This weekend, the SPD held their party conference in Leipzig. In some alternate reality, this conference would have approved of the SPD/Green coalition agreement. On our plane, the party conference could be a turning point for the ongoing coalition talks. Or perhaps not. Also featuring: A ruse within a feint within a plot.
Interview mit der Deutschen Welle über das Bündnis von Front National und PVV (in German). Interview with Deutsche Welle on the emerging Wilders/Le Pen Alliance Roel Wijnants / Foter.com / CC BY-NC
I have (finally) made available a replication data set for Liz’s and my 2006 EJPR article on Political Opportunity Structures and the Extreme Right: doi:10.7910/DVN/23280
If you are a bit like me/bone lazy/easily distracted by lots of other interesting things, you could try to cover four of the five things students will actually remember the essentials of a one semester German politics class in about three seconds by mumbling “November 9”. If you are slightly more risk adverse, you could…
Slides (in German) for a talk I gave at the University of Zurich on the idea of a European set of value priorities. While preferences are very similar across Europe, with universalism and benevolence coming out top and self-enhancement ranking low, security is crucial for the post-communist societies in Central & Eastern Europe. I further…
Angela Merkel’s triumph in the 2013 election was historic, but it came at a price. I discuss the likely impact on Europe in an opinion piece for Quartz, the Atlantic’s business news journal.
Interview with Al Jazeera’s Sam Bollier on the prospects of forming a Grand Coalition (CDU/SPD) after Merkel’s resounding victory. Germany’s Merkel looks for ‘grand coalition’ – Features – Al Jazeera English.
In Germany, people begin to realise that Merkel may have painted herself into a corner by winning so gloriously. While her Christian Democrats are by far the largest party group in the new Bundestag, she needs a coalition partner, but nobody wants to play. Merkel may have painted herself into a corner by winning so gloriously. This could still end in new elections or a minority government
The centre-right coalition could have continued with a little help for the FDP. Without doubt, this result is a great triumph for Merkel. But I think the CDU leadership may have outwitted themselves, and the stern, slightly grumpy expression Merkel wore as she left the celebrations seems to confirm it.
I’m guest blogging at the LSE’s excellent EUROPP blog. Somehow the phrase ‘you could have the final word on the campaign’ has gotten to my head. German federal elections preview: the parties and their campaigns | EUROPP.