Final Word from Monday, November 4, 2024

German Finance Min. Christian Lindner, who also heads FDP, caused a ruckus late last week by drafting a Concept for Growth and Intergenerational Equity that challenges some of the polices of the coalition headed by Chancellor Olaf Scholz of SPD. It calls for such things as tax cuts and fiscal responsibility. In an interview with Der Spiegel, Lindner dismissed speculation of early elections on March 9. This episode came as tension also mounts in the Czech ruling coalition. Ever since Pres. Petr Pavel helped oust the Pirates, STAN has been rising in the polls, and it's now repeating some of its earlier criticism of the way the Scholz-like Petr Fiala is running the show. It's probably just a coincidence that STAN's new colors from earlier this year match those of FDP and that Lindner and STAN Chair Vít Rakušan are similar in some ways, but when Der Spiegel writes that new elections in Germany can't come soon enough, it's probably wise to start thinking about what Rakušan might be inspired to do next. [ Czech Republic traffic-light fresh parliamentary premature guardian agreement ]