Why Do The Ban-The-AfD Party Efforts Seem To Have 'Potholes'?

 This past week...a German court came up and said the remarkable efforts to 'control' or 'ban' AfD.....aren't legal.  So the 'lads'/gals over at SPD,  CDU, CSU, Linke, Greens, etc....have to huddle again and  figure out some way of taking AfD down.

Why?   Well...they are on a schedule where things in 2029....will lead to a coalition-problem by 2033's  national election.

To explain this?  To form a coalition...you need a 'winner'....who will partner with your party. In the old days....the CDU-CSU and SPD...together would get  around 60-plus percent of the vote. Presently....the folks  are in the 35-to-40 percent of the vote.

This means a 4th partner.  This generally means text on a agreement....which dilutes your promises to voters.  For  the CDU-CSU folks....it's 'poison'.

AfD's unusual strategy? Well....they suggest that the asylum program, deportations and crime  numbers are a national problem. Presently,  I'd say that 25-percent of  the public readily agree....with another 20-percent asking the SPD, CDU,  and Green parties.....stupid questions.

Part of the issue now goes to deportation issues.  You have 10s of thousands who failed the application or got into legal trouble.  You go back  to the original country and ask them to resolve this by taking 'Marvin' back home.  Well....why would do go and accept 'Marvin'?

Simply 'dumping' 'Marvin'?  That's not going to happen.

So AfD has the parties in a bind.

One day....probably around 2033....AfD will get 50-percent of the vote and 'win'....without the need of  a coalition....(based on deportation, crime, and asylum issues).  So this ban effort is mostly a effort to prevent that scenario.

I'm not saying AfD is right or wrong...just that they logically picked the weak points of the other parties, and they can't resolve this situation.

I'll also admit....on economics, commerce and jobs....AfD is probably not the folks you want to resolve these issues.

Just Odd

 Since early 2026....you can't help but notice that as public TV in Germany (ARD or ZDF) do public forum chats, and Epstein comes up....the guests/moderator....typically go to the same scripted discussion....that there is only one single 'evil-character' within the files, and it has to be Trump.

Yes, there are various topics they can discuss....without engaging on Epstein.  Germany has 10,000 problems going on, and a thousand of them are better topics than Epstein (who is probably dead).  

The first occasion or two....I just accepted it as part of the 'talk'.

The last time or two....I get up and do the dishes, or try to turn the channel.

I might add here....if you gathered up a thousand working-class Germans....more than half have virtually zero understanding of Epstein.  

Odd Aspect of Baden-Wuerttemberg Upcoming Election

 Polling done recently...compared to 2021 results.

Greens won in 2021....presently have lost 7-points....probably will get 2nd place in this election.

CDU, have 3 points over 2021 results....will likely win.

AfD....have added 9 points over 2021 results....near 19-percent currently.

2031?  Well.....it makes you wonder if the CDU can find a path to stay ahead. 

27 Feb: Germany: 5 Stories

 1.  I noted this week....Poland came up and discovered several 'secret' tunnels dug....into Belarus. No one is saying much over 'use'.  Maybe for black-market purposes....maybe for drugs....maybe for getting refugees into Europe.

2. This term....“worldview-confirmation broadcasts”  is being brought up a good bit with the AI-scandal at ZDF-TV.  German wording...."Weltbild-Bestätigungs-Sendungen".

3.  For reference.....ZDF is located across the river...by Mainz....on a fairly decent hillside. Some ZDF employees have always joked  about the network/location....calling the complex....Märchenberg.

This translates into 'fairy-tale-mountain'.

Yeah, it hints that they make up stories.

4. Koln Administrative Court (yesterday) announced they not only prohibit the classification of the AfD as "confirmed right-wing extremist," but the Office for the Protection of the Constitution is also no longer allowed to disseminate certain statements about the party. 

This probably consumed 6 minutes of the Thursday night 15-minute news piece.

5. Official now.....the next head of state of the Federal Republic of Germany will be chosen on 30 January 2027. The Federal Convention will convene on that date and select the successor to Federal President Steinmeier.

About a 99-percent chance that it'll  be a woman (or transwoman).

Three Observations

 1.  Where Germans get their TV news from?

Well...there are two avenues.

First, there's public TV....ZDF and ARD.   

Second, you have N-24, N-TV, RTL, SAT1, Vox, and Pro-7. (The commercial  TV).

If you watch path 1 or 2....you eventually notice that public TV has the higher amount of climate-change, anti-Trump chatter, and pro-intellectual view-points.  The commercial news?  Mostly factual data....what happened or what changed in the past 24 hours, and condensed enough to avoid being 'too-much'.  

2.  Hamburg authorities approved a massive bridge project...over the Elbe.  Price?  1-billion Euro.  Finished?  Some suggest 2038....it wouldn't shock me if it was 2045 (with issues), and coming closer  to 2-billion Euro.

3.  Berlin-City is putting aside around 1-billion Euro to buy 238,000 trees to plant.  

I'll just go and predict....in 20 years....environmentalists proclaim a serious tree problem...with 150,000 trees to be cut down...for the safety of the city.

26 Feb: Germany: 6 Things

 1.  What is a Relotius-Moment?

It's been used a lot over the past three days.  Claas Relotius was a German journalist working for Der Spiegel (major German news magazine).  Back in 2018, he was exposed for making up details, quotes, and even entire stories in his award-winning articles. This developed into a 4-star scandal, sometimes called "Spiegelgate," involving at least 14 falsified pieces and led to his resignation, the revocation of several journalism awards, and widespread criticism of media practices in Germany. 

So when you utter..."Relotius moment", it refers to a significant journalistic failure or crisis where fabrication, misleading content, or ethical lapses are revealed.

Yeah, ZDF (the public TV folks) are in the middle of such a moment....preferring not to admit such.

At this point....the only AI-scandal member of ZDF to be 'let-go'....is a journalist who complained to the board about the lack of attention of leadership.  

2.  Bus strike in Wiesbaden/Frankfurt area....Friday and Saturday.  Major disruption for bar traffic for the weekend.....several million in losses expected.

3. Austrian police say 'enough'....retiring E-cars from the force.  Reasons?  Poor breaking is often discussed.

4. SPD closing the gap in the Pfalz state election (22 March election day).  SPD ahead at 28-percent, with CDU at 27-percent.  AfD at 19-percent.  Linke at 5-percent....Greens at 9-perent....FW at 5-percent.

Main question....will FW and Linke maintain the 5-percent to get seats?  

5. 20 Sep is the Berlin-City election.  Polls released yesterday....AfD has moved to 2nd place (17-percent).  CDU firmly at 22-percent. SPD at 16-percent.  Linke and Greens  tied at 15-percent each.

6.  Interesting court case in Hamburg unfolding.  Apparently.....some reporters from "Stern" and RTL uncovered the murderous attack plans of a right-wing terrorist youth thug-gang. 

Eight juvenile 'lads' accused.....gang is referred to as the "Last Wave of Defense." Gang boss is 15 years old.

Method of communication?  Interesting detail....WhatsApp.

Reading through the material....the group had hefty goals....recruiting past borders, and eventually overthrowing the German gov't.

The Rocket Science Of Rail Travel

 If you choose to go somewhere in Germany that is an extended trip....once you apply the App, conditions, etc....you will find at least ten different cost variations for the ticket.  Yes, going from A to B....ten variations of cost.

First, there is the choice of 1st class versus 2nd class. 

Then you have the seat reservation matter...on certain routes....you really need to pay the extra cost.

Then you have the time of day affecting the cost.

Then you have the regional train situation versus ICE (high speed rail).

Then you have the matter of  minutes upon arriving at station 'X'....to walk from this point to that point.  Maybe six minutes is enough....maybe you need 20 minutes.

For this trip.....maybe your normal 'Deutschland-ticket' (monthly card) is enough, and you don't need  to use ICE (high-speed rail).  

Tuesday of this week....an encounter came up on a ICE train....conductor doing an audit-ticket-check.  Ivory Coast gal....with only a regular ticket (not a ICE-ticket). This encounter went badly....with the gal physically assaulting the conductor. From the description....not badly, but enough.

What got her hyped-up?  Well....without the ICE ticket, the conductor was going to put her off at the next station (middle of nowhere).

Did the cops get involved?  Yes....detained and details gathered. Investigation now going on....assault and property damage. So there will be court action....I'd assume minimum of a fine...with property-damage part of the situation.    The assault?  Max of five years....but in this case....she might indicate it was a bad day for her, and get zero jail-time.

But all of this trouble (and assault) because of the rocket science 'design' of railway tickets? Yeah.

What Is The Mayor Election (15 Feb) Issue in Strausberg?

 Well....in the mayoral election in Strausberg, a town in Brandenburg, Germany, the primary voting issue revolves around highly suspected electoral manipulation due to the disappearance of over 1,100 postal voting documents. 

The first round of voting occurred on 15 Feb....and the commission running things....declared it invalid because of these irregularities. 

Facts? More or less....some 4,000-plus postal ballot letters were distributed.  As the count started up....only 2,835 were returned to the electoral authority, marking an unusually high non-return rate of about 30 (average is usually 10-percent).

I should add here....you only get a postal ballot...IF YOU REQUEST IT.

Leading candidate?  Patrick Hübner, who received 22.5-percent of the votes overall and 30-percent of postal votes (compared to up to 21-percent for others).  This guy owns a coffee roasting business that just happens to double as the village post office.  

Yeah....this postal connection is a problem.

 He was set to face non-party candidate Annette Binder (21.2-percent) in a run-off on March 15, but the irregularities centered on his handling of postal documents. 

Hübner reportedly documented the declining ballot letters himself instead of using Deutsche Post's neutral process, prompting further scrutiny.  

Criminal complaint?  Yeah....for electoral fraud.

Looking over matters....there's going to be a evidence problem.  But I suspect the commission will just say....vote again....with the mail-in ballots going to another postal system. 

Kinda funny....if they find evidence....the guy might be looking at a year in prison.