Friday, January 29, 2016

40% of Germans say that Angela Merkel should resign as Chancellor over the refugee issue. Reuters.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Reuters. 

According to a new poll, 40% of Germans say that Chancellor Angela Merkel should resign due to her policy on accepting refugees and migrants. Reuters. The low poll numbers come after years of popular support for Merkel. All that evaporated due to the migrant crisis and Merkel inviting hundreds of thousands of refugees and economic migrants to enter Germany. Merkel's party, the Conservatives, along with their Social Democrat partners, have decided to tighten asylum rules due to widespread pressure. 45% of Germans still think that she should keep her job or not lose it because of the refugee issue. Merkel is trying to hold her coalition together as new state elections are set for March and national elections are set for next year.

My Comment:
The surprising part of this article isn't that 40% of Germans want Merkel gone. It's that 45% of Germans don't. Her policies when it comes to immigration have taken a very heavy toll on the German people. The article is very light on why people are so upset with Merkel. It's not just the ever present threat of terrorism. The Paris attacks are still on everyone's mind, but that's not the main issue. It might not even be the massive crime wave that included the New Years Eve sexual attacks. But the economic toll has been massive. Germany bit off way more then they could chew when they threw open the gates to these migrants. 

1 million refugees moved to Germany last year. That is an incredible burden on any system but Germany only has around 80 million people. And those 80 million are going to have to support that group of 1 million, many of whom are unskilled and untrained. Most of them won't even speak German, and will have to, at the very least, be taught the language before they can be any use to anyone. Many of those people are criminals or scoundrels, who would be difficult to assimilate during the best of times. Some of these migrants will be radicalized and some may even conduct terrorist attacks. And you have to feed, house and take care of all of them. And there is no indication that immigration wave is over either. That's going to cost billions of dollars, and I am not sure if the German economy can survive it. 

That's a massive burden to bare and it is little wonder why many Germans are upset. That alone should be enough for people to wonder if letting in these migrants was worth it. But then the behavior of these migrants adds a new layer of outrage. The events that happened at Cologne and in other German cities were hundreds of women were molested, robbed and raped, and men who tried to protect them were beaten, was, it seems, too much for the German people to take. Germany opened their borders and their lives to these men, welcomed them with open arms and open minds, and how to they repay the German people? With acts of utter barbarity. Not all of them, but enough to frighten and horrify the people that have to deal with the ones that are out of control. Cologne was a turning point and it woke up the world to the downsides of unlimited immigration.  

With the situation as bad as it is, I truly don't understand how so many in Germany can still support Merkel. After all, this situation is largely her fault. Sure, Europe would have had a migrant crisis no matter what, but Germany could have taken the path that Poland and other Eastern European countries did and restrict anyone from coming into their country. That didn't happen and it is entirely Merkel's fault. 

So why is support for Merkel still so high? Some of it is the true believers. The ones that think that Muslims can do no wrong and that the reports of the attacks are exaggerated. The media in Germany is still very committed to immigration in general and there will always be people that take the other side of the issue. There are also the businessmen who are thinking that they will save money on wages by hiring foreigners. They are probably wrong and I don't think they would ever admit it if they are. But the rest? I think they are afraid. 

After all, Germany has decided that censorship is a good way to do things. They have made it so that social networks have to censor anything they deem hate speech and are going so far as to fine or prosecute those that criticize migrants. When freedom of speech is under attack in a country such as Germany, would you really want to say on the record that the architect of the migrant crisis should go? If you phrase it wrong you could end up with a fine or worse. I think it is amazing that 40% of Germans were brave enough to express their unhappiness. I also wonder if this blog post will even be available in Germany...

I have to say that this was an amazing downturn for Angela Merkel. Before the migrant crisis, Merkel was one of the most powerful people on Earth, and was arguably the most powerful woman anywhere. She had a huge influence not only in her country, but across the world. Even America would listen when she spoke. Now? She's hated in her own country and her influence in global affairs is waning. More important her legacy will be forever tarnished. 

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