Germany moving more to the right is good

This is not about EFN conference, rather about EFN main sponsor, the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom (FNF) and Germany.

Last Sunday night, September 24, I joined FNF-PH officials and other friends in watching WAHL2017 live on tv, Germany’s Bundestag/Parliamentary elections, at the German Club in Makati City. The event was jointly organized by the four German political foundations in Manila — Konrad Adenauer (KAF, affiliated with CDU), Hans Seidell (HSF, also affiliated with CDU/CSU), Friedrich Ebertt (FES, affiliated with SPD), and FNF (affiliated with FDP).

Hours before the official start of elections in Germany, this was among the forecasted results.

http://notrickszone.com/2017/09/24/germany-expected-to-shift-to-the-right-in-todays-national-elections-green-energies-to-take-back-seat/#sthash.gT1rlwGa.dpbs

Actual results were:

CDU/CSU center right – 33.0%
SPD socialist – 20.5
AfD hard right – 12.6
FDP free democrats – 10.7
Linke/Left – 9.1
Greens – 8.9
Others– 5.0

No Tricks Zone blog owner Pierre Gosselin wrote,

“The big winners are the business-friendly libertarian FDP Free Democrats and the right wing AfD…. The shift to the right means that the brakes are likely going to be put on the Energiewende and on efforts “to rescue the climate”. FDP leader Christian Lindner has been a vocal opponent to onshore wind park approvals in rural areas and forests and has also been critical of the subsidies paid out to green energies… The Greens have said they will accept being a coalition partner only if the CDU agrees to end coal power by 2030, a condition that hopefully the FDP will refuse.”

— http://notrickszone.com/2017/09/24/germany-shifts-to-the-right-may-mean-significant-slowdown-for-countrys-green-energies/#sthash.nXusXhTS.OkUEKNpC.dpbs

This is from The Economist, September 25:

“the “Germany for optimists” is the more accurate. The election result is unsettling on several fronts, deeply so where the AfD is concerned. But much of Germany’s pre-election tranquility was illusory anyway. The anger had been building for years; the AfD’s success has just brought it to the surface, where perhaps it can even be understood and addressed. Questions that were going unanswered, tensions that were going unconfronted, now brook no oversight.”

FDP and AfD as net gainers, the latter especially (first joined the elections just 4 years ago and got 4.8%, this year got 12.6%). FDP is pro-business, pro-liberalization, pro-energy realism. AfD is wild right and definitely anti-left. Germany is indeed moving right, which is the right thing to do. The lefties — SPD, Greens, Linke/left — are transitioning towards becoming marginal parties in the near future.

Thanks to Wolfgang Heinze, FNF PH Country Director for inviting me that night. He’s speaking here, introducing FNF and its main advocacies and activities in the Philippines.

I enjoyed German sausage, other food, plus beer that night. Thanks again to FNF for the invite.

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Jules Maaten’s lecture on liberalism

* Originally posted on May 11, 2014.

This is not an EFN Asia event, but FNF-PH Country Director Jules Maaten gave a very informative lecture last May 06 evening at our Rotary Club (RC) Taguig Fort Bonifacio, along with RC Makati Pio del Pilar.

Not many people were able to come though although they really wanted to hear Jules’ talk. Like at least three from the Initiatives for Filipino Liberty (IFL) group, at least three from our club, and so on.

At the onset, Jules defined Liberalism as:

* It is the philosophy of liberty
* It is a philosophy of empowerment
* Origin in protecting the individual against institutions of power.

This quote from JS Mill, among the classical thinkers of liberal philosophy, is clear and direct.

Then Jules specified how the  philosophy is applied, Liberalism in Politics:
* Protection of individual rights
* Equality of all human beings under the law
* Balance and separation of powers
* Belief in liberal representative democracy
* Balance between majority rule and the rights of the minority
* Weary of (state) authority, but state is rights guarantor
* Limitation and decentralisation of government powers
* Separation of church and state.

I like this quote from my favorite economist and philosopher, F. Hayek. Yes, allow people to decide things for themselves, to make mistakes, to excel.

Then he discussed what is Liberalism in Economics:

* Belief in free enterprise and free markets with many players
* Protection of private property
* Support for free trade
* Privatisation of services better provided by the private sector
* Competition, no private monopolies
* Role for state where market does not function (education, environment, culture, social policies)
* Don’t leave debts to future generations.

The last item is important. As Germany and many European and rich economies go deeper and deeper in public debt, with huge interest payment annually, the economic freedom and well being of the future generation is heavily compromised.

“The end of law is not to abolish or restrain, but to preserve and enlarge freedom. For in all the states of created beings capable of law, where there is no law, there is no freedom.” — John Locke (1960)

John Locke is among the classical thinkers advocating individual freedom and limiting the role and intervention power of government. Then Jules discussed the broader application of Liberalism in Society:

* Protection and expansion of civil rights and liberties
* Free speech, religious freedom and freedom of association
* A free, strong and active civil society
* Personal freedom, social inclusion and tolerance
* Equal rights for everybody
* Protection of our environment and that of our children.

Thus, Liberalism is a Way of Life:

* Trust and confidence in people
* Responsibility
* Tolerance and respect
* Question authority
* Unconvinced by violence and extremism
* Conviction and argument
* Optimism

It’s all about Freedom.

Then he introduced the work of the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom (FNF) in the Philippines. Including their work in sponsoring “Freedom Run” in several cities in the country, from Metro Manila down to the Visayas and Mindanao.

Next subject he tackled was German Politics. He said that the Merkel era (2005 to present) is a “Beacon of stability” and how the Free Democratic Party (FDP), the German political party where the FNF is affiliated, was able to partner with the Merkel government over the past few years. The 2009 election was the biggest achievement of the FDP as it got nearly 15 percent of the total votes.

In the 2013 elections though, FDP lost, it failed to get the minimum 5 percent of total votes to have seats in the Parliament, a first since WW2. FDP is now in extra-parliamentarian opposition.

Jules broadened the discussion to include European Politics. Germany is at the centre of the most successful international project ever, the creation of the European Union: Economic, Monetary and Political union.

But recently, there have been dissociation from Europeans. Like moves in some countries to get out of the Euro, get out of the monetary union and the ECB, and re-establish their own national currencies. There will be a European Elections this coming May 22-25, 2014.

Jules was a former Member of the European Parliament (MEP) from 2001-2009.

The discussion during the open forum was lively and diverse. From philosophy to Europe to Philippine politics and the PNoy Aquino government.

Awarding of Certificate of Appreciation by First Class President (FCP) Maryann de Leon of RCTFB and FCP Dess Madsen of RCMPP, to the left of Jules respectively. Jules’ pretty wife Eva Maaten, to his right, and our District Cluster Assistant Governor Chary Mesa (in red dress) joined.

Jules also enjoyed the night. While he has spoken at the European Parliament, in various fora in Europe and Asia, it was his first time to speak before rotary clubs.

Thanks again for that very educational evening Jules. The full presentation plus photos is available here in slideshare.