• seeigel@feddit.org
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    5 days ago

    The origin of the AfD is that a stable euro was promised but not delivered.

    Better and more honest politics would prevent the AfD.

    But the main problem is that the media provided the attention. The conflict is wanted by the upper class. To resolve the AfD within the system, alternative media has to be established.

    • LemmeLurk@lemm.ee
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      5 days ago

      Could you please elaborate how the euro is not stable? I don’t really get that point honestly, although I know the origins of the AFD are mostly about being against the euro

      • seeigel@feddit.org
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        5 days ago

        I haven’t found a good article that explains the early AfD position so I try to explain what I can remember.

        The core should be that one currency for an inhomogenuous political entity is not a good idea. Usually, countries with weak industries can devalue their currency to offer their goods at competitive prices on the global market. This effectively means taking value from whomever owns money or receives wages that don’t adjust immediately.

        If there is only one currency, and if that currency should remain stable, somebody else has to pay to adjust the prices. This can be seen in Germany after the unification when there were additional taxes in the west to finance the east.

        Now the promise to the Germans was that the euro would be stable but also that they wouldn’t have to pay for it.

        Economically, this doesn’t make sense, as scientists had pointed out, but they were ignored. (Thus the original AfD, to have an alternative to the established parties.)

        Now the euro is quite stable. So who paid?

        • federal reverse@feddit.orgM
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          2 days ago

          You realize though that Afd moved on from that discussion about the Euro, right? Social issues, including those resulting from the introduction of the Euro are important, of course. But there were quite a number of social cuts and austerity measures that were fairly independent from the introduction of the Euro.

          The thing that really propelled Afd was that foreign people look different though and thus work splendidly as bogeymen.

          • seeigel@feddit.org
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            2 days ago

            But there were quite a number of social cuts and austerity measures that were fairly independent from the introduction of the Euro.

            Look up target2 balance and the reaction of European countries to the special assets of the army.

            The latter made people worry that interest rates could rise. In other words, German austerity was a tool to keep interest rates low for the countries in Europe.

            Without the Euro, those austerity measures wouldn’t have happened.

            The thing that really propelled Afd was that foreign people look different though

            Everybody says this so it must be true. Why can’t there be real frustration with the established parties and the media motivated enough racists to join. By constantly saying that the AfD is racist, it became true, which disabled the threat of a real alternative.

            • federal reverse@feddit.orgM
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              1 day ago

              Why can’t there be real frustration with the established parties

              Real frustration exists.

              and the media motivated enough racists to join.

              That is bogus. The Afd was founded around the time the proceedings against Npd were under way. A lot of people jumped from Npd to Afd very early on. Early financing for Afd similarly came from outright fascists.

              • seeigel@feddit.org
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                22 hours ago

                Leading politicians have left the AfD because the party became too racist. This means that there was a development.

                I read that Lucke calculated that he could use the extremists but keep them under control. A packt with the devil.

                I think that Lucke’s plan could have worked if not only racists would have joined. Then conservative citizens would still control the party. Lucke losing the election was when the racists took over. The media made it impossible for regular citizens to join without losing face.

                But this is a minor issue. It doesn’t matter if the AfD was racist from the start or turned racist. It’s the media that gave attention in both cases. Lucke’s new party and many other parties like Volt are ignored. Why did only the AfD receive the attention to become relevant?

                • federal reverse@feddit.orgM
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                  3 hours ago

                  Leading politicians have left the AfD because the party became too racist.

                  Those leading politicians were no longer leading when they left, they were forced out.

                  This means that there was a development.

                  There was. Right-wing extremism was more covert first, then conquered the Eastern part of the party before taking over the entire party.

                  The relative non-extremists (supposedly) leading the party, Lucke, Meuthen, Petry, and even Weidel now, are part of a strategy of Afd trying to make itself more palatable to moderate voters while the bulk of the party is free to find their crowd among radicalized Covid protesters and neonazis.

                  I read that Lucke calculated that he could use the extremists but keep them under control. A pact with the devil.

                  You don’t need to be particularly bright to realize that this couldn’t work. Especially if a large part of your financing also depends on pro-fascists.

                  Lucke’s new party and many other parties like Volt are ignored. Why did only the AfD receive the attention to become relevant?

                  To a large degree because Afd are polarizing, populist, and came first (unlike Werteunion, BD, etc.), and thus were interesting. Volt is a mixture of FDP and Greens that does not do enough to gain notoriety.

                  [What I find is worrying is that a belief in a massive worldwide conspiracy that appears to underlie many of your comments. I don’t believe in that and I don’t think that’s a sensible thing to believe in.]