Germany German Politics

[Saithan]

While thats a nice program, apartments in cities such as Düsseldorf or Berlin nowadays cost like 500-600k € for 80 square meters. You need a good 10-15% of that upfront before you can get any mortage in first place.

Its nearly impossible to buy something for most of the population and even I with a decent salary am not ready to pay those inflated prices.

Those prices are pretty steep.

Which price ranges are there for public housing if you're going to be paying rent ?

My post was also about bringing down the cost of public housing. My reasoning is that if you have a non-profit housing then it would stand that the rent would be based on the cost price of building and mantaining the buildings. That should in return force the privat housing market to adjust the prices accordingly.

Black Stone US company bought housing in Denmark and raised the rent very high and they got badgered because of that. But it's still ongoing, luckily there are laws in Denmark limiting the rent range and such.

 

[what]

Those prices are pretty steep.

Which price ranges are there for public housing if you're going to be paying rent ?

My post was also about bringing down the cost of public housing. My reasoning is that if you have a non-profit housing then it would stand that the rent would be based on the cost price of building and mantaining the buildings. That should in return force the privat housing market to adjust the prices accordingly.

Black Stone US company bought housing in Denmark and raised the rent very high and they got badgered because of that. But it's still ongoing, luckily there are laws in Denmark limiting the rent range and such.

There is less and less public housing because they are simply not build as much anymore and contracts with landlord having been running out. I dont know any prices but cheaper 700-800€ ish and if you cant find public housing you get Wohngeld from the city depending on your income of course.

 

[Nilgiri]

@what @Blood raven @Huelague et al...

(Others also please pitch in)

What are your thoughts on german election result so far?

To me, Scholz is moderate and seems safe pair of hands (he was in coalition with merkel this recent term too).

He is most likely going to be chancellor, some are saying all that will take a month to determine given this complicated hybrid seat system Germany uses.

What do you guys think will be most likely coalition etc?

What are likely big policy objectives/changes for 2022, 2023 and rest of term and decade? Anything too different from what Merkel handled etc....or will be overall a continuation?

Media wise I am fairly removed from it...so will be interesting to hear your takes living there etc.

@Saithan @T-123456 also would be interesting to hear your thoughts (if any) since you guys live right nearby to

@Vergennes too when he pops in next.

 

[what]

Scholz will from a coalition with the Green party and the liberals FDP. CDU is busy fighting with his self, having scored the worst results in their history.

- higher minimum wage of 12€ -> FDP opposed
- more social housing, rents might be capped for a while -> FDP opposed.
- more to fight climate change
- Green party and SPD have a lot in common, but FDP is pretty much the opposite on everything. So we need to see how things work out

SPD/Green want to spend more and to raise taxes for the rich, FDP being the party of the rich wants no tax raises.
FDP is against CO2 restrictions for the companies and the others both want to force them to invest into saving emissions. etc.

FDP is your typical Adam Smith / American style party that thinks the market will solve itself and want no to little government meddling. Its going to be complicated.


Dont expect any changes in foreign policy.

 

[Nilgiri]

Scholz will from a coalition with the Green party and the liberals FDP. CDU is busy fighting with his self, having scored the worst results in their history.

- higher minimum wage of 12€ -> FDP opposed
- more social housing, rents might be capped for a while -> FDP opposed.
- more to fight climate change
- Green party and SPD have a lot in common, but FDP is pretty much the opposite on everything. So we need to see how things work out

SPD/Green want to spend more and to raise taxes for the rich, FDP being the party of the rich wants no tax raises.
FDP is against CO2 restrictions for the companies and the others both want to force them to invest into saving emissions. etc.

FDP is your typical Adam Smith / American style party that thinks the market will solve itself and want no to little government meddling. Its going to be complicated.


Dont expect any changes in foreign policy.

This the traffic light coalition I suppose.

Is it completely impossible for SPD and CDU to form coalition and take centrist approach?

Or it needs 3 parties anyway (seat wise)..i.e its confirmed now that no 2-combo can provide enough.

If so, then I suppose scholz has some stuff already worked out with FDP to bring them more green-friendly....since overall I believe Scholz is hardliner on "no more additional debt" etc....he can sell that to FDP and greens and get maybe some discretionary spending changed and reformed in budget from A---B compromise etc.

No idea what the % split is in German fiscal outlay (what is non-discretionary vs discretionary i.e commited vs flexibile) for it though.

Anyway I quite respect the way Germany handles its political affairs heh. SPD-CDU coalition till now really surprised me that its even possible to do (2 big parties aligning and sorting things out like that for coalition).

Quite impossible in Canada...at most we see minority govt form and only confidence extended....sometimes supply on certain bills, thats it. Coalitions themselves are increasingly rare here.

India case, coalitions everyone has to be aligned politically....there is no coalitions formed across spectrum anymore (1990s turbulence was last instance of it and several govts collapsed prematurely)

 

[TR_123456]

@what @Blood raven @Huelague et al...

(Others also please pitch in)

What are your thoughts on german election result so far?

To me, Scholz is moderate and seems safe pair of hands (he was in coalition with merkel this recent term too).

He is most likely going to be chancellor, some are saying all that will take a month to determine given this complicated hybrid seat system Germany uses.

What do you guys think will be most likely coalition etc?

What are likely big policy objectives/changes for 2022, 2023 and rest of term and decade? Anything too different from what Merkel handled etc....or will be overall a continuation?

Media wise I am fairly removed from it...so will be interesting to hear your takes living there etc.

@Saithan @T-123456 also would be interesting to hear your thoughts (if any) since you guys live right nearby to

@Vergennes too when he pops in next.

Not much will change since in Germany you always have a coalition.
One thing you can be sure of is that the foreign policy will be more passive,anti war and anti defence industry.
Weapons embargo's against KSA,Turkey,UAE,Egypt etc
Germany will ''become'' greener in economy.

Refugees will be more welcome.

 

[TR_123456]

Is it completely impossible for SPD and CDU to form coalition and take centrist approach?

Only possible if all else fails.
The SPD and CDU are ''enemies''.

 

[what]

This the traffic light coalition I suppose.

Is it completely impossible for SPD and CDU to form coalition and take centrist approach?

Or it needs 3 parties anyway (seat wise)..i.e its confirmed now that no 2-combo can provide enough.

If so, then I suppose scholz has some stuff already worked out with FDP to bring them more green-friendly....since overall I believe Scholz is hardliner on "no more additional debt" etc....he can sell that to FDP and greens and get maybe some discretionary spending changed and reformed in budget from A---B compromise etc.

No idea what the % split is in German fiscal outlay (what is non-discretionary vs discretionary i.e commited vs flexibile) for it though.

Anyway I quite respect the way Germany handles its political affairs heh. SPD-CDU coalition till now really surprised me that its even possible to do (2 big parties aligning and sorting things out like that for coalition).

Quite impossible in Canada...at most we see minority govt form and only confidence extended....sometimes supply on certain bills, thats it. Coalitions themselves are increasingly rare here.

India case, coalitions everyone has to be aligned politically....there is no coalitions formed across spectrum anymore (1990s turbulence was last instance of it and several govts collapsed prematurely)

People are fed up with the big coalition. SPD voters were against it the last time, would have rather gone into the opposition but since FDP chickened out SPD sacrificied itself for the sake of stability.

SPD has more in common with the Green party. Just need to get the FDP onboard and that will be already a major improvement vs. the lack of reforms with the CDU.

CDU is used to govern and a lot of people would like to hold on to their seats thats why they are pretty much always opposed to big changes.

The majority of the CDU voters are 60+ but almost a third of Germany is 30+.

 

[Nilgiri]

People are fed up with the big coalition. SPD voters were against it the last time, would have rather gone into the opposition but since FDP chickened out SPD sacrificied itself for the sake of stability.

SPD has more in common with the Green party. Just need to get the FDP onboard and that will be already a major improvement vs. the lack of reforms with the CDU.

CDU is used to govern and a lot of people would like to hold on to their seats thats why they are pretty much always opposed to big changes.

The majority of the CDU voters are 60+ but almost a third of Germany is 30+.

Do you think CDU would have won (gotten most seats) if Merkel did run again this time?

Someone told me this is first time Chancellor incumbent did not contest (i.e retired) in post war Germany anyway.

I had to quickly check if schroeder did indeed beat Kohl and what Kohl's age was then....its about same age as Merkel now heh.

So the hypothetical precedent is there....

I thought Kohl was around for much longer, 16 years is really long though....and Merkel didn't wanna go for 20 heh.

 

[what]

Do you think CDU would have won (gotten most seats) if Merkel did run again this time?

Someone told me this is first time Chancellor incumbent did not contest (i.e retired) in post war Germany anyway.

I had to quickly check if schroeder did indeed beat Kohl and what Kohl's age was then....its about same age as Merkel now heh.

So the hypothetical precedent is there....

I thought Kohl was around for much longer, 16 years is really long though....and Merkel didn't wanna go for 20 heh.

Merkel would have surely performed better if not won. But if there's one thing German people like its stability and no fucking around. So Scholz was the obvious successor because he's kinda similar in his ways but more social.

CDUs candidate was a big joke, tried to play the lefties/communist card while his party is harbouring literal Nazis like the former Chief of the secret service / BND (who btw was humilated and didnt get into the parliament) and while AfD is now the biggest party in large party of the east.

 

[Nilgiri]

How are things going in govt formation stuff @what et al?

It seems to have dropped from news completely here.

 

[what]

The plan is to have a coalition contract early in December. They are very secretive about it. There's hardly anything leaking.

 

[Nilgiri]

The plan is to have a coalition contract early in December. They are very secretive about it. There's hardly anything leaking.

Well its all been done and completed, Scholz got the keys now.

Any general thoughts/comments you have?

Cabinet looks good? Greens and liberals will work fine together?

Other members feel free to chime in too.

 

[what]

Well its all been done and completed, Scholz got the keys now.

Any general thoughts/comments you have?

Cabinet looks good? Greens and liberals will work fine together?

Other members feel free to chime in too.

Well, I'm a bit disappointed because the tax raises for the high earners people and some other social democratic stuff that both the Greens and SPD supported were disregarded. But thats the price you have to pay if you need to form a coalition with the FDP. We will get 400k new apartments per year, 100k for the low earning citizens and a coalition that is looking like its taking digitalization and new technology seriously. Climate change too has been addressed well imo.

But overall everything seems good and the way the talks were handled (no leaks, pictures, no press releases) gives me confidence.

 

[Huelague]