German Rage Finds an Outlet

Germany finally elects a Eurosceptic. Bürger in Wut (BIW) is a new German political party, (its name translates roughly as Citizens in Rage) of a Eurocritical bent.

They stood for election earlier this year in the Free Hanseatic City of Bremen as it calls itself. The Bremen Parliament (Bürgerschaft) has a twin role as the elected City Council of Bremen (Stadtbürgerschaft) and the Parliament of the State of Bremen (Landtag). It has 83 members (68 from Bremen and 15 from Bremerhaven). The 68 members elected in the city of Bremen have a dual mandate: They are Members of Parliament and Members of the City Council.

BIW also participated but missed the 5 % minimum required by a single vote getting 4.998%. However there were some complaints about the way the election was handled and there was a re-election in one ward Bremerhaven on 6th July 2008. In this ward district BIW picked up 27% of the votes, so that the total result is 5,29 percent, that means one seat in the Bremen parliament. Jan Timke, as the BIW top candidate, will be taking up his seat soon.

That movement

@ kappert

 

Just like their German pacifist counterparts, perhaps the Timkes put their faith/hope  in the words of that famous English saying, "Great oaks from little acorns grow".

movement

The raging citizens of Bremerhaven are a couple. Jan Timke's wife is number two of the 'movement'. The party achieved a total of 0,9% in the Land Bremen and is only represented in Bremerhaven with its highlight in Eckernfeld (27,6%). The party's programme contains the struggle for human rights in Russia, a Turk-free Europe, as well as the 'compulsive introduction of emetics' against 'potential drug dealers'. Further they proclaim the 'Anschluss' of Bremerhaven to the Land Niedersachsen and a new car plate for Bremerhaven. A 'Bürgerpaß' as civil identification for natives, is also desired. 'Zero tolerance' and more police forces an obvious matter. It is a follow-up party of Ronald Schill's 'Partei Rechtsstaatlicher Offensive'. Curiously, this one emigrated to Cuba and then to Brazil. In March 2008, the German tabloid 'Bild' reported that they were in possession of a video showing Schill consuming cocaine in Brazil. In the video he stated that as a judge he had regularly meted out harsher punishments to blacks, whom he disliked intensely.