One in four Germans would back anti-euro party

[dipsydoodle]

Source: Reuters

(Reuters) - One in four Germans would be ready to vote in September's federal election for a party that wants to quit the euro, according to an opinion poll published on Monday that highlights German unease over the costs of the euro zone crisis.

Germany's mainstream parties remain solidly pro-euro despite grumbling over bailouts of countries such as Greece. A German taboo on nationalism, rooted in atonement for the crimes of the Nazi era, has helped to muffle eurosceptic voices.

But the poll conducted by TNS-Emnid for the weekly Focus magazine showed 26 percent of Germans would consider backing a party that wanted to take Germany out of the euro and as many as four in 10 Germans in the 40-49 age bracket would do so.

"This suggests there may be potential here for a new protest party," Emnid chief Klaus Peter Schoeppner told Focus.



Read more: http://uk.reuters.com/article/2013/03/11/uk-germany-eurosceptics-idUKBRE92A07D20130311

[Franker65]

1. It would still take a lot for Germany to quite the euro

I think a lot of it is just based on older people missing their D-Marks. For Germany, its hugely advantageous to be part of the eurozone - look at its massive borders with Belgium, Holland, France and Austria. Changing money used to be a huge headache in Europe and once the eurozone weathers this crisis, people will see the sense of the single currency.

And Germans are traditionally very pro-EU. Look at statistics on the effects of EU membership on the German economy. They certainly won't be ditching the euro nor the EU anytime soon. The US and many other areas are suffering, it isn't all down to the euro. Most younger German people see the benefits of having the euro - a lot of those figures could be down to older people with an outdated mindset.

[pampango]

2. In Germany as in other European countries, it's the far-right leading the anti-euro charge.

Mainstream criticism of the euro project has been largely confined to dissenting voices in the centre-right government, especially in the pro-business Free Democrats, the junior coalition partner, and in the Christian Social Union (CSU), the Bavaria-based sister party of Merkel's Christian Democrats.

A German taboo on nationalism, rooted in atonement for the crimes of the Nazi era, has helped to muffle eurosceptic voices.

Nationalism is the common thread uniting far-right groups.

http://www.ctc.usma.edu/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/ChallengersFromtheSidelines.pdf

Nationalism is not 'taboo' on the far-right and never has been. Hyper-nationalism has been tamed in Europe since WWII despite the desire of the far-right to keep it alive.

[John2]

5. Your research article

sounds like it is describing the groups in the current Republican Party. Especially when you look at their attempts to change the Electoral process, including the Supreme Courts' latest attempts. I don't even take their concerns about immigration at face value. I think it is based on a racial quota more than anythingelse because you are getting less immigration from Europe.

[pampango]

6. Indeed it fits the republican party to a tee. And the further right you go in their party

(when you get to the fundamentalists, tea partiers and libertarians) the more it fits.

[TygrBright]

3. Meh. Our backwash is bigger than that. Germany's still well inside the "sane" line. n/t

[snooper2]

4. My research has shown that regardless of country, 25% of the population are usually just

fucking stupid---