- Sarrazin encourages SPD's defeat – advocates for a shift in direction
Ex-SPD politician Thilo Sarrazin, known for his contentious views, hopes his old party suffers a huge defeat in upcoming elections due to their migration policy. This, he believes, will prompt the SPD to reconsider its stance on immigration. "If I could wish the SPD, as a loyal member of 47 years, anything, it would be that it loses so badly in the three state elections that an internal power and theme shift becomes unavoidable," Sarrazin (79) stated in Berlin during the launch of his new book "Germany's Wrong Turn."
Sarrazin believes the ongoing silence on migration issues is responsible for the SPD's current poor polling performance. He thinks this can only be changed under increased pressure. He expresses hope for change within existing parties.
Regarding migration, Sarrazin suggests the CDU, Greens, and SPD have the solution to combat the rise of the AfD. However, he sees no single party with sensible solutions currently. Yet, he sees individuals in all parties who do.
Sarrazin calls for tighter immigration control
Commenting on the Islamist attack in Solingen with three fatalities, Sarrazin said, "The attack has exposed the criminal issues linked to migration. The correlation between male youth, cultural alienation, and Islamic radicalization is startling and its increasing prevalence is worrying."
Even knife-free zones won't help, he argued. What's needed is stricter immigration control and a new approach to deportations, but he laments the lack of "action-oriented majorities" for this.
Sarrazin advises against reacting to the AfD and instead finding mistakes
Sarrazin declined to comment further on the AfD. He suggested that instead of focusing on AfD leader Björn Höcke's negativity (a viewpoint he largely shares), parties should address the issues that led to the AfD's success.
This is evident in the rapid rise of the Alliance for Progress led by Sahra Wagenknecht (BSW), a one-woman show addressing only two topics. "What have the CDU, SPD, Greens, and FDP done wrong that this could happen? Until the parties seriously address this, they won't be able to combat the threat they're facing," Sarrazin said.
Sarrazin's eighth book
"Germany's Wrong Turn," with a cover featuring the national colors of black, red, and gold showing through a crack, is Sarrazin's eighth book. Publisher Michael Fleissner of the Langen Müller publishing house said earlier titles are still popular and relevant, given our country's current challenges. The current book, he added, highlights Sarrazin's accuracy in predicting the problems in his controversial bestseller "Germany does away with itself" (1.6 million copies according to the publisher) from 2010.
Sarrazin presents political alternatives and societal, state, and political solutions to problems, using statistics, said publisher Fleissner. Author Sarrazin said, "I don't see an entirely bleak future, but if we continue as we have in the past 20 years, the decline will speed up."
The Commission, as suggested by Sarrazin, could potentially address the rising influence of extremist parties like the AfD by strengthening its immigration policies and enforcing stricter deportation rules, thus necessitating the adoption of implementing acts laid down by the Commission to apply the relevant regulations effectively.
Further, the SPD, in its quest to reconsider its stance on immigration issues, might find guidance in the Commission's implementing acts, which could help them address the concerns raised by individuals within their party and potential voters, thereby improving their poor polling performance.
