German Federal Election 23rd February 2025

[Sheilbh]

I assume "high income" is just a different way to say "Western Europe + US + Canada"?

So I looked it up - that chart is from the Lancet and those categories are the "GBD Super-Regions" which is apparently "Global Burden of Disease" super-regions. Which is a bit more nuanced and unusual than I'd expected. Map below with super-regions and the regions within them:

[Admiral Yi]

Ok what is the principle involved? I figured that the reason we support immigration is because it is good for the country. Bring in more workers and enrich the country with new cultural influences. But if immigration becomes bad for the country, it empowers far right political forces or suppresses wages or whatever, then immigration should be limited. Right? Or is there some reason immigration should be embraced regardless of whether or not it is otherwise good for the country? Like the principle of the free movement of labor?

Humanitarianism.  Being nice to people.  Improving people's lives.

[Duque de Bragança]

Yeah I have been saying that for awhile. The immigration issue is eventually going to go away very organically. All those right wing freaks worrying about being replaced can rest easy. Nobody is having babies anymore.

Well expect me, I had three.

Do you expect to have more?! 

[Valmy]

Do you expect to have more?! 

Whoops. I mean except.

[Valmy]

Ok what is the principle involved? I figured that the reason we support immigration is because it is good for the country. Bring in more workers and enrich the country with new cultural influences. But if immigration becomes bad for the country, it empowers far right political forces or suppresses wages or whatever, then immigration should be limited. Right? Or is there some reason immigration should be embraced regardless of whether or not it is otherwise good for the country? Like the principle of the free movement of labor?

Humanitarianism.  Being nice to people.  Improving people's lives.

Sure. But can we guarantee that would be the outcome for those immigrants if the far right takes over?

[crazy canuck]

I am struggling to think of a country that had an immigration policy based on being nice to people.

[Crazy_Ivan80]

Ok what is the principle involved? I figured that the reason we support immigration is because it is good for the country. Bring in more workers and enrich the country with new cultural influences. But if immigration becomes bad for the country, it empowers far right political forces or suppresses wages or whatever, then immigration should be limited. Right? Or is there some reason immigration should be embraced regardless of whether or not it is otherwise good for the country? Like the principle of the free movement of labor?

Humanitarianism.  Being nice to people.  Improving people's lives.

Sure. But can we guarantee that would be the outcome for those immigrants if the far right takes over?

or for the host society even if extremists don't take over. It's not like immigrants leave their medieval ideas behind when they cross the border. Let in enough people that believe gays should be killed and your society will become like that.

[Sheilbh]

I am struggling to think of a country that had an immigration policy based on being nice to people.

It's not immigration, but when you go through passport control in Georgia they give you a complementary (small) bottle of wine

[crazy canuck]

I am struggling to think of a country that had an immigration policy based on being nice to people.

It's not immigration, but when you go through passport control in Georgia they give you a complementary (small) bottle of wine

You're right, that is tourism marketing at its finest.

[Zanza]

There was another terror attack where a young Afghan living here in asylum drove a car into crowd in Munich. A mother and her two year old child died.

To be honest, the state looks incompetent and weak when it comes to handling this. And people - including myself here - are sick of it. There needs to be action.

I guess that will be decisive in the election.

[garbon]

What was the deal with how he was denied asylum but had valid work permit?

[Syt]

AfD hasn't received many donations from supporters (at least above €35k, which is considered Large Contribution in German law and most be laid open where it came from), but three close to or notably over €1M. One is from a doctor who got "popular" as anti-Covid-vaxxer. The biggest, at over €2.6M comes from an Austrian in Vorarlberg who used to be a high ranking functionary of the FPÖ in the state ages ago.

He says that the money comes from his private wealth (his family is said to be quite well off). However, investigations by Austrian and German authorities have traced a monetary "gift" from Swiss-German enterpreneur Henning Conle to the Austrian which would match the amount of the AfD donation. Supposedly the Austrian said to his bank that it's meant for a "real estate investment." If true, it would be a problem for AfD, because a) it's illegal funneling party donations of this size through strawmen to hide the actual donor and b) an illegal donation from a non-EU country.

Incidentally, Henning Conle seems to have a history in that regard: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henning_Conle

(If not true, I clearly have the wrong friends, i.e. not the ones that gift millions of Euros to buddies to invest in something )

[HisMajestyBOB]

Better do something about their illegal activities before they win.

[Valmy]

So supposedly 'Die Linke' (obligatory 'it's German for The Link' 'Nobody who speaks German could be an evil party') is becoming more popular and is no longer a Putin puppet. What is that all about?

[Zanza]

The Putinists left and created the BSW party. The remaining party is fairly moderate. Social democrats and Greens fared poorly in the last administration, but there is still people who like leftish politics.