an alliance full of political contradictions.....

In September, Olaf Scholz brushed aside a journalist's question about his legacy.

"I think you should be wary of politicians who think about that before their term in office has ended," he told Berlin's Tagesspiegel newspaper in response to the question of what he hoped would one day be written in the history books about his time in office.

Two months later, following the collapse of his center-left three-way coalition, he may be beginning to ponder that question. So far, the leadership of the center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD) is publicly demonstrating support for Scholz as their top candidate for the upcoming election on February 23, 2025. But with Scholz's low popularity ratings and the election campaign already heating up, calls in the party came up to replace Scholz with 64-year-old Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, who has been Germany's most popular politician in polls for months.

If, as predicted, the center-right bloc of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and the Christian Social Union (CSU) takes over the chancellorship, Scholz will have had the shortest term of office of any of the four chancellors of the SPD in the history of the Federal Republic of Germany.

But Scholz is determined to win. In view of the current polls, which show the SPD trailing a long way behind the CDU/CSU, this is will be a real challenge.

Having said that, Scholz has never lacked self-confidence. Even in seemingly hopeless situations, he has always fervently believed he had everything under control. Critics have accused him of having a distorted perception of reality in such moments.

"You obviously live in your own cosmos, in your own world," said CDU leader Friedrich Merz in response to Scholz's upbeat speech in parliament a week after his coalition collapsed. "You have not understood what is happening out there in the country at the moment."

Most unpopular government in postwar history

Scholz's political career has been marked by ups and downs. His chancellorship faced several major challenges following Russia's invasion of Ukraine and Germany's tightrope walk of supporting Ukraine militarily without being drawn into the war itself.

The resulting energy crisis, inflation, the economic slump, the European asylum dispute and the unprecedented postwar electoral success of the far right — the federal government has had to deal with an extraordinary multitude of problems under Scholz.

His coalition government, named the "traffic light" coalition after the three parties' colors — SPD (red), neoliberal Free Democrats (FDP) (yellow) and environmentalist Greens — was an alliance full of political contradictions. It was a self-proclaimed "progressive coalition" formed after the 2021 general election, but the differences between party programs could not be bridged for long. After months of public bickering and backstabbing, it had become the most unpopular German government since the end of World War II.

Scholz, however, seems unfazed, pointing to the 2021 election campaign when he managed to buck the trend and win. Three months before the general election, victory for the SPD seemed impossible. The party was far behind in the polls, but Scholz was undeterred, saying again and again: "I will become the chancellor."

His stoic optimism earned him much ridicule at the time, but one month before the vote, CDU candidate Armin Laschet made one mistake too many, and the SPD emerged the surprise winners garnering 25.7% of the vote, 1% ahead of the conservatives.

'Scholzomat': The robotic technocrat

For Scholz, the 2021 win was the pinnacle of his decadeslong political career. He joined the SPD as a schoolboy in 1975. Before he entered the Bundestag in 1998, he ran his own law firm in Hamburg, held office as Hamburg's senator of the interior, as labor minister in the first "grand coalition" of the SPD and CDU/CSU under Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Then he was governing mayor of the city-state of Hamburg for many years. "Whoever orders leadership from me, gets it," he famously said when he took office there in 2011. In 2018, he moved back to Berlin as finance minister in another grand coalition under Merkel.

From 2002 to 2004, Scholz served as SPD secretary general alongside Chancellor Gerhard Schröder. It was during this time that the Hamburg weekly newspaper Die Zeit coined a phrase that stuck: "Scholzomat" — combining "Scholz" and "Automat" to reflect Scholz's dispassionate manner and technocratic language, like a machine whose job it is to unflinchingly sell government policy, showing no emotion.

In the years since, Scholz has been unable to shake off the image of the boring and fun-free bureaucrat. He sees himself as a fact-oriented pragmatist who, rather than putting on a show, only says as much as is absolutely necessary, while working quietly and efficiently.

That strategy worked well for him during his time as finance minister, when he quickly provided billions in aid to companies affected by the shutdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic.

However, he has failed to realize that the job of chancellor requires far more communication. Scholz has remained silent during the biggest of crises, rarely finding the right words, seeming arrogant and failing to win the hearts and minds of the people. But even though many supporters have called on him to change his style — to talk more, to become more approachable and even show some emotion — Scholz has refused to adapt, simply letting criticism roll off his back.

Even though the SPD executive is currently demonstratively in favor of Scholz as the top candidate, he has not yet been nominated. The official nomination of a top candidate is scheduled to happen at a party conference in January.

This article was originally written in German. It was first published on November 15, 2024, and then updated when Boris Pistorius made clear that he is not competing with Scholz for the chancellorship.

https://www.dw.com/en/who-is-olaf-scholz-german-government-chancellor-candidate-approval-rating-election-2025-v2/a-70795787

YOURDEMOCRACY.NET RECORDS HISTORY AS IT SHOULD BE — NOT AS THE WESTERN MEDIA WRONGLY REPORTS IT.

Gus Leonisky

POLITICAL CARTOONIST SINCE 1951.

HYPOCRISY ISN’T ONE OF THE TEN COMMANDMENTS SINS.

HENCE ITS POPULARITY IN THE ABRAHAMIC TRADITIONS…

PLEASE DO NOT BLAME RUSSIA IF WW3 STARTS. BLAME YOURSELF.

By Gus Leonisky at 25 Dec 2024 - 5:58am
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merry christmas........

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Opposition Leader Peter Dutton have wished Australians a Merry Christmas, giving extra thanks to those giving up their day to help others.

Mr Albanese said this was a season of generosity and kindness.

"I want to say thank you to our medical workers and emergency personnel, our charity and hospitality workers and those serving in the Australian Defence Force," he said.

"Everyone who has given up their Christmas to help others in our community."

The PM acknowledged that the festive season was not easy for everyone and paid tribute to those in Darwin commemorating 50 years since the devastating Cyclone Tracy.

"I do want to wish everyone the very best and a peaceful and joyful Christmas," he said.

Coalition leader Peter Dutton gave similar thanks to first responders and those working in defence, who would "forego time with their loved ones this Christmas and put duty first".

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-12-25/anthony-albanese-peter-dutton-wish-merry-christmas/104762330

MERRY XMAS FROM US...

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YOURDEMOCRACY.NET RECORDS HISTORY AS IT SHOULD BE — NOT AS THE WESTERN MEDIA WRONGLY REPORTS IT.

Gus Leonisky

POLITICAL CARTOONIST SINCE 1951.

HYPOCRISY ISN’T ONE OF THE TEN COMMANDMENTS SINS.

HENCE ITS POPULARITY IN THE ABRAHAMIC TRADITIONS…

PLEASE DO NOT BLAME RUSSIA IF WW3 STARTS. BLAME YOURSELF.

By Gus Leonisky at 25 Dec 2024 - 7:07am
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a wake-up call....

Emmanuel Macron a appelé, mardi 31 décembre, les Français à être « unis, déterminés, solidaires » en 2025, comme ils l’ont été pour permettre les réussites de 2024, comme les Jeux olympiques ou de la réouverture de Notre-Dame. « Ensemble, cette année nous avons prouvé qu’impossible n’était pas français », a dit le chef de l’Etat en ouverture dans ses traditionnels vœux de la Saint-Sylvestre. « Sachons garder le meilleur de ce que nous avons été », a-t-il plaidé.

Le président a également reconnu que la dissolution qu’il a décidée en juin avait « apporté pour le moment davantage de divisions à l’Assemblée que de solutions pour les Français », et « produit plus d’instabilité que de sérénité ». « J’en prends toute ma part », a dit le chef de l’Etat, allant plus loin dans son mea culpa esquissé au début du mois de décembre. Il a estimé que l’année qui s’ouvre mercredi devait être celle « du ressaisissement collectif » pour permettre « la stabilité ».

« Unis, déterminés et solidaires, nous l’avons été face aux épreuves et aux drames de 2024 », a déclaré le chef de l’Etat, avant de les lister : catastrophes climatiques, colère des agriculteurs, « ralentissement économique mondial » et les « tensions de plusieurs [des] territoires ». Plus de deux semaines après le passage du cyclone Chido à Mayotte, le chef de l’Etat a adressé son « émotion » et sa « fraternité » aux Mahorais et a brièvement évoqué la Nouvelle-Calédonie, en proie à des violences au printemps.

« Trancher » des « sujets déterminants »

Emmanuel Macron a également annoncé qu’il demanderait en 2025 aux Français de « trancher » des « sujets déterminants », laissant entrevoir d’éventuels référendums ou conventions citoyennes. Le chef de l’Etat a aussi promis de « veiller » à ce que la France « continue d’être attractive », « travaille et innove plus », continue de créer des emplois et « assure sa croissance en tenant ses finances », dans une forme de mise en garde au gouvernement qui doit présenter une nouvelle mouture du budget pour l’année qui s’ouvre.

« Les Européens doivent en finir avec la naïveté » en matière de commerce ou d’agriculture, a, par ailleurs, estimé le président, en appelant à un « réveil » face aux « lois » qui sont « dictées par d’autres ». « Dire non aux lois du commerce dictées par d’autres et que nous sommes les seuls à encore respecter. Dire non à tout ce qui nous fait dépendre des autres sans contrepartie et sans préparer notre avenir », a-t-il affirmé dans son allocution télévisée.

Lire aussi l’enquête | Article réservé à nos abonnés Emmanuel Macron, une certaine idée du pouvoir

« A l’inverse, il nous faut le réveil européen, un réveil scientifique, intellectuel, technologique, industriel, un réveil agricole, énergétique et écologique », a-t-il ajouté. « Il faut pour cela aller plus vite, prendre nos décisions plus rapidement, plus fortement en Européens, simplifier nos règles » et « investir davantage », a estimé le chef de l’Etat.

https://www.lemonde.fr/politique/article/2024/12/31/ce-qu-il-faut-retenir-des-v-ux-d-emmanuel-macron-pour-2025_6476025_823448.html

TRANSLATION TO COME....

JULES LETAMBOUR IS WORKING ON IT.

Emmanuel Macron called on the French, on Tuesday, December 31, to be "united, determined, united" in 2025, as they were to enable the successes of 2024, such as the Olympic Games or the reopening of Notre-Dame. "Together, this year we have proven that impossible is not French," said the head of state at the start of his traditional New Year's Eve wishes. "Let us keep the best of what we have been," he pleaded.
Read also | Live, Emmanuel Macron's wishes: the president admits that the dissolution "has brought more divisions" and will again ask the French "to decide" in 2025
The president also acknowledged that the dissolution he decided in June had "for the moment brought more divisions to the Assembly than solutions for the French", and "produced more instability than serenity". "I take full responsibility for it," said the Head of State, going further in his mea culpa outlined at the beginning of December. He considered that the year that begins on Wednesday should be one of "collective recovery" to allow for "stability".
"United, determined and supportive, we have been in the face of the trials and tragedies of 2024," declared the Head of State, before listing them: climate disasters, farmers' anger, "global economic slowdown" and the "tensions of several [of the] territories". More than two weeks after Cyclone Chido hit Mayotte, the Head of State expressed his "emotion" and "brotherhood" to the people of Mayotte and briefly mentioned New Caledonia, which was plagued by violence in the spring.
"Decide" on "determining issues"
Emmanuel Macron also announced that he would ask the French in 2025 to "decide" on "determining issues", hinting at possible referendums or citizens' conventions. The head of state also promised to "ensure" that France "continues to be attractive", "works and innovates more", continues to create jobs and "ensures its growth by keeping its finances in check", in a form of warning to the government which must present a new version of the budget for the year ahead.

"Europeans must put an end to naivety" in matters of trade or agriculture, the president also said, calling for an "awakening" in the face of "laws" that are "dictated by others". "Say no to trade laws dictated by others and that we are the only ones still respecting. Say no to everything that makes us depend on others without compensation and without preparing our future,” he said in his televised address.
Read also the investigation | Article reserved for our subscribers Emmanuel Macron, a certain idea of power
“Conversely, we need a European awakening, a scientific, intellectual, technological, industrial awakening, an agricultural, energy and ecological awakening,” he added. “To do this, we need to move faster, make our decisions more quickly, more strongly as Europeans, simplify our rules” and “invest more,” the Head of State said.

J.L. TRANSLATION....

READ FROM TOP.

YOURDEMOCRACY.NET RECORDS HISTORY AS IT SHOULD BE — NOT AS THE WESTERN MEDIA WRONGLY REPORTS IT.

Gus Leonisky

POLITICAL CARTOONIST SINCE 1951.

HYPOCRISY ISN’T ONE OF THE TEN COMMANDMENTS SINS.

HENCE ITS POPULARITY IN THE ABRAHAMIC TRADITIONS…

PLEASE DO NOT BLAME RUSSIA IF WW3 STARTS. BLAME YOURSELF.

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