Merkel Wins the Battle: But Can She Win the War?

As fringe parties gradually mainstream themselves in the polling, the underlying anxieties that motivate protest and fringe votes become ever more pressing concerns. 

Smaller parties tend to punch above their weight, insofar as they can’t exert a strong influence in parliament. But they can influence decisions from the bigger parties about what to achieve and to focus on. Remember UKIP?

The polling of small parties are often a barometer of popular discontent; both quantity-wise (how many people are passionate or committed on certain issues) and quality-wise (how strongly they feel about an issue; what are their hopes, fears, dreams, aspirations?)

If Angela Merkel addresses legitimate concerns about immigration, asylum and radical Islam, however crudely and sentimental such fears can be in their expression online and in the media, she can strengthen her position; and in doing so, she can also boost her party. Something similar can be said of her fellow center-right politician in the Netherlands, Mark Rutte. But if she doesn’t, she can expect serious problems.

Angela Merkel, unlike the bumptiously buzzing horde of vacuous drones like Sarkozy, Hollande, Cameron, Blair, Macron, comes across as a person who is at least three-quarters human. She is possible to dislike, policy-wise, but she is difficulty to abhor as some kind of robotic machine-critter.

The fact that Merkel seems to be a reasonably intelligent, humane and dare I say it, human person, probably counts for something in practical terms.

Let’s hope she knows how to make the best use of her non-android nature, and challenge Alt-Islam head on…

While making sure the reactionary right don’t steal her thunder!

Image attribution:

By White House photo by Paul Morse – White House, Public Domain, Link

Author: Wallace Runnymede

Wallace is the editor of Brian K. White's epic website, Glossy News! Email him with your content at wallacerunnymede#gmail.com (Should be @, not #!) Or if you'd like me to help you tease out some ideas that you can't quite put into concrete form, I'd love to have some dialogue with you! Catch me on Patreon too, or better still, help out our great writers on the official Glossy News Patreon (see the bottom of the homepage!) Don't forget to favourite Glossy News in your browser, and like us on Facebook too! And last but VERY MUCH not the least of all... Share, share, SHARE! Thanks so much for taking the time to check out our awesome site!