Thuringia

The published facts about the situation in the German state of Thuringia are known to anyone who is interested in German politics. I will not repeat them.   

The main recipient of beatings in this matter has been the FDP, the party whose representative was elected as Prime-Minister of Thuringia. The FDP did indeed furnish the man, without whom this whole AfD ploy would not have been possible. But the FDP – which has form with its leanings – is a small party and with a bit of luck will not make it into the next Bundestag.

The real worry is CDU, which is so eager not to collaborate with the left wing Linke that it found itself in (an as yet unconsummated) bed with the AfD. In a curious notion of fairness, the CDU maintains equal-unacceptability of the left-wing Linke and the fascist AfD, some of whose leaders are considered to be neo-Nazis.

From their point of view, the CDU’s wish not to cooperate with the Linke may be understandable, but a balanced approach to both Linke and AfD is wrong and morally questionable. Historical comparisons must be sensitively employed and yet...