Frank Schäffler….EU freedom fighter

Following the Slog piece analysing the situation in Germany today, thanks yet again to the sharp eyes of a Slogger, there comes a new development…..and very interesting it is too.

The piece comes from an Aussie website – Business Observer . I’ve been there before, and always found it interesting. There follows the basis of the piece.

In the past two years, Frank Schaffler – and FDP MP – has come through as the most rebellious MP in the Merkel-created coalition of that Party and her own CDU.

For Schäffler – a neocon economic liberal – the idea of Big Superstate EU is anathema. He has complained about the decline of democratic decision-making in Europe, castigated the ongoing breaches of European treaties, and insisted that risk and liability belong together in the market economy.

I have found a hero.

Frank has voted against every bit of euro-bollocks going through the Bundestag. As time went on, he became increasingly dismayed by the signing away of sovereign status and individual rights. Above all, he was anxious about the EU laws sailing through the legislature …..despite the number of opinion polls showing most Germans were opposed to them.

But being smart and persistent, Schäffler discovered that, if he could get 5 % of all FDP Party members to sign the call for a referendum, the FDP would be forced to let the entire membership decide on policies towards future euro rescue plans. Being an experienced campaigner, Herr Schäffler collected the 3,000 signatures within a couple of weeks. (There were even reports that people quickly joined the FDP just so they could participate in his anti-bailout vote).

FDP Party whips and government ministers now have to explain to supporters all over Germany why the arch-liberal Schäffler is wrong on Europe. If reports from some of the FDP’s internal debates are to be believed, it looks as if Schäffler could narrowly win the referendum. This is more than just idle speculation: eversince its spectacular electoral success at the last General Election in 2009 – at which it scored nearly 15% of the vote – it has plunged to just around 3% in the polls….thanks to support for Merkel’s government. (Does any of this sound familiar?)

So not only might Frank be able to offer his Party a positive – opposition to SPD big-state socialism – he also holds the blackmailer’s hand: if the Party ignores him, they could (literally) be wiped out at the next General Election. Without FDP support, Merkel and Schauble would instantly lose their majority.

If Schäffler’s referendum succeeds, Germany may thus be plunged into political chaos over the Christmas break. This could potentially paralyse policy-making at a time when the dash for EU integration is at its most frenetic.

Isn’t it reassuring to know that bloody irritating little blokes can spoil the bullies’ plans?

The Slog apologises to German readers for the random use of umlauts in this piece. My US-made HP computer doesn’t do umlauts.