BSW is also no party you can trust - very Russian-firendly and there is the risk that they might form a coalition with AFD. Bad day for Sachsen-Anhalt.

I’m ignorant of German politics. Isn’t Berlin in the same area the AFD won, surely it would be mainly left wing or centrist?

14 hours ago, Steve201 said:

I’m ignorant of German politics. Isn’t Berlin in the same area the AFD won, surely it would be mainly left wing or centrist?

Berlin itself is pretty left-wing and bohemian from what I remember of elections, as you'd expect. Greens, Die Linke and CDU won most of it in the last federal election.

This is Saxony-Anhalt, one of the states of Germany and they've just had a state election. Also part of the old East Germany and one of the most notable things about modern German politics is that what was East Germany has showed a strong preference for conservative parties. Initially Die Linke when they still had a stronger link to the old ruling party of East Germany, but these days, having shed most of the old Marxist-Leninist elements to BSW, another left wing party, Die Linke are more of a standard modern left-wing democratic socialist party.

So the rise of the AfD has been very strongly correlated with these less urban states of East Germany, so I'm not surprised their first big taking of control is in this area.

Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland are now set to sign an agreement that will provide the possibility of leaving the UK.

Not that it will do anything because inexplicably the British SOS passes the verdict on whether there’s a border poll in Ireland. He’s hardly an impartial observer considering the British establishment would never let anyone be PM who isn’t a Unionist. Look what happened to Jezza!

Edited September 13Sep 13 by Steve201

1 hour ago, Steve201 said:

Not that it will do anything because inexplicably the British SOS passes the verdict on whether there’s a border poll in Ireland. He’s hardly an impartial observer considering the British establishment would never let anyone be PM who isn’t a Unionist. Look what happened to Jezza!

The Good Friday Agreement specifically allows for a poll if there is consistent support on both sides of the border for a united Ireland. As far as I am aware, that hasn't happened yet.

14 minutes ago, Suedehead2 said:

The Good Friday Agreement specifically allows for a poll if there is consistent support on both sides of the border for a united Ireland. As far as I am aware, that hasn't happened yet.

Clear as mud then?

Who are both sides?

Edited September 13Sep 13 by Steve201

Did anyone else see what happened in Saudi Arabia? In the USA, diesel is now at its most expensive it has ever been. As well as that, Costco is rationing diesel.

On 08/09/2026 at 22:55, Steve201 said:

I’m ignorant of German politics. Isn’t Berlin in the same area the AFD won, surely it would be mainly left wing or centrist?

There are gernerally two Berlins politically.

There’s inside the ring vs outside the ring. (The Ringbahn Sbahn lines S41&S42 is generally the dividing line between inner city and the outer districts)

The outer districts this time will vote CDU, or the AfD in Marzahn (which is the part of Berlin that actually is representative of eastern Germany) and sadly this time a few other of the outer districts will be won by them. The inner districts will vote Die Linke/Grüne.

The demographics are quite starkly different at times. A lot of the inner districts have a high number of Wahlberliner, the nickname given to people like me who move to Berlin from somewhere else (this name applies equally to all, even other German nationals who move here), who are more left leaning. The outer districts have more born and raised Berliners, some are a little older in average age and wealthier, and vote more centre/centre-right.

Polls are open here and in Mecklenburg Vorpommern now. After breakfast my bf and I will go vote as German citizens for the first time.

Selfishly I’m really really hoping we don’t end up with a Die Linke/Grüne/SPD coalition at the end - the SPD led version of this was a disaster for the city and the first two who will hold a good 40% of the seats after today are so NIMBY. They’re wanting to block all of the good infrastructure upgrades the outer districts need to be less car dependent and the bid for the Olympics (I want the sweet federal money to pay for infrastructure upgrades like renovations to the Ubahn and Sbahn and extensions. Like do you not seeeeeeee what Paris did????)

Russian parliamentary elections this weekend. I wonder who will win them….

Well Berlin went less for the AfD than expected so that’s a positive but much stronger for Die Linke and BSW as expected. Can be that the missing link that makes the political horse shoe a circle, the BSW, actually make it into state parliament

With a 6% lead really only R2G is viable as coalition 😭