Mrs Merkel over the last year let in around 1 million economic migrants and refugees. Many Germans disagreed, and social and political tensions followed.
This week Mrs Merkel says that was a mistake, and wishes to ban the burka if the law allows. So she has shifted from a very liberal position to picking on a group of people and forcing them to change their clothes.
Mrs Merkel, the architect of much of the EU’s troubles over open borders, and of the EU/Turkey Agreement, now wants to look like the anti immigrant parties which she normally condemns. I doubt many will believe her or warm to this new policy. Her liberal supporters will be appalled by what she has said. Those who want proper control of borders will see this gesture politics is no substitute for proper controls of numbers of economic migrants. They will also doubt she will ban the burka, given the caveat. It looks like a desperate move.
December 8, 2016
“Despite the headwinds, all national polls suggest that Merkel’s CDU and its Bavarian CSU allies would win the election if it were held now. ” (Bloomberg).
I doubt whether Britain has such a good track record in predicting events in Germany.
December 8, 2016
Sadly Peter, you are probably right. A UK Prime Minister could not possibly have opened the flood gates as Merkel did so stupidly but if that were at all possible, she would have been forced to resign. She certainly wouldn’t have a prayer of being re-elected.
The problem is that the CDU/CSU are supposedly the right if centre parties but, like Cameron’s Conservatives, they have lost their way, except for our CSU friends in Bayern, of course.
Not so much a problem in the UK but in Germany, there is always a danger of a void on the Right allowing extremist parties to gain ground. I don’t believe anything more than a small fringe of the AfD falls into that category, by the way.
The full impact of Merkel’s actions are nowhere near being realised yet. When the million migrants she let in start to bring in their relatives, as they will be entitled to do, and they all get their German passports, there will be trouble across the EU.
Fortunately by then we will be out !
December 8, 2016
Merkel unilaterally dcided all EU countries would accept Her decision to import 1 million migrants, while telling other countries to comply with EU, her, rules! She claims to be bannng the burkabwhile insisting all nations in the EU use thier navies as a ferry service to collect more!
The U.K. Had over 800,000 NI numbers issued last year compared to the false govt immigration numbers if 330,000. The majority coming from the EU. Unions need to accept this is forcing down wages and affects their members jobs. We, the U.K., thenTax paying people are bearing the brunt of Merkel’s stupidity and she should be told by our govt we will not accept anymore immigration/free movement from the EU until she accepts all those she invited because the jobs are not in southern EU countries, hence the exodious of people to the U.K. Looking for work. No housing crisis mass immigration crisis stupidly encouraged by Merkel.
JR, when is May and Rudd going to do something?
December 8, 2016
@Chris S: “stupidly” is not a word that I relate to Mrs. Merkel, but I can mention my agreement with your very last sentence 🙂
December 8, 2016
Geert Wilders wouldn’t get anywhere near government in Britain.
“Fewer Morrocans !”
When has a British politician, with a realistic shot at office, been racist like that ?
Yes. Fortunately we will soon be out of the EU.
December 9, 2016
@Anonymous: There are no guarantees of never having racists or otherwise over-the-top populists in your political scene in Britain, even though I wish they will never appear.
December 10, 2016
Peter VAN LEEUWEN: “There are no guarantees of never having racists or otherwise over-the-top populists in your political scene in Britain”
He’s off on the PvL hobby horse once more, denigrating the extremely tolerant population of the UK.
December 8, 2016
“A UK Prime Minister could not possibly have opened the flood gates as Merkel did so stupidly”
Have you forgotten Blair and Brown?
This is the main reason they were voted out.
December 10, 2016
rose: “Have you forgotten Blair and Brown?”
No, but they did it in a clandestine fashion. After all, liars lie.
rose: “This is the main reason they were voted out.”
Remember that Brown stabbed Blair in the back ( it couldn’t have happened to a nicer fellow ), and then got caught on tape slagging off Gillian Duffy, a classic Gerald Ratner gaff.
December 8, 2016
Good morning Peter.
The polls also said that the Conservatives would not win the last UK General Election and the Referendum result would be Remain…so probably best to not take much notice of the Polls.
I thought that the Netherlands was also on the verge of banning “face covering” clothing in public?
December 8, 2016
Know-dice:
If the Dutch parliament gets its way (in spite of more liberal advice from our highest court) there will be a partial prohibition for “face covering” clothing (to be prohibited in public transport, schools, hospitals, and similar areas). The burka would still be allowed in the street and other public areas. Personally I would be far more strict as I see the burka as a cultural, not a religious phenomenon. The Dutch language has a word (godsdienstwaanzin) which maybe translates into religious mania, and such a burka-strict interpretation of muslim texts would, in my view, come close to that.
December 8, 2016
Quite possibly, but let’s be absolutely clear, she’s de facto the Dutch leader as well.
December 9, 2016
@Mark Watson: I would rather say that she is a real heavy weight within Europe. Considering te lack of leadership in other countries (including my own) it could have been worse. Merkel have morals and she does provide some stability with her very slow pace and usually small steps in politics, with two exceptions: the sudden banning of nuclear power plants and the acceptance of many refugees. We should not forget that Germans may have a better memory what it is to be a refugee: At the end of WWII, a quarter of the German population were “displaced”.
December 9, 2016
Not as many that were displaced at the beginning of WWII unfortunately.
December 8, 2016
My German friend fears to go out to the theatre or anywhere now. She says everything has been ruined. But she is still going to vote for Frau Merkel because there is no-one else.
If this veil ban goes ahead, even more moslem men will come here so that their mothers and sisters can wear their veils. This was a common reason given at Calais for preferring England over France.
December 8, 2016
You German friend deserves what she’s getting then.
December 8, 2016
John, an election is looming !
Some Politicians tend to say all sorts of things to get elected, they even carve their promises in stone, even if it means taking the opposite view of their real beliefs and policies.
Mrs Merkel has given herself a year to turn it around, when a week in politics is a long time !
December 8, 2016
Merkels yesterdays man. PvL gives the Brussels preferred outcome which of course is anti the electorate.
Most blogs have their EU spokesperson but I don’t think people are fooled.
Banning the Burka should be a Europe wide policy as it has no place in liberal western democracies.
December 8, 2016
I don’t see the need to ban it. I also don’t see the need to wear it. There are no sand-filled windstorms around these parts.
My son was particularly amused by the Imam at the Regent’s Park mosque who spent 10 minutes moaning about “the idiot” who designed a building with a dome which was designed to allow air to circulate thus cooling the inside temperature. Not ideal in England in November.
December 8, 2016
Oh quite and similarly you do not start an ethnic “ Engerland for the Engerlish” mob uprising and then pretend to be in favour of global capitalism ,free trade Conservatism or Liberal values as they have generally been conceived in the West.
I just hate these contradictions don`t you ?
December 8, 2016
What a load of Garbage
December 8, 2016
Newmania,
Stop wasting time writing comments – quick, get a foreign passport while you still can and move away from this awful country. Take your children too – God forbid they should grow up in this hellhole.
I’d recommend Malmo. Or Cologne. Or anywhere in southern Italy. Maybe one of those (once) delightful Greek islands. Perhaps one or two areas in Brussels or Paris would suit better. You’d like it there. And your kids would love having to learn Arabic etc .
December 8, 2016
@manic
Interesting that you can not see the difference between looking out for your own and being isolated. There is huge scope within the former without succumbing to the latter.
That you and your ilk lack the wit to embrace this speaks volumes about why you are all so concerned.
I suggest you broaden your horizons as you appear quite narrow in your views.
December 8, 2016
‘Mob’.
I have yet to see one.
Screeching hysteria from Newmania as usual.
December 8, 2016
I very much hope that we in this country never go down the road of telling people what clothing they may or may not wear in public beyond the requirement for public decency.
I would have thought that the pictures in the Summer of armed police in France forcing a Muslim woman to undress on the beach is example enough of the folly that results.
Are Christian nun’s habits also to be banned in Germany?
December 8, 2016
The burka should be banned. It is not in our culture or values to have a closed society or treat women in a regressive way. As a country millions of pounds were spent on CCTV to make people feel safe as people could be identified. Visual communication is more important than oral communication. It has never been accepted to wear hats or scarfs indoors particularly inside public buildings or social events. It is our custom to promote our values and should be respected and accepted by everyone. The same as. We accept and respect customs when abroad, even our Queen doing so. In general we do not tell people what to wear but there are exeptions including not walking around naked! The burka is one exception and has no place whatsoever in public buildings like schools, courts hospitals, banks and so forth. Time to stick up for our values that people come to this country for.
December 8, 2016
As an individual, I expect to be able to identify people that I meet or pass in the street, shop, bank etc.
So, for me any type of clothing or covering that stops me doing that, I will always treat with suspicion.
It’s nothing to do with religion is just the way we expect people to behave in this part of the world.
December 8, 2016
JJE,
“public decency” ? Who gets to define and to punish those who disagree? I think ‘the naked rambler’ spent about 10 years in total in gaol, simply for his view of individual freedom.
December 8, 2016
1. Nuns’ habits do not mask/hide the face.
2. Nowadays, women choose to become nuns and wear the habit, they are not forced into a costume designed to subjugate them.
December 11, 2016
Many orders, both Anglican and RC, have given up the traditonal habit.
December 8, 2016
Mrs. Merkel’s unilateral decision to invite large numbers (1m this year and no cap yet placed on future years) of unchecked migrants from unstable regions of the world to come to Germany and hence Europe will cause instability in Europe itself.
This is in addition to the economic and social problems caused by the Euro as Germany gets richer and the southern EU states get poorer.
Mrs. Merkel may inexplicably remain Chancellor after the elections but then the Germans do not have a good track record when it comes to the stability of Europe.
December 8, 2016
Angela Merkel has now shown that she is no longer the “angel” to the German voters .She knows she has made a mistake and is shifting on to her other foot before the forthcoming elections . PvL may well be right that her Party may still win a majority but the growing discontent in Germany is more vocal and noticeable than it ever was before . This mood is true across the EU and may well signal its end .
December 8, 2016
What follows the proposed ban concerning some clothing in Germany? The burning of books perhaps?
December 8, 2016
Why does Western civilisation today remind me of the Roman empire of so many centuries ago. I suppose modern civilisation was born out of it and and in many ways replicates it. What Merkel unleashed with her invitation to non Westerners to cross Europe’s borders is reminiscent of what late Roman emperors did in the last years of that once great empire. It was immigrants that made Rome great and it was immigrants who in the end destroyed it. Rome rose from the settling of a ragtag bunch of immigrants on the banks of the Tiber. Thrived by allowing free movement withing the boundaries of it’s empire and was destroyed when that free movement was extended to those who lived outside of it and coveted Rome’s wealth. Is history about to repeat itself? It does have a nasty habit of doing so as we are taught the lesson but never learn from it.
December 9, 2016
And one of the main reasons the Eastern half survived the Western half by a thousand years was it’s more ruthless (and devious!)approach to unwanted and dangerous migrants.
December 8, 2016
“So she has shifted from a very liberal position to picking on a group of people and forcing them to change their clothes. ”
Mrs. Merkel has said this to attempt to sweeten her electorate after her disastrous unilateral decision to invite large numbers of young, unvetted men to come to Germany from unstable regions of the world. Mainly men who are the least vulnerable back in their own countries and have deserted their families in times of need.
[Not that banning the complete burka is not a sensible idea for certain security situations such as the taking of pictures for identity cards, driving licences, passports etc. and for appearances in court or for those involved in professions who deal with the public.]
But I am more worried by Mrs. Merkel’s stated wish to control and censor the internet for her own political well being as she did when she met Mr. Obama last November.
December 8, 2016
“Who are you kidding, Mrs May?” Surely is of more concern, having been in charge of hopelessly out of control immigration in the home office (and don’t blame it all on the EU as I have seen the masses of inappropriate non EU people we have let in) and now she is presiding over the same failure as PM
December 8, 2016
I think that historians will see Mrs Merkle as the person who destroyed the EU.
December 8, 2016
And Turkey’s Erdogan knows he only has to threaten to open the floodgates (again) to extract more money out of the EU.It was always Erdogan,not Putin,who was weaponising(and monetising)the refugee/migration problem.
December 8, 2016
Yvette Cooper “We want to hear people’s views both about immigration and about how they believe that common ground can be found to stop this issue dividing the country.”
How can people give a view when the facts and figures are kept from them. We see and hear towns changing around us, we see friends children excluded from social housing waiting lists for years on end, paying expensive private rents they can’t afford in houses too small for their needs because they can’t afford to rent something larger. We see our shops changing products to suit our new mix and some of this is welcome and good but not to the detriment of locals who then move out of areas completely.
What % of the homeless are immigrants?
What % of social housing in each MP area’s are allocated to immigrants in the past 10 years?
What % of children in poverty are from immigrant families?
What % of children in poverty are because the mother won’t work and then call our culture for our women working and expecting us to make up their income from child tax credits for their ever enlarging families?
I read one lady in an article recently who said they cared for their own elderly family without putting them in homes, how many claim carers allowance for this?
I think face covering is a minor issue, its one I don’t agree with and it is growing in the UK, one very rarely saw this but now every weekend you see lots of face covering, it’s like it’s an act of defiance against the West because they know we are uneasy with it, why do they want to live here in our multi-religious culture if they want to be so isolationist and not integrate by speaking and making facial expression with us? Is is true that in their Countries of origin these women aren’t allowed to drive at all let alone drive with a face covering? Do I want to see our Country become as intolerant as theirs, NO, but we do need to take care that their rules and laws aren’t given precedence over ours in relation to childcare, divorce rules, multiple marriage rules and these are the rules and laws that I think we should concentrate on protecting for EVERY woman that lives here.
December 8, 2016
The Blair Labour government, according to its most senior minister, ‘sent out search parties for immigrants’ and that open door policy is now bearing dark fruit in many parts of the UK with support for UKIP and, in part, the Brexit vote.
Merkel may not suffer at the polls next year but she best hold those elections as soon as possible and not leave them to the end of next year as her nemesis may catch up with her more quickly than it has for the Labour party in the UK.
December 8, 2016
I think it is deplorable to dictate to people how they should dress – or even contemplate such an idea.
I hope this never happens in the UK.
December 8, 2016
Correct but if shopping centres can ban hoodies and banks prevent people entering with motor cycle helmets on then there is a case for having public areas where it is inappropriate to wear a full face veil.
Classrooms, planes, trains and buses and courts for a start in addition to the two examples mentioned above
December 8, 2016
Merkel clearly thinks that her electorate are stupid,with this shameless piece of vote prostitution.
I expect she’ll get in again,and her tone will change again to “all welcome”
December 8, 2016
Unfortunately, Mrs Merkel will not lose a single vote. Speaking with German friends recently they seem more resistant and in fact defiant about people abroad criticising Germany’s migrant policy. Even though they totally disagree with the policy and in fact with Mrs Merkel.
It has been our regretful history with Germany that we have not, in my opinion, understood Germans can and do hold mutually exclusive antithetical opinions not exactly simultaneously but fluctuating according to if and when they feel their national pride threatened.
I shall get into trouble with my German friends for so putting it of course and they will reflect on similar British vacillations. How dare they!!? 🙂
December 8, 2016
About the same as mrs may hear going on about the poor as the avoidable deaths climb into the stratosphere.
December 8, 2016
“…around 1 million economic migrants and refugees…. ”
AROUND.
The stereotypical Germany, as Solzhenitsyn indicated in his prose poem Prussian Nights ,The Trail Chapter 9 …”land industrious and proud”
When Germany and its world famous engineers lose count…. and come up with “around”, we should know we are all in trouble.
December 8, 2016
Know-dice “So, for me any type of clothing or covering that stops me doing that, I will always treat with suspicion. ”
Yes, in theory, anyone could commit a crime wearing a burka and it would be very difficult to recognise them. They do not belong in a Western culture and people should try harder to blend in instead of sticking out a mile and looking alien.
December 8, 2016
I would paint a picture of the Supreme Court as if the Last Supper were assembled there. A clever metaphorical chronological dichotomy as the Cross features before and after in both cases. But I will not. No-one in his right mind would recognise the Supreme Court.
December 8, 2016
This week Mrs Merkel says that was a mistake, and wishes to ban the burka if the law allows. So she has shifted from a very liberal position to picking on a group of people and forcing them to change their clothes.
>
These ‘liberals’ do this on purpose, swing from one extreme to another.
It is dangerous.
December 8, 2016
I do not see why banning face covering is such an outrage, when asked of people in the UK.
JJE, as far as I remember, Christian nuns do not wear any face cover, either in Germany or anywhere else.
As for JR, that’s his daily dose of hypocrisy: Mrs Merkel has obviously made a huge mistake by opening Germany to such a large influx of unchecked immigration. But she is apologising.
It would be good to hear similar apologies from neoliberal politicians whose policies over the years have created/helped/allowed the UK’s industrial desertification.
December 8, 2016
If I were to choose to go out wearing a headscarf and sunglasses with a maxi dress I might look dreadful but I would not be at risk of arrest by anyone except the fashion police. While I regret the religious or cultural reasons for wearing the burqa or niqab, I can’t agree that muslim women should be singled out and punished for their clothing choices.
December 8, 2016
Your last word is the clincher….choice… Having lived in the Middle East for over 20 years, I can assure you choice doesn’t come into it. Some Gulf Arabs are moderate and don’t expect their wives and daughters to wear the hijab. many are not and the families insist they wear them. Watch any Gulf flight to Europe or America, within 10 minutes of take off 90% of the (outer garments ed) disappear only to reappear 10 minutes before landing on return.
The religious piety is in most cases a sham.
December 8, 2016
Good point, maybe their menfolk should be held responsible.
December 8, 2016
I don’t know why we are commenting on and meddling in the internal politics of the EU. They have the Euro, they have Schengen, they have uncontolled immigration, they propose to set up their own military defence, they have their own Parliament which the 27 member Countries of this United States of Europe subscribe to which means that ‘they have a plan’.We have ‘a different plan’ which is that we are leaving. Absolute Silence is the best remedy to avoid the possibilty of outside interference in one’s plan because total silence shows disinterest which unnerves people because people looked to be challenged and when they are not they feel ignored which irritates and unsettles to the point that they feel ignored and people and Governments hate to be ignored. Once out we will trade and develope a good working relationship with our trading partners around the world which includes any in Europe that wish to trade with us. We go our way and the EU go theirs.
December 8, 2016
Indeed so John.
BTW, I’m waiting to see which puppet she installs in Italy as PM…
December 8, 2016
It’s no good inviting people to live in your country and telling them the dress code after they’ve settled.
That is patently unfair.
It’s a good thing so few people are actually blaming the immigrants but blame the politicians themselves and show it through the ballot box. Etc ed
December 10, 2016
Sat 10 Dec @ 20:24
Just passing by and noticed that a couple of my other posts have been published but the post including links to UK main stream media newspapers with stories retailing rape and murder of one German women and the murder of another pregnant German woman by two separate immigrants recently welcomed into Germany by Merkels’ open door policy, – has been suppressed.
I presume it was as is often Mr Redwoods claim, to protect either him or me from court action. Personally, I can’t see what court action could proceed from citing articles that have already appeared in two well know British newspapers – and are still on line for the general public to see.
But, I’d really, really like the Mr Redwoods answer to my question at the end of the post he has chosen to suppress.
Reply Too many posts are getting too long, and then with a link I do not have the time to read it all. What is your question?