The Off Topic Topic

[Syt]

https://www.qwertee.com/last-chance

[Zanza]

Looks like Merkel did a U-Turn on gay marriage. She was always against it to keep the conservatives in her Christian Democratic Union behind her, but the public opinion swung too far in favor of gay marriage. As all three of her potential coalition partners for the election in September have stated that they will not join a coalition without gay marriage, Merkel all of a sudden says that it should be vote of conscience (i.e. not along party lines) and some MPs want to vote on it as early as next week. That will defuse a potential topic that could have only lost her votes and made coalition building harder and all before the election. She is the complete realpolitik non-ideologue who is only opportunistically seeking power. But she's extremely good at that.

So less than a week after Merkel stated this "vote of conscience" thing in a TV interview without prior alignment with her own parliamentary faction, the German parliament voted in favor of gay marriage (393 yes to 226 no). Her conservative backbenchers are super pissed that she just gave it up without any prior debate through a TV interview. Her current coalition partner deliberately took her unclear statement in that TV interview and forced the vote in parliament by allying with the opposition, which is basically the end of the current coalition government in Germany. As we have federal election in September anyway, it does not really matter anymore, but as of today, Merkel's government is a lame duck until September as the two coalition partners will now openly fight each other in an election campaign.

[derspiess]

Oops.

[Zanza]

She probably just slipped in that TV interview and didn't actually want to say what she then said. But her coalition partner pounced on it. The SPD, Left Party and Greens were 100% in favor in the vote today, whereas Merkel's own conservatives were split 75 yes, 225 no. She herself voted no as well. Some of her most senior ministers (her chief of staff, her defence minister, all her SPD ministers) and even the secretary general of the conservative party voted in favor.

[Admiral Yi]

Why does this mean the end of the coalition government?

[Zanza]

Why does this mean the end of the coalition government?

The CDU and SPD had agreed in their coalition agreement four years ago not to vote on laws without consensus between both parties. The SPD broke that consensus today by voting in favor of putting the law for gay marriage up for immediate voting together with the opposition parties against the will of the CDU.

But as it happens today was the last day before the summer recess, there are two more days for the annual budget before the general election and that's it.  So it doesn't matter. And as Merkel's appeal for many voters is here calm and stable government style and the public is hugely in favor of gay marriage, she can't formally break the coalition over this behavior of the SPD and has to govern another two-and-a-half months with them. But this government will not do anything anymore.

[alfred russel]

Looks like Merkel did a U-Turn on gay marriage. She was always against it to keep the conservatives in her Christian Democratic Union behind her, but the public opinion swung too far in favor of gay marriage. As all three of her potential coalition partners for the election in September have stated that they will not join a coalition without gay marriage, Merkel all of a sudden says that it should be vote of conscience (i.e. not along party lines) and some MPs want to vote on it as early as next week. That will defuse a potential topic that could have only lost her votes and made coalition building harder and all before the election. She is the complete realpolitik non-ideologue who is only opportunistically seeking power. But she's extremely good at that.

Doesn't seem too different than a lot of politicians, notably people like Obama and Hillary Clinton. Against gay marriage until it isn't in their advantage to be.

[Zanza]

She voted against it today though.

[Savonarola]

In learning Spanish I've come across words that sound like they should mean something quite different from what they actually do.  Today I came across the word "Gandul" which sounds like it should be a character or place from Lord of the Rings.  Actually it means "Lazy" in Spain (it means "Pigeon peas" in Latin America, which is a little closer.)

[Admiral Yi]

In learning Spanish I've come across words that sound like they should mean something quite different from what they actually do.  Today I came across the word "Gandul" which sounds like it should be a character or place from Lord of the Rings.  Actually it means "Lazy" in Spain (it means "Pigeon peas" in Latin America, which is a little closer.)

Perhaps it's an Arabic loan word like ojala.

[Savonarola]

In learning Spanish I've come across words that sound like they should mean something quite different from what they actually do.  Today I came across the word "Gandul" which sounds like it should be a character or place from Lord of the Rings.  Actually it means "Lazy" in Spain (it means "Pigeon peas" in Latin America, which is a little closer.)

Perhaps it's an Arabic loan word like ojala.

Huh, how about that:

Gandul es sinónimo de tunante y holgazán. La palabra procede del término árabe gandur que significaba truhan.

[Admiral Yi]

Check out the big brain on Yi!

[Eddie Teach]

Maybe he went to Harvard after all.

[garbon]

WTF, is this shit unavoidable? My street is all about angry car honks because Critical Mass is taking place. I thought I left that shit with my hear in San Francisco.

[mongers]

WTF, is this shit unavoidable? My street is all about angry car honks because Critical Mass is taking place. I thought I left that shit with my hear in San Francisco.