Comments on: Maps of German election results

By: Essendon Dentist

Essendon Dentist — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 06:13:33 +0000

Thats amazing how the east is still clutching a very strong view, compared to the south west

By: Charles in Germany

Charles in Germany — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 16:45:37 +0000

I keyed in these exit poll figures from the BBC webpage:

CDU/CSU: 33.5%
SPD: 23.5%
FDP: 14.5%
Left party: 13%
Green party: 10%

Into this mandate calculator:

http://www.election.de/cgi-bin/call_mandate.pl?bgcolor=ffffdd&methode=Lague&sitze=598&parteien=CDU/CSU,SPD,FDP,DIE%20LINKE,GR%DCNE,Sonstige&stimmen=33.0,25.0,14.0,12.0,10.0,6.0

and it gave the Richmond coalition 304 seats in a 598 seat assembly. Just have to wait and see what the real results look like – but I shouldn’t imaging they would be much different.

By: Charles in Germany

Charles in Germany — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 16:33:49 +0000

Exit polls point to a Richmond (Yellow and Black) coalition instead of another Essendon one (which was the only real question coming from this election):

http://www.thelocal.de/politics/20090927-22193.html

By: Charles in Germany

Charles in Germany — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 16:26:30 +0000

Results will be visible here:

http://www.bundeswahlleiter.de/en/index.html

By: David Walsh

David Walsh — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 15:09:42 +0000

Saarland has not been part of France proper from the Congress of Vienna (1815) onwards.

It was only the legacy of the two world wars that saw it come under temporary French occupation and remain separate from Germany in the aftermath of both. (Even if the French may have wished it to be something other than temporary.) The 1935 plebiscite produced 90% support for rejoining Germany. Similarly the 1955 plebiscite produced a two thirds rejection of the push for an independent Saarland.

Hence it’s not exactly the mirror image of Alsace-Lorraine, which was fully incorporated into Germany from 1871-1919 and 1940-45.

By: Bird of paradox

Bird of paradox — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 11:52:03 +0000

That area’s flipped between Germany and France several times in the last couple of hundred years, due to the wars between those countries, so it’s always been a little bit weird. Saarland was run by the French from World War 2 until 1959, then became part of West Germany; meanwhile, Alsace (across the river) was run by Germans for a while up to the end of World War 1, then became part of France, and in between proclaimed their own Soviet Republic which lasted for about a week. Borders are pretty fluid around there.

By: Dermot

Dermot — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 08:07:22 +0000

Its a pocket of poverty in the West (yes, they do exist, Rationalist!-its an old coal and steel region), and also the political base of Oskar Lafonatine (co-?) leader of Die Linke. He used to be Minister-Presdient of the state, while still a Social Democrat

By: Nick C

Nick C — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 01:57:42 +0000

Forgive my ignorance, as I’m not much of an expert on German politics, but what’s the story with Saarland? Why is there that pocket of support for the Left Party there?

By: Hamish Coffee

Hamish Coffee — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 01:39:50 +0000

Garbage. In any society there will be the rich and the poor. ‘Left’ Governments are more inclined to offer greater welfare protection, which naturally leads poorer people, and social justice types to vote left. ‘Right’ Governments are more inclined to reduce ‘the welfare state’ and try to start up shareholder societies, under the deluded pretence that society can exist where everyone has the ability to add to the economy. This naturally attracts richer people, people who do add the most taxes to the economy and don’t like that their taxes are spent on people other than themselves.

Which is why, to conclude, Maggie Thatcher can get f***ed.

By: Rationalist

Rationalist — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 00:43:27 +0000

Ah! So the cycle is complete!

Leftist government enacts leftist policies —> Leftist policies leave population poorer as a whole —> Leftist government re-elected on campaign of leftist policies for the poor –> GOTO #start