Wulff gone | 138 comments (138 topical, editorial, 0 hidden)

Re: Gauck (none / 0)

Yeah, a staunch neoliberal. And racist, who supports Sarrazin. And hater of freedom, who supports data retention. I despair.

by Katrin on Sun Feb 19th, 2012 at 03:56:02 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Well it could be worse... (none / 0)

He's not a CDU party hack; and he hasn't suggested ending democracy in Greece.

On the other hand, if he makes racist statements after his election, that would be amusing.

_{It is rightly acknowledged that people of faith have no monopoly of virtue
- Queen Elizabeth II}

by eurogreen on Mon Feb 20th, 2012 at 06:03:08 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Well it could be worse... (none / 1)

WENDIGER PASTOR: Auf Wiedersehen, Herr Gauck -- Der Freitag		necessarily PASTOR: Goodbye, Mr. Gauck% u2014 The Friday


Hauptmann Terpe schloss den Operativen Vorgang, nachdem die Stasi zu Gauck ein "gutes Verhältnis" hergestellt und seine Bereitschaft zur weiteren engen Mitarbeit festgestellt hatte. Der MfS-Hauptmann schlug vor, einen IM-Vorlauf über Gauck anzulegen. Dazu stellt der § 1 (Grundsätze) der 1. Durchführungsbestimmung zur erwähnten Richtlinie Nr. 1/79 fest: Personen, die als IM-Kandidaten ausgewählt werden, sind IM-Vorläufe. Pastor Gauck, der sich als Widerständler und Bürgerrechtler feiern lässt, ein IM-Kandidat der Stasi!		Hauptmann Terpe closed the operating procedure according to which the Stasi initiated a "good relationship" to Gauck and found him willing to continue close cooperation. The Stasi captain proposed the creation of an IM-Vorlauf. [According to regulations] Persons who are selected as candidates for informal cooperation are IM-Vorläufe. Pastor Gauck, celebrating himself as a resistance fighter and civil rights activist, was an IM candidate of the Stasi!

Von überall könnte das Volk, Urbrut alles Undemokratischen, Zelle des Terrors, über die gewählten Hüter von Wachstum und Wohlstand® kommen. - flatter

by generic on Mon Feb 20th, 2012 at 08:27:28 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Well it could be worse... (none / 0)

Going completely off-topic: is there any chance you could write a short diary on the Ball der Burschenschafter affair and the award not given to Strache (in particular how the Faymann government first got to nominate him for the award)?

_{*Lunatic*, n.

One whose delusions are out of fashion.}

by DoDo on Mon Feb 20th, 2012 at 02:04:19 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Well it could be worse... (4.00 / 2)

I know next to nothing about the whole affair, but the award in question is routinely granted for 10 years service in Parliament.

See:Ehrenzeichen für Verdienste um die Republik Österreich - Wikipedia

Leitende Beamte eines Ministeriums (z.B. Sektionschef) bzw. einer Landesregierung (z.B. Landesamtsdirektor) werden meist mit dem Großen Goldenen oder Silbernen Ehrenzeichen mit dem Stern sowie mit dem Großen Goldenen oder Silbernen Ehrenzeichen ausgezeichnet. Üblich ist es, an Abgeordnete zum Nationalrat nach zehnjähriger Amtszeit das Große Goldene Ehrenzeichen zu vergeben, auch an Nicht-Beamte werden solche Dekorationen verliehen, so erhielt z. B. der Architekt Hans Hollein zum 75. Geburtstag das Große Goldene Ehrenzeichen.

The demonstrators were somewhat successful at disrupting the guests arrival and the opening commenced with an hours delay.
Apparently Strache had to voice his feelings of victimization by declaring "We are the new Jews" and comparing the actions of the protesters to the Reichskristallnacht.

That caused one of the periodic bouts of outrage over FPÖ leaders belittling NAZI crimes and led to the Bundespresident canceling the award.

Von überall könnte das Volk, Urbrut alles Undemokratischen, Zelle des Terrors, über die gewählten Hüter von Wachstum und Wohlstand® kommen. - flatter

by generic on Mon Feb 20th, 2012 at 04:10:55 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Well it could be worse... (none / 0)

And now there is yet another Strache scandal: his Facebook page hosted a paper by a far-right think-tank with discredited numbers about how much money a refugee family in Austria receives.

_{*Lunatic*, n.

One whose delusions are out of fashion.}

by DoDo on Wed Feb 22nd, 2012 at 01:42:22 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Gauck (none / 1)

A (repeated) nitpick, but neoliberals aren't the only anti-anti-capitalists.

_{*Lunatic*, n.

One whose delusions are out of fashion.}

by DoDo on Mon Feb 20th, 2012 at 02:17:57 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Gauck (none / 0)

Yeah, but this bugger fits the description well. And we have a saying here: "Put all of them into the same sack and beat it".

by Katrin on Mon Feb 20th, 2012 at 04:30:04 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Gauck (none / 0)

I don't think he fits the description well at all. None of his arguments go back to love of the free market, all of them go back and explicitly reference a classic conservative interpretation of features of former East Germany.

_{*Lunatic*, n.

One whose delusions are out of fashion.}

by DoDo on Mon Feb 20th, 2012 at 04:34:02 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Gauck (none / 1)

He finds the occupy movement simply silly because for him opposition against the rule of the free market is the same as opposition against the force of gravity or so.

by Katrin on Mon Feb 20th, 2012 at 04:40:31 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Gauck (none / 1)

No, he finds it stupid because he thinks people ignore that East Germany had publicly owned banks and that that didn't function well either. Which is a stupid argument itself on so many levels (false dichotomy and the lack of speculation and financial crashes in East Germany being two of them), but not neoliberalism.

_{*Lunatic*, n.

One whose delusions are out of fashion.}

by DoDo on Mon Feb 20th, 2012 at 04:46:51 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Gauck (none / 0)

If your interpretation is right, no he is not. I am interpreting his attitude differently, but I believe you don't object to the idea with the sack, right?

by Katrin on Mon Feb 20th, 2012 at 05:01:42 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Gauck (none / 1)

Mmmmph, thinking about it, I think more differentiated attacks would be more in place, because Gauck the evangelical pastor would deserve to be attacked for not emphasizing and contradicting the social message of the New Testament, and his GDR palallels need to be trashed. The sack you put the likes of Merz or Niebel into would deserve a different treatment.

_{*Lunatic*, n.

One whose delusions are out of fashion.}

by DoDo on Tue Feb 21st, 2012 at 07:09:40 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Gauck (4.00 / 3)

Sometimes one can exaggerate all that differentiation.

Misik has an interesting piece today that chimes with your observation of Gauck being a pastor who disregards the social message of the New Testament (I agree). Misik says that it is hysterical to claim Gauck was a Sarrazin fan, but that he was peculiarly indifferent to the injury Sarrazin caused to Germans with foreign roots. I think this indifference is an important facet of Gauck's character.

by Katrin on Tue Feb 21st, 2012 at 03:58:25 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Gauck (none / 1)

He's also not so keen on some aspects of the Old Testament either, in particular the bit about adultery. Norbert Geis of the CSU has already expressed some reservations on that account, while Klaus Ernst of the Linke said

"Was für eine mittelalterliche Debatte! Es gibt viel, was gegen Gauck als Präsident spricht, seine Lebensverhältnisse gehören nicht dazu."

by gk (g k quattro due due sette "at" gmail.com) on Wed Feb 22nd, 2012 at 02:24:35 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Gauck (none / 0)

It's quite a problem for the Bavarians and it reminds them that there is no longer confessional and regional balance. The CDU used to take pains to observe this balance.

by Katrin on Wed Feb 22nd, 2012 at 03:35:36 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Gauck (none / 0)

ARD's morning show grilled CSU secretary Alexander Dobrindt over this, it was fun to see how he justifies alternatives to the sacral marriage, holds back criticism for lack of Bavarian and Catholic influence, and of the FDP. (BTW I realised that I have seen Dobrindt in so many reports but this was the first time I saw his 1950s glasses... what a phony.)

_{*Lunatic*, n.

One whose delusions are out of fashion.}

by DoDo on Wed Feb 22nd, 2012 at 03:42:31 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Gauck (none / 1)

IOW here is a man who for a decade supposedly had the job of coming to terms with the past but never mentally got beyond the GDR.

_{*Lunatic*, n.

One whose delusions are out of fashion.}

by DoDo on Mon Feb 20th, 2012 at 04:41:37 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Wulff gone | 138 comments (138 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)

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