Jobless Germans a political threat

[KiwiCoromandel]

Jobless Germans a political threat

Mar 29, 2005

Wolfgang Tigges hasn't given up hope of finding a job some two years and hundreds of applications after he was laid off, but the 56-year-old has given up on German Chancellor Gerhard and his Social Democrats.

The former purchasing manager had been faithful to the SPD for the last four decades, helping the leftists hold power in the industrial state of North Rhine-Westphalia for 39 years.

But Tigges blames Schroeder and the SPD for not having a job. In North Rhine-Westphalia 1 million people are without work. There are 5.2 million unemployed throughout Germany. Tigges wants to see the SPD punished for that in a May 22 election.

"They're responsible for this mess," he said after another fruitless search for vacancies at the Bochum labour office. "The SPD has abandoned us. They only talk about job creation. They're not doing enough and they're going to pay for it at the election. I'll never vote for the SPD again."

The mood is tense in Germany's most populous state, where voter surveys project the SPD will lose power on May 22.

Anger and frustration have spread over the SPD's inability to stop the jobs haemorrhage. A sharp jump in unemployment has turned the election into a pivotal battle that could shake Schroeder's own government in Berlin.

Although Schroeder warned that statistical changes making the data more transparent would add to the jobless figures, voters in North Rhine-Westphalia were stunned when the state figure soared over 1 million in January -- its highest level since the 1930s.

"Someone has to take the blame and the SPD is as good a target as there is," said Kerstin Doreen, a 24-year-old biology student in Bochum, a grimy Ruhr river valley city of 400,000 that lies 500 km west of Berlin.

She said most people were aware that the January unemployment rise was due to the statistical changes and the counting of those welfare recipients able to work, but added that it didn't matter because the party in power is still responsible.

"It was a shock to see the unemployment numbers up so drastically," said Doreen, who has usually voted SPD in the past. "People are just fed up with the SPD and tired of Schroeder."

Read more........

http://tvnz.co.nz/view/news_world_story_sk...1%3fformat=html

[slum_goddess]

oh boy, where to begin? that's where we were, north rhein/westphalia (bonn)...for almost two years, Chris applied for jobs day/night so we could stay there. one problem i saw, the fact that germans absolutely do not want to give up social benefits they've enjoyed (e.g., like Karnaval, 'the fifth season' where every workplace shuts down for about 8 days and everyone parties in the streets), i was amazed, thinking 'how the hell are they gonna keep the economy going like this?'

plus, around NR/W, the habit is to start your weekend at about 12 on friday....long long holiday weekends and cheap cheap prices for everything does not a strong economy make (or something).

[DudeAsInCool]

plus, around NR/W, the habit is to start your weekend at about 12 on friday....long long holiday weekends and cheap cheap prices for everything does not a strong economy make (or something).

Me thinks SG is turning conservative

[Kooperman]

plus, around NR/W, the habit is to start your weekend at about 12 on friday....long long holiday weekends and cheap cheap prices for everything does not a strong economy make (or something).

Me thinks SG is turning conservative

I'm going to freak if she starts talking trickle-down economics....

[Shawn]

Or Reaganomics.

[slum_goddess]

I'm going to freak if she starts talking trickle-down economics....

hahaha, riiiiiight--i have but one thought about trickle-down anything and it's not vaguely related to economics. :) it's amazing to me that people believed that raygun shite in the first place...the rich just got richer.

the prices are fantastic for clothing and household stuff...everything really. unfortunately we can't shop online at ikea.de or amazon.de anymore--the UK gov't would tax everything sent to us.

what were we talking about again? oh right--jobless germans. our friends there are very very pissed off about this.