Trump is probably smiling…..
Chancellor Angela Merkel, who staked her legacy on welcoming hundreds of thousands of migrants into Germany, agreed on Monday to build border camps for asylum-seekers and to tighten the border with Austria in a political deal to save her government.
It was a spectacular turnabout for a leader who has been seen as the standard-bearer of the liberal European order but who has come under intense pressure at home from the far right and from conservatives in her governing coalition over her migration policy.
Although the move to appease the conservatives exposed her growing political weakness, Ms. Merkel will limp on as chancellor. For how long is unclear. The nationalism and anti-migrant sentiment that has challenged multilateralism elsewhere in Europe is taking root — fast — in mainstream German politics.
Ms. Merkel agreed to the latest policy after an insurrection over migration policy led by her interior minister, Horst Seehofer, threatened to bring down her coalition…..
According to Wikipedia (after a little rummaging around), the current German Bundestag is composed of the following parties:
153 SPD (Social Democrats)
200 CDU (Christian Democrats)
353 SPD + CDU subtotal
46 CSU (Christian Social Union, the CDU’s Bavarian allies)
310 Opposition parties (92 Alternative for Germany/AfD, 80 Free Democrats/FDP, 69 the Lefts, 67 the Greens, and 2 independents).
Had Herr Seehofer and the CSU left the government for the opposition, the CDU/SPD coalition would have had only 353 deputies out of 709 while their opponents wold have climbed from 310 to 356.
What was left of the Grand Coalition would have had to try and stumble through as a minority government, dependent on support or abstentions on each vote from at least some deputies outside the CDU and SPD — and always facing the threat of losing a particular vote or worse a vote that amounted to a Vote of Confidence.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bundestag
The main thing is for several years while the fight against ISIS was going on in Africa and the Middle East?
Tens of thousand’s where displaced and marched to Europe….
Merkel and others took the view that these people needed help….
As you and I have pointed out….
Bush/American and Allies actions in those area’s where a contributing factor (Colin Powell….”you break it…you own it’)….
While the US accepts MORE immigrants OVER all….
Several European countries , smaller, have begun to have political issue’s with immigration, no doubt after listening to Trump do HIS sidewalk act here….
Remember….
Several European countries have had violence committed by immigrants …And some of the immigrants have settled into enclaves separate from the main stream in the countries they have settled…
Merkel has agreed to cut back on the refugee ‘s even as their numbers have declined….
As I commented …
Trump and Miller have to be smiling…