Children's book author Robert Habeck has called for a new gas tax. Wikipedia
German media ignore the growing AfD elephant in the room
The current reporting in the German mainstream press is surprisingly calm if one looks at the current poll numbers of the various parties. If any loss of percentage points is otherwise celebrated when it concerns the AfD, there is now total silence from mainstream parties.
Published: August 16, 2022, 8:42 am
The current election polls for the Bundestag election see a strengthening of the Alternative for Germany (AfD). In some cases, the young opposition force reaches the same numbers as two-and-a-half years ago.
The YouGov research institute gave the AfD 14 percentage points in the August 12 survey, while Infratest dimap sees it at 13 percent. In their most recent surveys, INSA and Forschungsgruppe Wahlen each assumed 12 percentage points.
Real concerns are dismissed as coming from ‘extremist forces’
Where did this upswing come from? The noticeable, but also the still to be expected consequences of the Ukraine war seem to be casting their shadows. Voters are beginning to get restless which has always been the ideal breeding ground for a protest party. The feared crises in autumn and winter could bring further turmoil to Germany’s party political landscape, as the AfD’s poll numbers continue to rise.
The Thuringian Interior Minister Georg Maier has warned of massive protests in the east of Germany in view of inflation and the energy crisis. Something is currently brewing that “worries me,” the SPD politician told German daily Die Welt. He feared that in the coming months “above all, extremist forces will mobilize in the streets. At least that’s what the findings of the security authorities indicate”.
Extremists and anti-vaxxers were often behind this mobilization, said Maier. “These forces want to scare the population even more.” However, they are not concerned with legitimate protests against higher energy prices, “but with creating contempt for the government and our democracy”. They want to convince people “that there must be another, authoritarian form of government in Germany”.
Lies, lies, lies
Reasons for the growing dissatisfaction with the Greens, SPD and old Merkel Atlanticists, are actually not hard to find – there are too many. They include disdain for the obvious lies of the SPD Minister of Health Karl Lauterbach, the plain untruths of Greens Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (who opposes the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, is an opponent of nuclear power and China and faked her research and academic credentials), as well as continued government support for illegal immigration and the corrupt and criminal leaders of Ukraine.
Indeed, the sheer number of misrepresentations and corrupt officials are hard to keep track of.
According to the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection (BMWK), led by Robert Habeck for example, “the German pension level is one of the highest in the world”. The BMWK claimed this manifest fakery on Twitter.
On the social media platform, users harshly criticized an interview with Habeck (who also serves as Vice Chancellor) in the Süddeutsche Zeitung that was distributed by the ministry.
In truth, pensioners in Germany only get 51 percent of their last salary. This is the result of a worldwide comparative OECD study. Accordingly, a retiree in Italy receives an average of 90 percent of the last wage, in Austria it is 89 percent and in Spain 83 percent. Even Brazil, India and China are far ahead of Germany. The average for all countries is 12 points higher, at 63 percent.
According to official information from the German pension insurance (DRV), the pension level in Germany is only 49,4 percent.
Ignoring evidence
“Mr. Habeck, you don’t seem to know the economic data, Germany has slipped a long way in international comparison, we have the worst pensions, schools and infrastructure are ailing and debt is increasing,” Renate Apfelthaler tweeted. The Ministry then countered: “That is not true. The German economy is stable, the German pension level is one of the highest in the world and German debt is comparatively lower.”
Twitter users again objected. Some spoke of “fake news”, others forwarded the OECD table, and one wrote: “If that is really the belief and ‘knowledge’ of the ministry, then I am really panicking now.”
The Habeck Ministry did not delete the tweet with the obvious false claim. Even three days after it was distributed, they simply persisted in ignoring the evidence.
More taxes
The Economics Ministry sees the new gas tax at 2,419 euro cents per kilowatt hour as a result of the Ukraine war. This has drastically exacerbated the already tense situation on the energy markets.
The ordinance is to come into effect on October 1 and end on April 1, 2024. All gas consumers are to pay the surcharge in order to “stabilize” gas importers who have gotten into difficulties due to EU sanctions against Russia. It means a huge additional financial burden for consumers.
The newly planned gas tax will bail out twelve gas importers to the tune of 34 billion euros. This was announced by the Federal Ministry of Economics on Monday. The total sum relates to the allocation period until the beginning of April 2024 and corresponds to 90 percent of the expected replacement costs for this period.
All rights reserved. You have permission to quote freely from the articles provided that the source (www.freewestmedia.com) is given. Photos may not be used without our consent.
Consider donating to support our work
Help us to produce more articles like this. FreeWestMedia is depending on donations from our readers to keep going. With your help, we expose the mainstream fake news agenda.
Keep your language polite. Readers from many different countries visit and contribute to Free West Media and we must therefore obey the rules in, for example, Germany. Illegal content will be deleted.
If you have been approved to post comments without preview from FWM, you are responsible for violations of any law. This means that FWM may be forced to cooperate with authorities in a possible crime investigation.
If your comments are subject to preview by FWM, please be patient. We continually review comments but depending on the time of day it can take up to several hours before your comment is reviewed.
We reserve the right to delete comments that are offensive, contain slander or foul language, or are irrelevant to the discussion.
Europe
New App Helps Locate Sweden’s Historic Runestones
A new app called Swedish Runestones will help locate historical gems.
Swedish military wants to remilitarize the Åland Islands
The demilitarized autonomy has previously been known as 'the islands of peace.
NOAA Predicts Zero Sunspots for Almost the Whole 2030s
CLIMATEThe United States' government scientific organization, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), predicts zero sunspots from 2031 to 2040. This is an extreme situation that has not occurred in as long as humanity has been counting sunspots, and it leads us into uncharted territory in terms of our solar system. However, this prediction aligns with the warnings of the world-renowned solar researcher Valentina Zharkova for many years, who indicated in 2019 various signs of this catastrophic phenomenon, including the extreme hailstorms we have seen in Europe and the world this summer. The forecast and various observations this year give cause for very significant concern. In this unique analysis, Free West Media explains why.
European Nationalist Parties Forge Cooperation Ahead of EU Elections
EUROPEAN ELECTIONSOn Saturday, August 26, representatives of six European nationalist parties gathered in Budapest. The meeting was initiated by the Hungarian party Mi Hazánk and took place in the national parliament. Representatives of the parties signed a joint declaration that not only reaffirms the parties' friendship but also their unity on a range of complex political issues. A surprisingly clear and radical manifesto was established. The hope is that this cooperation will lead to success in the EU elections and eventually result in the formation of a group in the European Parliament. For Swedish nationalism, this meeting marks a success as Sweden, for the first time, has a party represented in a leading nationalist cooperation in Europe. Free West Media was present at this historic event.
Turkey Believes Sweden Hasn’t Done Enough
Sweden will have to wait a bit longer for NATO membership, according to Turkey's Justice Minister Jilmaz Tunc. First, Sweden must extradite the "terrorists" Turkey wants and stop the desecration of the Quran.
Swedish Weapon Takes Down Russia’s Best Attack Helicopter
The Russian attack helicopter Ka-52 is considered one of the world's best and has struck fear in Ukraine, where it has hunted down tanks and other armored vehicles, often beyond the range of many light anti-aircraft systems. However, it has met its match in the Swedish air defense missile system RBS 70, which has quickly led to significant losses for the Russian helicopter forces.
The Sun Drives Earth’s Climate, Not Carbon Dioxide
Top Researchers Push Back Against Climate Lies."The correlation is as clear as day," explained the Israeli astrophysicist Nir Shaviv, who was hailed by the establishment, before his interview with Forbes was hastily deleted. What he says contradicts the climate narrative, which points to humans as responsible for Earth's climate. Shaviv firmly asserts that it is the sun that controls the climate, something that can be scientifically proven in many ways. Contrary to the popular belief, the sun's influence on Earth has, in recent years, caused unusually cold and rainy weather, a trend that solar researchers warn will worsen significantly in the coming decades. The sun has exhibited an unusually low activity since 2016, during Solar Cycle 24, which was the weakest in a century.
Strong Confidence in German AfD
Alternative for Germany (AfD) held a party conference on July 29-30 to select candidates for the upcoming EU election next year. EU Parliament member Maximilian Krah, belonging to the party's more radical, ethnonationalist faction, was appointed as the top candidate. The party's two spokespersons delivered powerful speeches criticizing the EU's failed migration policy and trade sanctions that isolate Europe and Germany from the rest of the world. They argued that it's time for the EU to return a significant portion of its power to national parliaments. However, they have dropped the demand for Germany to exit the EU.
The Establishment Wants to Ban Germany’s Second Largest Party – for the Sake of Democracy
The rising popularity of AfD has raised strong concerns within the establishment. Despite lies and demonization in the media and isolation from the overall political establishment, the party continues to grow. Certain representatives of the party are accused of becoming increasingly "extreme," and in an unusual move, the influential weekly newspaper Der Spiegel demanded that AfD be "banned."
Dutch FvD break through the media blockade
What is happening in the Netherlands? It is often difficult to follow events in other countries, especially when distorted by system media. We give Forum for Democracy (FvD) the opportunity to speak out on the political situation in the Netherlands and the staunch resistance they face in trying to save the country.
No comments.
By submitting a comment you grant Free West Media a perpetual license to reproduce your words and name/web site in attribution. Inappropriate and irrelevant comments will be removed at an admin’s discretion. Your email is used for verification purposes only, it will never be shared.