Damien McGuinness

That's the danger that Friedrich Merz has undergone, that he has decided since a number of attacks over the past month involving suspects who are asylum seekers, that migration is the top concern of voters. And he has put it at the top of the agenda for his election campaign. And since then, it's all people have been talking about. It's a risky strategy.

And I think it seems to have backfired today in Parliament, at least for the Conservative leader, possibly not for the AFD, though.

And I think it seems to have backfired today in Parliament, at least for the Conservative leader, possibly not for the AFD, though.

That's right. Right now, his party, the Conservative CDU, is leading in the polls at around 30 percent. But they have been slipping. And that's another reason why it appears that he's getting more hardline and migration. He feels that's how he can boost his numbers in the polls.

That's right. Right now, his party, the Conservative CDU, is leading in the polls at around 30 percent. But they have been slipping. And that's another reason why it appears that he's getting more hardline and migration. He feels that's how he can boost his numbers in the polls.

The key thing, though, Valerie, I think what this week also shows is this is a fight for the soul of the Conservative Party, because this is traditionally a broad church party. with a more moderate wing and a more right wing, conservative wing. And Friedrich Merz personifies the more right wing of the party. And the former chancellor, Angela Merkel, is the figurehead for the more centrist wing.

The key thing, though, Valerie, I think what this week also shows is this is a fight for the soul of the Conservative Party, because this is traditionally a broad church party. with a more moderate wing and a more right wing, conservative wing. And Friedrich Merz personifies the more right wing of the party. And the former chancellor, Angela Merkel, is the figurehead for the more centrist wing.

And that's potentially also why he lost the vote today. Because yesterday, Angela Merkel very unusually intervened in German politics and came out and said that what Friedrich Merz is doing, the leader of her own party, is wrong.

And that's potentially also why he lost the vote today. Because yesterday, Angela Merkel very unusually intervened in German politics and came out and said that what Friedrich Merz is doing, the leader of her own party, is wrong.

Yeah. And I think Germany has been a cause of concern for a while now because for the past couple of years, it's been led by a very argumentative government, a three-way coalition. Three very different parties pulling in different directions. And that's been one of the reasons why it's been hard to get agreement within Germany on certain issues.

Yeah. And I think Germany has been a cause of concern for a while now because for the past couple of years, it's been led by a very argumentative government, a three-way coalition. Three very different parties pulling in different directions. And that's been one of the reasons why it's been hard to get agreement within Germany on certain issues.

But it's also made it hard to do certain things on an EU level. So I think most EU leaders are looking at Germany and thinking, OK, whoever is going to be the next chancellor, we're really hoping for a more assertive, more unified government where at least we know what the results are going to be.

But it's also made it hard to do certain things on an EU level. So I think most EU leaders are looking at Germany and thinking, OK, whoever is going to be the next chancellor, we're really hoping for a more assertive, more unified government where at least we know what the results are going to be.

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Well, what officials have now told us is that at least two people have been killed, one of them a small child, one of them an adult, and it's thought that as many as 70 people could be injured, possibly 15 seriously injured. But of course, when you're talking about such large numbers, there's a lot of A lot of things that are unclear. You know, this is an ongoing situation, really.

Well, what officials have now told us is that at least two people have been killed, one of them a small child, one of them an adult, and it's thought that as many as 70 people could be injured, possibly 15 seriously injured. But of course, when you're talking about such large numbers, there's a lot of A lot of things that are unclear. You know, this is an ongoing situation, really.

The whole area has been secured off now. The suspected perpetrator has been arrested and officials are describing this as an attack because the numbers are so big of people involved. It does sound like and it does seem, according to what police have been saying, that this was indeed a deliberate act. And it was a hired car that he drove into crowds at the Christmas market.

The whole area has been secured off now. The suspected perpetrator has been arrested and officials are describing this as an attack because the numbers are so big of people involved. It does sound like and it does seem, according to what police have been saying, that this was indeed a deliberate act. And it was a hired car that he drove into crowds at the Christmas market.

And I think that's what's really shocked people. You know, it's a time when people would be relaxing and enjoying the festive season. And Christmas markets are, of course, a big tradition across the country. And, you know, that just makes this an even more horrendous and horrific situation for all those involved.