Four more years: Merkel re-elected

[Sheilbh]

That's fair but normally the best time to pass reforms is before the need for them becomes glaringly obvious. And if you do pass them you won't necessarily see the benefits - see Schroeder.

[Zanza]

Agreed. I hope she does them this legislative period. But her silly Bavarian junior partner already starts with bullshit proposals again instead of serious policy issues. Let's see.

[Admiral Yi]

The argument could me made that she expended political capital in maintaining the euro and propping up the dead beats.

[Zanza]

Not really. Foreign policy in Germany is very consensual, including the Euro policy of the last few years. She could always be sure to get like 75-80% approval on her Euro policies in parliament.

[Admiral Yi]

Hmmm.  I always got the impression she was swimming upstream against public opinion.

[Sheilbh]

Hmmm.  I always got the impression she was swimming upstream against public opinion.

Against public opinion, but, generally, with the qualified support of the SPD. This is another reason I think there may be a market for a Eurosceptic party in Germany.

This would be an area I think she's failed as a leader. I think she's not really confronted people with the reality and she's not been bold enough. The Euro still exists because of Mario Draghi. Europe's leaders nationally and in the Commission haven't convinced.

[Queequeg]

Could someone convince me this is positive? Merkel's austerity policies are probably by this point a greater fuckup than letting unreformed southern European nations was in the first place.

[Sheilbh]

In those terms its an inconsequential result. I don't think anyone was proposing a significantly different Eurozone policy.

Of course a lot of decisions were delayed until after the German election, so it'll be interesting to see what happens now.

[Zanza]

She could actually have more political options now because her two potential coalition partners are both more open to supporting growth measures in Europe or collateralizing liability than the FDP was.

[Admiral Yi]

Could someone convince me this is positive? Merkel's austerity policies are probably by this point a greater fuckup than letting unreformed southern European nations was in the first place.

The only measure I can point to as an unmitigated bad move was setting Greece's "sustainable" debt level way too fucking high.

Presumably you think there's more bad than that.  Would you care to elaborate?

[Sheilbh]

She could actually have more political options now because her two potential coalition partners are both more open to supporting growth measures in Europe or collateralizing liability than the FDP was.

Also I suppose the SPD and Greens would have to be responsible if they were in government. They couldn't behave as they might in opposition.

[The Minsky Moment]

My impression was that Merkel "led from behind" on austerity; IIRC Germany never really followed through on all the spending cut proposals in the 2010-11 austerian bonfire of vanities.

I also think she did the best she could to manage support for southern Europe.  Unfortuantely, the drip-drip support arguably was the worst of both worlds.

[MadImmortalMan]

I've been reading about the economic policies of the 3rd Reich, and combined with the Weimar history, I finally understand why these people are doing what they are doing.

There isn't a Soviet Union to keep up with now though, and the West are allies.

Wonderful book. Basically, the Nazis were just the same as the soviets on most economic things---with war as the excuse. It also gives a lot of insight on why Hitler needed to go to war when he did.

[jimmy olsen]

I was under the impression (perhaps mistaken) that the Reich was so in the red from their massive rearmament program and domestic spending that they needed to loot Europe like the Romans to keep the economy going.

[Ed Anger]

I've been reading about the economic policies of the 3rd Reich, and combined with the Weimar history, I finally understand why these people are doing what they are doing.

There isn't a Soviet Union to keep up with now though, and the West are allies.

Wonderful book. Basically, the Nazis were just the same as the soviets on most economic things---with war as the excuse. It also gives a lot of insight on why Hitler needed to go to war when he did.

Have you read the Richard Evans Third Reich books? Good stuff.