends

There are two political topics that came up in Germany today.

N-TV reports that the SPD Party has a significant problem brewing with party financial resources.  It appears that lesser money is coming in than in previous years.  Right now, they appear to be a shortfall of 1.5 million Euro.  This comes now after one of the worst election results of the past fifty years.

What's generally said is that the party tends to run off a yearly budget of about 40 million Euro (more or less).  They don't think they can continue the trend.  So budget cuts are discussed.

Here's the thing, and as an outsider, I tend to notice these episode.  The SPD folks tend to run around eight major conferences a year.  They pick out upstanding venues....nicer facilities....spending a fair amount on the appearance of the conference (at least room for near a thousand people), and try to hype the conference for public discussions.  Speeches are made....pubic-TV journalists come in and ask questions to thrill the public.  In a way, conference are a method of letting the public see the glamour of the organization.

My guess is that they have to make some decision here....very shortly.  Do you go and limit yourself to just two or three of these massive four-star shows?  Or do you take a full-step down and do less glamour and continue at the eight shows a year trend?  If you do less conferences....will the public decrease their interest in the party?  Or does any of this really matter (might 75-percent of the general public just not care)?

The second topic revolves around polling from the German public which indicates that a quarter of the population would like to have another entire election.  They are dissatisfied with the outcome.

I looked over the N-TV article and it's an interesting poll.  What is said is that a fair number of people aren't that happy with the suggestion of a CDU-CSU-Green-FDP coalition.  I think if you asked if the SPD had won and was forming up with the Linke Party and Greens....you'd have the same result with frustrations.

Chance of another election?  Unlikely but we are only one week into the coalition talks.  If they fail (in roughly four weeks), then yeah....another election likely occurs.