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Mainstream politicians express alarm while lead candidate in Saxony-Anhalt welcomes congratulations from Elon Musk

Mainstream politicians around Europe have expressed alarm after the far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) swept to a historic state election victory in Germany, while nationalist figures cheered the result as a mandate for change.

While falling just short of an absolute majority, the AfD surged into first place in the Saxony-Anhalt state election on Sunday, exit polls ⁠showed, putting the far right within reach ​of power at ‌the state level for ‌the first time since the second world war.

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[–] WhatAmLemmy@lemmy.world 83 points 9 hours ago* (last edited 8 hours ago) (5 children)

Now watch as "liberals" continue to do nothing to stop the fascist propaganda machines causing the spread of the mental illness, because they are bankrolled by the fascists in the corporate economic elite.

They'll also continue sowing the seeds of fascism by colluding with the elite to extract wealth from the population. Buckle up. All of this has happened before, and all of it will happen again.

The Weimar Republic did the same god damn thing.

[–] MiddleAgesModem@lemmy.world 50 points 9 hours ago (9 children)

As usual, the conservatives are given a pass and then liberals assigned all the blame.

This place is absolute fucking joke.

[–] ddplf@szmer.info 3 points 4 hours ago

Who are the liberals if not the conservatives?

[–] TheJesusaurus@piefed.ca 32 points 9 hours ago (1 children)

No they aren't. The liberals and conservatives are both being blamed because they are both part of the problem. 2 sides of the same coin.

Liberals are being assigned blame because they are worthy of blame.

Conservatives know they are to blame, telling them that does nothing. Liberals think they are helping the working class and at the very least are discomforted when confronted with the reality of their actions (sometimes).

[–] LittleBorat3@lemmy.world 6 points 5 hours ago (3 children)

We don't have liberals or a two party system or whatever you have in the US.

This dumb Propaganda shit on lemmy that the left is to blame for the fascism that people voted for really bores me by now.

None of this is the lefts fault.

[–] TheJesusaurus@piefed.ca 3 points 1 hour ago* (last edited 1 hour ago)

I'm not American and you do have liberals, and liberals aren't the left.

[–] Tempus_Fugit@lemmy.world 3 points 4 hours ago* (last edited 4 hours ago) (1 children)

In the US, the neoliberals have held power over the Democrat party since Ronald Reagan was president in the 1980s. Liberal is shorthand for neoliberal and are considered left here. They are very much to blame for the current state of the US. They offshored jobs, busted unions, weakened education, and cut welfare programs to benefit the elites just like the conservatives have.

[–] visch@quokk.au 1 points 4 minutes ago

Surely liberal isn’t short for neoliberal.

[–] porous_grey_matter@lemmy.ml 0 points 4 hours ago

Unless you live in North Korea you've got liberals. It's good to learn some basic definitions for words before running your mouth. If you live in Germany, the CDU, SDP, FDP and Greens are all liberal parties.

[–] huey_m@piefed.social 11 points 7 hours ago* (last edited 2 hours ago)

Nobody is giving conservatives a pass. But we aren't going to solve the problem if we don't spend time understanding why people are voting the way they're voting in an international trend, and it isn't that everyone just became a lot more racist overnight; it's because in many countries, the reality has become choosing between a more social liberal or social conservative neoliberal party, and one would need to be blind at this point to not see it's the second part of that descriptor people are done with.

I'm saying this as someone who is absolutely a lesser of the evils voter and advocated for such; but I also understand what's actually driving support for people like Trump, AfD, and the like, and it isn't a surge in intolerance; it's material conditions, like it almost always is.

The criticism gets directed at the center left more than the center right because they are the ones more politically viable to change, or at least that's been the view. Conservatives concentrating wealth and power in the hands of a few is itself a conservative position in the traditional sense. Any party claiming to be left should be antithetical towards that.

Don't mistake that for giving conservatives a pass. They're worse, I'll absolutely vote center left neoliberal if they are the only alternative; but convincing them is to fundamentally change their views more than a center left party.

[–] Tempus_Fugit@lemmy.world 3 points 5 hours ago* (last edited 5 hours ago) (1 children)

Liberals are fascist collaborators and work on behalf of the elites. The sooner liberals are gone the faster we can fix these issues. Conservatives are just plain evil.

[–] LittleBorat3@lemmy.world 4 points 4 hours ago (1 children)

Good luck getting more than 5 percent of the votes. 👍 We'll talk then

[–] Tempus_Fugit@lemmy.world 2 points 4 hours ago (1 children)

You must not be from the US then. It's already happening here. Many progressive candidates are either beating the liberals or nearly beating them. I expect that to keep happening too. I was a lifelong liberal voter and even voted for Kamala in '24, but I won't make that mistake again. Liberals do not have the best interests of the working class in mind and they've made that crystal clear. Hell, they don't even have the best interests of human life in mind.

[–] LittleBorat3@lemmy.world 2 points 3 hours ago (1 children)

But either the Democrats need to be taken over completely, MAGA style or lose so much that another party takes their spot in the two party system. Which is difficult.

These monolithic blocks exist because they are not constantly under attack in that system.

[–] Tempus_Fugit@lemmy.world 1 points 3 hours ago (1 children)

As liberals and conservatives make life worse for the working class they'll start to realize both of those options are bad. Unfortunately many will have to suffer before they come to that conclusion.

[–] LittleBorat3@lemmy.world 1 points 17 minutes ago

That's the point, that a lot would have to happen

[–] lemdeggity@lemmy.dbzer0.com 10 points 7 hours ago (1 children)

There may be a gap here in the definition of "liberal". Liberalism is a political philosophy that also encompasses most traditional conservatives. It is different from the colloquial usage. It's loosely defined as the belief in individual freedoms, including the right to private property. It is inherently capitalist and therefore socialists, communists and anarchists generally do not consider them to be of the left.

[–] LittleBorat3@lemmy.world 2 points 4 hours ago* (last edited 4 hours ago) (1 children)

If you split yourself off the "left in the widest sense" you have 5 percent of the votes and you are essentially meaningless. Stuck to your values but meaningless.

The left does not need more splitting while the right manages to rally behind one or two people.

[–] lemdeggity@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 2 hours ago

As I say, liberals believe in capitalism by definition. The impact of your vote once every few years in an election under this system pales in comparison to the influence that the owner class have due to their wealth and power. This is fundamental. This is why you get all the anti-liberal sentiment from anti-capitalists.

Furthermore you talk about convincing some percentage of voters in order to change the system. The early turnout figure for this election is 54% and that's considered high... What of the non voters?

[–] dreadbeef@lemmy.dbzer0.com 7 points 7 hours ago* (last edited 7 hours ago)

When the home team who is on defense just allows goal after goal with no defense, and scoring no goals of their own... that's a bad team and deserves criticism if they're the bulwark defenders who are supposed to oppose fascism. Fascists are winning and that is the fault of liberals for a lack of opposition.

[–] Tja@programming.dev 10 points 8 hours ago (2 children)

Sometimes I think it must be a psyops by the billionaires to divide and demoralize the left. Then I remember some people are just so dumb.

[–] TheJesusaurus@piefed.ca 1 points 1 hour ago

Liberals are not leftist

[–] Tolc@lemmy.world 7 points 8 hours ago

you seriously think liberals are part of left? lol.

[–] timbuck2themoon@sh.itjust.works 7 points 9 hours ago (1 children)

It's their go to.

Like yeah, milquetoast policies ultimately lead us here but they have more fury for the people doing moderately OK but ultimately unsatisfactory things than the people actually going hog wild, robbing everyone blind, instituting fascism, etc.

[–] NoneOfUrBusiness@fedia.io 0 points 8 hours ago

The person breaking the lock and leaving deserves about as much blame as the burglar.

[–] Tolc@lemmy.world 5 points 8 hours ago

because liberals are the prime reason of fascists rise in power. They pretend to be good while oiling the fascist machine

[–] Waterpumpee@lemmus.org 11 points 8 hours ago (2 children)

Ppl vote them because other (big) parties dont address their problems. Also % thresholds for democratic participation keeps smaller parties with reasonable programmes away from the table. Wasnt too long ago EU intruduced this. So this is the consequence of continous political failure. I'd also argue voters are aware they get robbed by politicians accepting bribes direct or indirect. And they vote any party (falsely here, see tesla feat) promising to crack down on the old political class. Trump did the same (but didnt follow through obv).

People are desperate.

[–] LittleBorat3@lemmy.world 2 points 4 hours ago

No the regions in the east have gotten too much funding for infrastructure and such. The money that was worth exactly zero got exchanged 1:1 to DM.

This cost billions. Streets in the east look fantastic. Where I grew up in the west everything is broken.

This is the thanks the west gets from these fuckin people.

Fuck them, fuck their "problems"

[–] huey_m@piefed.social 5 points 7 hours ago

Mainstream politicians don't get it, despite seeing it play out in multiple countries with varied culture: people are so done with neoliberlism they will vote for literal fascists before they vote for another neoliberal.

[–] y0kai@anarchist.nexus 9 points 9 hours ago (1 children)

"History repeats itself first as farce, then as tragedy"

Let's hope we're just on the "farce" part lol

[–] artwork@lemmy.world -3 points 8 hours ago

May I ask why you hope for even worse?

[–] Buffalox@lemmy.world 3 points 8 hours ago* (last edited 8 hours ago) (2 children)

Now watch as “liberals” continue to do nothing

This comment is so ignorant about the reality it hurts.
There are many actual legal actions taken against AfD and AfD members already, including a period of time where AfD was not allowed to receive briefings regarding national security, something that is a right for all members of the Bundestag.

Personally I'm sad they didn't get a majority, because that's probably the best cure, people need to see how damaging their policies are, and how stupid they really are. AfD is a protest party, people vote for because they are unhappy with the current situation. Caused by Covid, Ukraine War, Russian energy sanctions against EU before the Ukraine war that was very damaging to German industries, and now Eu sanctions against Russia that have similar effect. Followed by the damage on energy supplies like wood pellets from the Ukraine war, and on top of all that Trumps ridiculous tariffs and the effects of the Iran war.
This is at the same time we have increased competition from China.

Europe has been in a perfect storm for nearly a decade now caused by outside forces. Except of course Brexit can be argued to not be outside when that happened. And although Brexit was far worse for UK, it was also damaging to EU.

AfD is by far the strongest in the old Communist Eastern Germany, because despite massive support from the old Western Germany they feel cheated, and some accuse the politicians of privatizing only to the advantage of West Germany. They simply refuse to realize how far behind they were economically at the time.

On top of all the above Putin has made a massive effort of misinformation in Germany, to promote the extreme right, and dissatisfaction. Despite we are actually doing pretty well in EU considering the circumstances this past decade.

[–] jaxxed@lemmy.world 5 points 7 hours ago

Legal actions are the anti-solution. Making people feel that they don't need the afd because other parties are meeting their needs is the real solution.

[–] NoneOfUrBusiness@fedia.io 8 points 8 hours ago

There are many actual legal actions taken against AfD and AfD members already, including a period of time where AfD was not allowed to receive briefings regarding national security, something that is a right for all members of the Bundestag.

But nothing to actually solve ordinary people's problems and show that there's a way other than fascism. In the absence of that, defensive democracy is nothing more than theater.

people vote for because they are unhappy with the current situation. Caused by Covid, Ukraine War, Russian energy sanctions against EU before the Ukraine war that was very damaging to German industries, and now Eu sanctions against Russia that have similar effect. Followed by the damage on energy supplies like wood pellets from the Ukraine war, and on top of all that Trumps ridiculous tariffs and the effects of the Iran war. This is at the same time we have increased competition from China.

Yeah, it's all those evil foreigners. It can't be the awful mismanagement of the political establishment. Housing crisis? No way.

PS: The impact of Ukraine on energy prices is a direct consequence of EU countries slow-walking decarbonization.

[–] LittleBorat3@lemmy.world 0 points 5 hours ago (1 children)

It's the "christians" or the Zentrum Party back then. We don't have "liberals".

The center right betrayed the German people back then and right now. Learn the history before writing BS.

[–] Aatube@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 4 hours ago

No, not as much as the role of the national liberal DNVP (which Hindenburg was effectively a part of, too) and partially the Social Democrats collaborating with the Nazis to kill the communist party. It was the liberals.