'Neo-Nazis' surge ahead of Social Democrats

That Germany's Social Democrats (SPD) are in free fall is nothing new. The center-left party, despite being Angela Merkel's coalition partner in Berlin, is overshadowed by the popularity of the chancellor. SPD leader Kurt Beck is unpopular and has a hard time even keeping his own party in line. And party membership is lower than it has been in half a century.

But on Thursday, the party hit a new low. A survey in the eastern German state of Saxony shows that, were voters to head to the polls on Sunday, more people in the state would mark the box next to the neo-Nazi party National Democratic Party (NPD) than would vote for the center-left SPD. The poll, carried out by Forsa, has 9 percent of those surveyed supporting the NPD with just 8 percent for the SPD.

The NPD celebrated the result in a press release, calling the numbers "really sensational." The poll comes just three weeks after Saxony was in the news after a xenophobic mob chased eight [non-whites] through the town of Mügeln shouting "Foreigners Out!" before beating them up.

The NPD on Thursday said the most recent poll is a result of the fact "that we didn't join the media-driven witch hunt against our own countrymen as happened in Mügeln." The press release also said the coverage of the Mügeln attack was "racist" and ended with the words: "Don't worry, the next elections are coming for sure."

The SPD, for its part, is shocked at the result. The party only managed 9.8 percent in Saxony in the last election — which saw the NPD enter state parliament with 9.2 percent. But being behind the NPD is the clearest indication yet that the party hasn't managed to establish itself in former East Germany. The conservative Christian Democrats came in at 39 percent in the poll while the left-wing Left Party got 27 percent.
www.spiegel.de/international/germany/0,1518,504427,00.html


Rather than worry about why the right wing is resurgent in Germany, we should be asking why voters are increasingly disenchanted with mainstream political parties. For when all is said and done, that is what the results of this poll indicate.

Across the world, people view the mainstream media and established political parties with growing cynicism. This is because, unconsciously for many, both are being seen as the pawns of the global elite – just as Hitler once was.

No doubt if the resurgent far right in Germany become popular enough they will also be bought out by the elite – if they haven’t been already – just as they were in the U.K.

However, the critical point is that there is growing cynicism and disaffection with mainstream politics and the media across the world. How it will resolve itself – in a new monstrous dictator like Hitler or a wider awakening to the reality of who leads us, or maybe even both – remains to be seen. Ed.

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Last updated 09/09/2007

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