2 years ago

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UnHerd
Aug 25, 2023
Wolfgang Munchau: Germany is in trouble
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ACX9xqMsRM
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UnHerd's Freddie Sayers meets Wolfgang Munchau.

For decades, Germany was a beacon of centrist political stability. During her 16-year leadership, Angela Merkel led a succession of grand coalitions which neutralised the political extremes, and piloted her country through an era of steady economic growth.

Today, that political settlement has dissolved. Germany’s reliance on Russian gas has devastated its industrial economy, while the surface tranquillity of the Merkel era is a distant memory. Alternative für Deutschland, a far-Right populist party, has been the beneficiary of this chaos, surging in the polls to become the second-most popular party in Germany.

To understand this sudden reversal of fortunes and what it means for Europe and the world, Freddie Sayers spoke to Wolfgang Munchau, former co-editor of FT Deutschland, and founder and co-director of the Eurointelligence blog.

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// TIMECODES //

00:00 - 01:18 - Introduction
01:18 - 04:22 - The rise of the AfD in Germany
04:22 - 08:20 - How immigration and economics fuelled the AfD
08:20 - 11:42 - Why did Germany shut down their nuclear power stations?
11:42 - 12:53 - It’s not a Left vs Right issue
12:53 - 14:45 - Why the German car industry is in trouble
14:45 - 16:59 - Who is to blame for Germany’s woes?
16:59 - 18:30 - The AfD’s rise is down to the incompetence of the German elites
18:30 - 19:40 - What happens next?
19:40 - 21:44 - What do Germans think about the Ukraine War?
21:44 - 27:11 - What kind of populist German political agenda would get support?
27:11 - 31:12 - What happens to Europe if Germany continues to decline?
31:12 - 35:05 - Could Brexit Britain escape the decline of Europe?
35:05 - 36:10 - Concluding thoughts