Gelsenkirchen

Discussion in 'Germany' started by comme, Nov 22, 2004.

  1. F96

    F96 Member+

    Oct 24, 2002
    Skåne
    Club:
    Hannover 96
    Maybe even Cologne!
     
  2. Dead Fingers

    Dead Fingers Moderator
    Staff Member

    Jan 22, 2004
    St. Paul, Minnesota
    Club:
    Minnesota United FC
    Yeah I kinda assumed unemployment would be bad. To all the German patrons of Big Soccer just a little opinion and response--How do feel about Schroeder and his "reforms" if they could be called that? Or do you think Schroeder has very little to do with the current economic/employment situation? Are they "Growing Pains" as in since reunification? Don't want to spark a huge political debate, but would like to hear some opinions on the matter.
     
  3. Frankfurt Blue

    Sep 3, 2003
    Doytshlund
    Not REP then? :D
     
  4. 96Squig

    96Squig Member

    Feb 4, 2004
    Hanover
    Club:
    Hannover 96
    Nat'l Team:
    Netherlands
    I don't think it's his faults, and reforms are the right thing to do, but he does it way to half-hearted, too many ppl have to much influence here and can block any reforms. But the CDU is no way better, the only good concept they had was the tax system merz had...
    ill be voting green...
     
  5. Dead Fingers

    Dead Fingers Moderator
    Staff Member

    Jan 22, 2004
    St. Paul, Minnesota
    Club:
    Minnesota United FC
    Too many can block reforms--through the party or within the Bundestag format??? Both??
     
  6. Alex_K

    Alex_K Member+

    Mar 23, 2002
    Braunschweig, Germany
    Club:
    Eintracht Braunschweig
    Nat'l Team:
    Bhutan
    The oppostion, CDU/CSU and FDP, has the majority of the seats in the Bundesrat, which means they can block laws passed by the Bundestag.
     
  7. 96Squig

    96Squig Member

    Feb 4, 2004
    Hanover
    Club:
    Hannover 96
    Nat'l Team:
    Netherlands
    also Unions are not helping a lot imo... as well as many managers of big companies and the normal German. No one is willing to do a sacrice means that instead of everybody just loosing a bit now for the whole thing we all loose through the state...
     
  8. Dead Fingers

    Dead Fingers Moderator
    Staff Member

    Jan 22, 2004
    St. Paul, Minnesota
    Club:
    Minnesota United FC
    I thought the CDU would be in favor of the economic reforms??
     
  9. Dead Fingers

    Dead Fingers Moderator
    Staff Member

    Jan 22, 2004
    St. Paul, Minnesota
    Club:
    Minnesota United FC

    That sounds like US (us). Unions here lost a lot of pull back in the 80's in the Reagan era. First they supported him then they got a rude awakening. We are back to an era of CEO's and Boards dominating almost all discussions.
     
  10. Alex_K

    Alex_K Member+

    Mar 23, 2002
    Braunschweig, Germany
    Club:
    Eintracht Braunschweig
    Nat'l Team:
    Bhutan
    I guess that not even the CDU itself knows what they are actually in favor of. Everyone there is probably to busy fighting for power in the party. And the government can't pass a law without the agreement of this hotbed of incompetence that are the Christian Democrats.
     
  11. jonam

    jonam Member

    Aug 27, 2003
    Westfalenstadion
    Rules that Schröder wants to get through the Bundestag are of course in the focus of his own party (and the Green's focus). Schröder is indeed a social democrat but also know for being the "Autokanzler" (car chancellor) for having connections to and ties with the big industry. That is mainly due to the fact that he was prime minister of the state of Lower Saxony which owns part of Volkswagen AG. The party basis of the Social democrats (SPD) is somehow more to the left or employee's side (labour unions), so there are sometimes heavy discussions within the party which direction the party (and thus the Schröder administration) should go.

    That is the first step Schröder has to take. The second one is that some rules (those that touch the 16 federal states themselves) that are agreed by the Bundestag (Lower House of German Parliament) have to be confirmed by the Bundesrat (upper house/federal assembly). In this upper house CDU (Christian democratic union) and FDP (Liberal (free) democratic party) have a stable majority and are able to stop rules that have to pass both houses.

    Only rules that just have to pass the Bundestag can't be stopped by CDU/FDP.
     
  12. Dead Fingers

    Dead Fingers Moderator
    Staff Member

    Jan 22, 2004
    St. Paul, Minnesota
    Club:
    Minnesota United FC

    thanks for the info jonam--as usual.
    I take it by "rules" you mean laws?
    Does Schröder want to pull off a Clinton and be the man in the middle, appealing to both sides? Again--I am surprised that the CDU and the FDP are not on board with the economic reforms. The unemployment seems to be staggering--I take it the former region formely known as the GDR has been hit pretty hard lately.?
     
  13. jonam

    jonam Member

    Aug 27, 2003
    Westfalenstadion
    Yes, my fault.


    Somehow yes. But it is more compareable to Tony Blair in UK. From an original working class party (Labour party) he moved towards the middle-class/centre of political spectrum and created something we in Germany call "Neue Mitte" (new middle/centre). The problem in Germany at the SPD is that the basis is still more of working class but the administration is going for economic reforms (as they are forced to due to global competition).



    They have own reforms they want to do when they finally get back to power (next vote is 2006). Till that date they try to block most of the reforms of Schröder (at least those that have to go to the upper house). Right now the CDU (together with their Bavarian sister party CSU) are battling how their health insurance coverage program should look like (in case CDU/FDP get back to power in 2006). A real battle within CDU/CSU.




    Alex_K's statistics were pretty good.

    Unemployment rates (October 2004, unless stated otherwise):

    Ruhr area 12,5 %
    Gelsenkirchen 20,3 %
    -----------
    Germany 10,1 %
    (West) Germany 8,0 % (2003)
    (East) Germany 18,5 % (2003)


    The Eastern part of Germany is really hit hard by unemployment. But also regions like the Ruhr area (especially the Northern part including Gelsenkirchen, Oberhausen etc.) have problems to create new jobs since the mining industry vanished.
     
  14. 96Squig

    96Squig Member

    Feb 4, 2004
    Hanover
    Club:
    Hannover 96
    Nat'l Team:
    Netherlands
    But you have to notice that (western) Germany always has had high unemployment rates compared to the US, it's something new for eastern Germans thoug. But, anyways, they get enough money to live, much more than an unemployee gets in the US, where it seems that life is as good as over when you loose your job and can't find a new one soon...
     
  15. Dead Fingers

    Dead Fingers Moderator
    Staff Member

    Jan 22, 2004
    St. Paul, Minnesota
    Club:
    Minnesota United FC
    Stoiber is CDU Right?
     
  16. Dead Fingers

    Dead Fingers Moderator
    Staff Member

    Jan 22, 2004
    St. Paul, Minnesota
    Club:
    Minnesota United FC
    You think the CDU will take power? And if they do, will they run into the same obstacles?

    Is there an equivalent of Silicon Valley in Germany? And are thre any efforts to transform the regions(especially the Ruhr and/or heavy industry areas) to other businesses.
     
  17. arthur d

    arthur d Member

    Oct 17, 2004
    Cambridge England
    In fact, he's CSU, the Bavarian and (even) more conservative branch of the CDU.
     
  18. Dead Fingers

    Dead Fingers Moderator
    Staff Member

    Jan 22, 2004
    St. Paul, Minnesota
    Club:
    Minnesota United FC
    Thank you for the correction arthur. Is going to run again?
     
  19. arthur d

    arthur d Member

    Oct 17, 2004
    Cambridge England
    Don't think so, might be Merkel's turn now. I am not really an expert on German politics anymore (haven't lived there for 12 years), maybe the others know more. In general, politicians don't recycle very well, one you lost an election you're out.

    PS I guess the area around Stuttgart is as close to a German silicon valley as you would get, correct me if I'm wrong. In general, most of the wealth and the technology know-how is in the South.
     
  20. 96Squig

    96Squig Member

    Feb 4, 2004
    Hanover
    Club:
    Hannover 96
    Nat'l Team:
    Netherlands
    Actually many Computer companies are around Leibzig (Infineon for example), while most software is propably being produced in the Ruhr area (at least most game companies are there). But germany was never as centralized as the US, UK or France, and there is no real big business that is only held in one region, going hand in hand with a big cultural diversity.
    And we don't know who'll run in 06 yet, but it is looking like Merkel, which may cost the Union (CDU/CSU is called Union here because it is a political union, while the german word for unions is Gewerkschaften) the win because she is really not popular in the population given that she is protestrant, eastern-german, ugly and not good in politics (proof: as bad as Schröder does atm she should have no problem winning the election, but it does not look good for the union here...;-) )
    And if the Us wants to invade another country at that point of time or there's another flooding Red-Green will win the election, no doubt about it...
    maybe green will be an even player at that point of time though...
     
  21. Dead Fingers

    Dead Fingers Moderator
    Staff Member

    Jan 22, 2004
    St. Paul, Minnesota
    Club:
    Minnesota United FC
    If we (actually W) decide to invade another country--I imagine that some sort of draft would be put into place, which I think would be very unpopular. So let's hope the bastard doesn't :eek:

    What is the overall general impression about having the Bundeswehr in Afghanistan?
     
  22. Alex_K

    Alex_K Member+

    Mar 23, 2002
    Braunschweig, Germany
    Club:
    Eintracht Braunschweig
    Nat'l Team:
    Bhutan
    Well, this those are maybe just nitpicky corrections, but these days the Bundesrat has to agree to the majority of laws. Also, to call the Bundesrat "upper house" may be misleading, as Germany has no bicameral parliament. The members of the Bundesrat aren't elected, but selected by the state governments and aren't free in their voting decisions.
     
  23. Alex_K

    Alex_K Member+

    Mar 23, 2002
    Braunschweig, Germany
    Club:
    Eintracht Braunschweig
    Nat'l Team:
    Bhutan
    Ummm... Vollbeschäftigung ?
     
  24. Alex_K

    Alex_K Member+

    Mar 23, 2002
    Braunschweig, Germany
    Club:
    Eintracht Braunschweig
    Nat'l Team:
    Bhutan
    It's pretty uncontroversial.
     
  25. Alex_K

    Alex_K Member+

    Mar 23, 2002
    Braunschweig, Germany
    Club:
    Eintracht Braunschweig
    Nat'l Team:
    Bhutan
    :confused:
    I don't see this as a problem at all. There are as many protestants in Germany as Catholics. And the majority of catholics would vote CDU or CSU even if Lenin would run for them ;).

    That said, the candidate of the Union will be decided by power and not by quality.
     

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