Editorial: A snap election triggered by Olaf Scholz will be crucial in shaping Europe’s response to last week’s events in the US
A snap election triggered by Olaf Scholz will be crucial in shaping Europe’s response to last week’s events in the UShave speculated that the re-election of Donald Trump may at least concentrate minds among mainstream European leaders. Faced with a rapidly emerging new world order, and withfar-right movements making the political weather, their response has at times appeared sluggish and unconvincing. Perhaps the shock of Trump 2.0 will finally convey the fierce urgency of now.
Mr Scholz’s patience finally ran out during vital budget negotiations, when Mr Lindner – who leads the economically liberal FDP – once more made clear his determination to block SPD and Green-backed spending aimed at reviving Germany’s moribund economy and supporting Ukraine. At one level this could be viewed as futile manoeuvring aboard a sinking electoral ship as the iceberg looms. Mr Scholz’s disunited coalition has become deeply.
But the ramifications of last week’s drama transcend the internal politics of the coalition. The immediate downside is obvious and significant. Germany – like France, following Emmanuel Macron’s midsummer– will now endure a period of instability under a weak minority government. This is less than ideal as Mr Trump pledges to reset western policy on Ukraine and bully the European Union over trade.
Along with the fate of Ukraine’s resistance to Vladimir Putin, and the rise of the far right, the future ofand Europe’s economic model will be a key theme in the new age of Trump. Historically, Berlin’s fiscal caution has dominated this debate, but different times demand a different approach. Whether an unexpected spring election in Germany can deliver one, given Mr Scholz’s standing in the polls, is another matter.
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
How the Guardian will stand up to four more years of Donald TrumpThe president-elect has made his disdain for journalism clear. His second term is a risk to a free press in the United States and beyond. Help us to hold him to account
Read more »
Chic hats and polling day in the US: photos of the dayThe Guardian’s picture editors select photographs from around the world
Read more »
A buried car and a dancing politician: photos of the dayThe Guardian’s picture editors select photographs from around the world
Read more »
French floods and London fog: Friday’s photos of the dayThe Guardian’s picture editors select photographs from around the world
Read more »
Fires, floods and Christmas lights: photos of the dayThe Guardian’s picture editors select photographs from around the world
Read more »
Penny farthings and Day of the Dead celebrations: the weekend in picturesThe Guardian’s picture editors select photographs from around the world
Read more »