Hanging out with people who want to be proud again
On the achievements of German soldiers in two world wars
Six million Jews, Alice
And you think you’re one of the good guysHey, you pay your taxes in Switzerland, Alice
Awesome, Alice
Thanks for nothing, Alice
The next cake is for you, AliceWhere are you, Alice?
Isn’t your crew a bit too homophobic
for someone who is homosexual?– Disarstar, Alice im Wunderland
Those lines are from the German rapper Disarstar. The track is six years old, yet still relevant. Alice Weidel is heading into the German election this February as the AfD’s chancellor candidate.
If you listen to her speak on Bloomberg, with the Brandenburg Gate in the backdrop, it appeals to voters who would suffer the most financial damage from its policies. It would also damage our economy and isolate Germany culturally and geopolitically.
Her disrespectful interaction with the journalist, whom she tells to let her finish talking, and her insistence that her party is not right-wing but rather libertarian conservative, gives me “Fremdschämen,” which means a feeling of embarrassment for strangers.
When asked what three policies she would implement once in office, she proposes lower taxes and new nuclear power plants – policies Germany decided to abandon after Fukushima.
Lower taxes are also offered by parties such as the CDU, FDP, and the Free Voters, so there is nothing new here. I hear the echo of George Bush Sr.: “Read my lips: no new taxes.” And, of course, there’s border control. Alice doesn’t provide any insights into what that would look like.
Regarding monetary policy, the AfD wants to abandon the Euro. She criticizes the EU as an institution that harms market mechanisms and isn’t truly democratic, especially the European Commission.
While there is a valid point about the lack of elected officials in the Commission, the Digital Services Act (DSA), for example, actually protects consumers from monopolies and aims to ensure that markets don’t hallucinate.
She sidesteps the “Dexit” question, which involves leaving the Euro and returning to the Mark, only to suggest that every country in the EU should have a veto against the Commission. This would essentially render it obsolete.
Kindergarten kids would probably be more effective at reaching consensus with veto powers. Basically, every country should be able to leave the EU, say no to everything and then automatically be subject to the free market. First the digital and analog hatred, then the hallucinating market in chaos à la AfD.
On Trump, who has policies that could severely damage Germany, Weidel gives a thumbs up. She has nothing to say about Trump’s tariffs or jobs affected in Germany, only that it is the current German government making German companies set up shop in the US due to energy prices.
Regarding Russia, she wants to reconnect with bloody Russian gas and hopes Trump can talk to Putin about “ending” the war. When asked why Germany should rely on Putin, she fidgeted with her nails. That’s the AfD’s weakest point: Russia. In her humble opinion, she wants cheap, bloody Russian gas back, as well as high risk nuclear and dirty coal.
Her most bizarre talking point is that people who work, earn money, want border control, and seek good education are, in her opinion, labeled as right wing. It’s like saying people who drink milk, enjoy nature, and want to be free are labeled as left wing.
In a nutshell, here’s what you’ll get from Weidel’s AfD:
Lower taxes with a clueless border control that would make Germany very unattractive to economic migrants. And it would hurt those who are hurting financially the most already.
Additionally, sucking up to Trump and Putin will likely result in higher tariffs on German products in the US and cheap gas for a fascist Russia at the EU’s doorstep, leaving Ukraine in the dark. She has nothing on the German military, nothing. Leaving the EU would deflate Germany’s economy and render its institutions obsolete.
In summary, here’s what real alternative parties need to deliver:
Fewer bureaucrats in the German government, as well as in the EU, which would save taxpayers money. It would provide financial options for those who urgently need it. More cultural and financial support for European entrepreneurs. And more courage for direct democracy.
We need a differentiation between economic migrants – those who want to live and work in Germany and become part of this beautiful cultural nation – and those who are in dire need of protection.
A stronger, coordinated EU defense that unites against Russia is essential. Last but not least, a diversified energy policy that is free from expensive American LNG, bloody Russian gas, dirty coal, and high-risk nuclear energy.
If a party, country and allied European nations offer and deliver on that, you’ve solved the riddle against neoliberal autocrats and facists from the West and East. It could be Europe’s hour in history, which it has missed for hundreds of years.