Too Clever By Half.

The shape of the universe.

“Most mornings I learn more from New Items than I do from all of the traditional papers I read combined.” — Michael Blair, Lecturer in Law at Columbia Law School and former presiding partner, Debevoise & Plimpton.

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1. Eurointelligence:

It’s happening today. The entire German establishment, the media, even churches, are in universal condemnation of Friedrich Merz trying to break out of the centrist consensus that has been governing Germany since 2005 by proposing a motion that aligns the CDU/CSU with the far-right AfD.

Today, the Bundestag will vote on two motions on migration policy. One is a motion on closing the borders to potential asylum seekers. The other is a legislation Merz proposed on Friday on the withdrawal of German citizenship for immigrants who commit crimes. The AfD will support all motions. This is the first time that the CDU is pressing ahead with a motion and legislation that is supported by the AfD.

Today’s two motions are about the rejection of all asylum seekers at the German border, and the mandatory imprisonment of everybody earmarked for deportation who is not willing to go voluntarily, or whose deportation is held up in the courts. There is a possibility that the migration motion today will pass with the votes of the CDU/CSU, AfD and FDP. The ten MPs of the Wagenknecht party may end up holding the balance. They may, or may not, support the former motion. They said they will reject the latter. The FDP will also reject the second motion on imprisonment. So the only motion that stands any chance of success is the rejection of asylum seekers at the borders.

Today’s motion are not legislation. They are expressions of political will. And therefore they form part of the election campaign. The motions allow Merz to demonstrate that he is serious. The entirety of the package is indistinguishable from the AfD’s own immigration agenda.