Vote for BueSo in N.R.W. Elections Is Only Spark of Hope | LaRouchePAC

Vote for BueSo in N.R.W. Elections Is Only Spark of Hope LaRouchePAC

May 11, 2010 (LPAC)—The result of the May 9 elections for new state parliament (Landtag) in North Rhine-Westphalia (N.R.W.), a smashing defeat for the "black-yellow" coalition government of Christian Democrats (CDU) and Free Democrats (FDP) (together 41.3%, after a net loss of 10.5% as compared to 2005), not only will hand the government to a "red-green" coalition of Social Democrats (SPD) and Greens (together 46.6%, after a net loss of 3% for the SPD, as compared to 2005) plus another partner, most likely the Linkspartei (5.6%). It will also have serious implications for the national CDU-FDP government coalition of Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU).

A direct implication is the loss of Merkel's majority in the Bundesrat—the upper chamber of Parliament, which represents states (Laender) directly—where N.R.W. holds six seats; and the Bundesrat has veto power over most legislation, which will add to the paralysis of the national government. An indirect implication is the effects which this vote of no-confidence against Merkel in N.R.W. will have during the coming days and weeks—especially in view of the deepening crisis of the euro system, related to the "Greek" banking crisis.

For the state of N.R.W., a government led by the SPD's Hannelore Kraft, who is said to have studied her economics at King's College in London in the 1980s, a government with the Greens in key positions, is a disaster for N.R.W. that will be felt very directly: the SPD and the Greens are against nuclear power development, against great projects in general, the Greens are even against coal mining, and the "red-green" fantasies about a highly costly "green industrial revolution" promoting solar and wind energy, is certain to scare off even more industries from this former, longtime industrial powerhouse, which fear they would be slapped with higher electricity bills they cannot afford. This means certain doom for many regions in N.R.W., which after 40 years of downsizing, outsourcing, and green political sabotage of pioneer technologies like the fast breeder reactor and the HTR, have already lost most of their steel production, machine-building and coal mining, and show unemployment rates visibly above 10-15%. With the Greens in whatever coalition scenario exists, this deindustrialization will intensify. Crucial traditional constituencies reacted with frustration in the May 9 elections, with high voter absenteeism, at almost 41%.

The only party that ran against the "greening" of the political establishment, the LaRouche Movement's BueSo (Buergerrechtsbewegung Solidaritaet), with a program for reindustrialization and the development of pioneer technologies like nuclear fusion and maglev transportation, got its best vote ever, with the average of its 34 district candidates receiving around 0.4 and 0.5%, and some even moving into the range of 0.7 and 0.8%. The BueSo reports a high recognition factor among voters and visibly increased interest in the party's program during the past two or three weeks, with particular interest also because the BueSo was the only party to address the reality of the global economic collapse and the urgency of having legislation for banking reorganization along the example of the U.S. Glass-Steagall Act. And voters welcomed that the BueSo called the Greek bailout what it is: a bailout of the banks at the expense of the taxpayers.

For the period after the election, this represents a spark of hope, especially as many voters were "pragmatic" and voted for the establishment parties, will soon be confronted with a brutal reality shock and realize that the politicians lied to them, the Greek bailout being one of the additional burdens to be piled onto taxpayers' backs.