AHC and WI: Socialists Win in Germany 2005 and France 2007

What would qualify as a stimulus? Like them or ot, the current U.S. administration seems not to have a consistent definition for that term.

I'm thinking more about what Europe would do than what America may do differently -- I'm getting this from stories nearly three years old now -- but I believe there was talk in the EU of doing something like 200 billion euros as a package for the continent, on top of more local stimulus efforts.
 
I think that a coalition that would have involved the SPD, the Greens and DieLinke/WASG would have been impossible. The winning margin of CDU/CSU was very small in 2005 and easily could have been reverted to a winning SPD - a grand, SPD-led coalition would be the conclusion.

Oh, and please. The SPD is not socialist. It is social democratic - to most of its members, including me, this differentiation is very important.
 
Oh, and please. The SPD is not socialist. It is social democratic - to most of its members, including me, this differentiation is very important.

My bad :eek: -- I've heard social democracy described as a subset of socialism, though I understand others feel differently; also "Socialists in Germany and France" is shorter than "German Social Democrats and French Socialists".

In this scenario, if the 'yes' wins, Raffarin would not resign and would remain Prime Minister.

Wow, so the UMP nomination battle would be between Sarkozy and Raffarin (instead of Villepin).
 

Archibald

Banned
Good point about Raffarin. But I still think the man was quite worn out, he was mocked by many. I think it was time for a prime minister change - Raffarin was a joke.
JFP: I can't see Raffarin against Sarkozy in January 2007. No way.

Edit: I didn't remembered the infamous "the yes need the no, to win, against the no" - man, that was hilarious. To the Guignols, Raffarin was a godsend. At times he had speaking blunders much like the best (or worst ?) american Vice President.

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2st7y_raffarin-to-win_music

Edit 2 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_regional_elections,_2004

That was quite a disaster for the french Right - quite simply they lost 20 out of 22 regions to the Left. This should have been the end of Raffarin, yet Chirac let him agonize 15 more months, up to the Consitution disaster. For the sake of the OP, Raffarin could be sacked in Mars 2004, and replaced by Villepin at that moment.
Of course the longer Villepin is prime minister, the more the risk he also blunder - as he blundered on the CPE, i.e resisting too long and burning his presidential hopes in the battle.
 
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For the sake of the OP, Raffarin could be sacked in Mars 2004, and replaced by Villepin at that moment.
Of course the longer Villepin is prime minister, the more the risk he also blunder - as he blundered on the CPE, i.e resisting too long and burning his presidential hopes in the battle.

I was kind of hoping for a TL with all the (initial) PoDs in 2005 -- does Villepin need to become PM this year or earlier to stand a chance against Sarkozy? If so, would a yes on EUCR actually end up effectively Nikolai has an even easier time getting the nomination than OTL?
 

Archibald

Banned
I still think Raffarin, even with a victory of the "yes" is still burned out as of June 2005. Three years is a long time for a prime minister, and Raffarin was more dead than alive at the time.
After all in my little scenario it is Jospin that made the yes a winner, not Raffarin globbledygook (win the yes, need the no, to win, ayan the no)
 
I still think Raffarin, even with a victory of the "yes" is still burned out as of June 2005. Three years is a long time for a prime minister, and Raffarin was more dead than alive at the time.
After all in my little scenario it is Jospin that made the yes a winner, not Raffarin globbledygook (win the yes, need the no, to win, ayan the no)

Actually, had a thought -- if Raffarin's the one who's PM in March 2006, wouldn't he be the one to get burned from the whole CPE Affair... followed by Villepin, who's record going into 2007 is much cleaner?
 
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