October 24, 2023

Populist nationalist conservative left-wing? A new populist party in Germany is trying this old line out.

Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance — for Reason and Justice (BSW), a party name that might only be possible in German politics, is a confused collection of social angst and opportunism. The party is a split from Die Linke (The Left) party after it has collapsed into infantile infighting over issues so large and nuanced that everyone has an opinion on, but no one really cares about.

I think it says more about the state of politics in Germany than it does about Wagenknecht.

Wagenknecht has had similar distasteful views on immigration and the environment as the AfD, while promoting a kind of East German economic program that the Europeans confuse with Marxism.

The party is called "leftwing" by the liberal media who cannot tell the difference.

I think that the party is more aligned with the kind of politics coming out of Putin's Russia and Trumps America. And, it is a new brand on an old idea, that of national syndicalists and Italian proto-fascists.

Before the Italian fascism had a coherent party, the Italian political establishment was split between left-wing and right-wing "fascio"—i.e., bundle of nationalist morons. The left-wing version of this movement is generally supported by those who have a tendency to overthink their politics and play multi-dimensional political strategy from behind their desks. It leads to bad ends.

It also has no place on the left. But, we are in strange times where workers, without proper leadership or obvious socialist political pole speaking to their interest, turn to the far right.

The concern is that this political movement will align itself with the far right, while confusing everyone with calls for more economic equality.

Just as is happening now.

… [Wagenknecht said it would], be a “serious address” for people thinking of voting AfD “out of fury and desperation, but not because they’re rightwing”.

Wagenknecht has been a long-time secondary leader in The Left, but this move is a return to her original politics propped-up by some very wealthy business folks who came out of the privatization of East Germany. Their politics are and have always been very confused as a result.

The expected inflation numbers continue to trend upwards for 2024.