Exploring Schroeder's Insights: The Reality of the "Brandmauer" in Local politics
A Fresh Take
"CDU Likely to Align with AfD"
In the aftermath of the latest elections, the far-right AfD party has become a force to reckon with, boasting a powerful presence in the new Bundestag, with as many as 152 members. However, Professor Wolfgang Schroeder delves into the local level, investigating the so-called "firewall" against the AfD, revealing some intriguing results.
Interview with Professor Schroeder
ntv.de: Herr Schroeder, today we're discussing the normalization of the AfD once more. Aren't we past the point of no return? They're in 14 state parliaments, the European Parliament, and the Bundestag, and they're the strongest force in the RTL and ntv trend barometer.
Schroeder: Indeed, the party has embedded itself and become a significant factor at an empirical level, making it seem like a conventional party. But there's a normative aspect as well. In three states, the Office for the Protection of the Constitution classifies the AfD as securely right-wing extremist. Given our democratic constitution akin to the lessons learned from the Weimar Republic, it's crucial that a party cannot be both extremist and considered normal. Our responsibilities don't fade away.
Cooperation or Collaboration?
In January, the Union accepted a majority with the AfD. CDU leader Friedrich Merz stated it wasn't cooperation. Was he right?
Schroeder: We differentiate between indirect and direct cooperation. It wasn't direct, but there was indirect cooperation. Indirect cooperation makes broader direct cooperation more likely, although a clear separation is difficult.
The Importance of Local Parliaments
Schroeder has conducted a study at the Wissenschaftszentrum Berlin für Sozialforschung, investigating the state of the "firewall" in independent city councils and district assemblies. It's worth focusing on these local parliaments because historically, right-wing extremism has not initially flourished in the Berlin Reichstag; it has thrived in municipalities. The starting point for anti-constitutional movements can be found at this level.
Practical Politics: Socialism and Street Lights
Despite the local parliaments primarily dealing with practical, day-to-day decisions, the importance of maintaining the firewall remains crucial. Even though there's no social democratic or Christian democratic street lighting, as reported by political scientist Eschenburg in the study, the firewall is nevertheless essential. It's about demonstrating one's commitment to ecology, sustainable mobility, and social justice, and these values show in the choices made about building materials, traffic preferences, and who pays the fees.
Cracks in the Firewall
Schroeder's study reveals that in approximately 80 percent of the decisions in district or city councils, there was no cooperation with the AfD. Yet, it does not mean that the wall has significant cracks, but rather it indicates the general distaste for collaboration with the AfD at the local level. There was a misperception in the media that there's no firewall at all on the local level, but it does exist in a fractured form.
East vs West
Surprisingly, Schroeder's study found no significant differences between East and West. In fact, they discovered that there has been significantly more cooperation with the AfD in rural areas compared to cities.
Why the Differences?
It is believed that cultural differences may lie at the root of this discrepancy. Many in rural areas feel that they are left behind by the times, with less practice in compromise and openness to diversity owing to the less pronounced organized world of associations, clubs, and parties.
Collaborators Unveiled
It's worth noting that it's not the CDU that collaborates with the AfD most frequently. Independent councillors or smaller parties tend to be the parties that vote with the AfD the most. Even the SPD, Greens, and The Left occasionally collaborate with the AfD in approximately 20 percent of documented cases.
The Ideological Divide
Schroeder's findings show that the largest block of voting between East and West concerns administrative matters, suggesting that the willingness to compromise on more significant questions is much lower than the 20 percent collaboration rate implies. The vast majority of alliances with the AfD occur on less essential topics.
Enrichment Data:
- While the AfD is broadly ostracized by mainstream parties at the national level, local alliances and voting dynamics vary, particularly in eastern states where the party holds significant influence.
- The Left-populist BSW (Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance), a new left-populist, socially conservative party, is emerging as a parallel anti-establishment force in eastern states, potentially forming future legislative alliances with the AfD.
- Some local CDU members in eastern states have faced scrutiny over informal coordination with the AfD, even when federal-level parties publicly reject collaboration.
- The AfD has an alliance with single-issue movements (such as anti-lockdown groups during COVID-19) and right-wing civic associations at the municipal level, but these are not political parties.
- Mainstream parties formally refuse to collaborate with the AfD, but the BSW's rise may test this dynamic in coming regional elections.
- Professor Schroeder's study indicates a significant presence of the AfD in local parliaments, especially in rural areas, suggesting a historical pattern of right-wing extremism thriving at the municipal level.
- Contrary to media perceptions, Schroeder found that the firewall against the AfD at the local level is fractured but still existent, with approximately 80% of decisions made without AfD cooperation.
- The Left-populist BSW Alliance, a new party, has emerged as a potential legislative ally for the AfD in eastern states, posing a challenge to the established parties.
- While the CDU is generally ostracized by the AfD at the national level, local dynamics vary, with independent councillors or smaller parties often voting with the AfD more frequently than the CDU itself.
- The ideological divide between East and West has been observed in voting patterns, with administrative matters receiving more compromises than significant questions, suggesting a lower willingness to collaborate on crucial issues.
