Two European Union member countries held elections this past weekend and the results are just beginning to come into focus.

From my cynical viewpoint, they look pretty darn good.

First up were regional elections in Germany. I’ve tried to keep you all up on the general deep sense of dissatisfaction with the way Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s Green coalition has been forcing German citizens and their economy into NetZero naught land. These regional contests in two of the bigger, wealthier states in the country – Bavaria and Hesse – were going to be a prime test for how the wind might be blowing for the Green mandates of Vice-Chancellor Robert Habeck and his enviro-toadies.

Ballots are finally tallied and survey says?

Not looking so popular.

Bavaria election results: Scholz coalition dealt a blow

After key regional elections on Sunday in Germany conservatives and right-wing populists are celebrating.

But the results are a blow for all three parties in Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s left-wing-led national coalition. The ramifications will be felt across Germany.

…In both regions, conservative and right-wing populist parties used the election campaign to bash Olaf Scholz’s national government over migration and energy policy. It paid off.

Ah. Getting him on immigration, too? I can see where that would resonate with the same people frustrated over their botching of German energy resources. It seems to have surprised election watchers that the topics most voters were concerned with were national, vice regional, but I’m not sure why.

…The topics that dominated the debate in both elections were predominately national, not regional. In an unusually ferocious campaign in Bavaria, conservatives and right-wingers railed against Berlin’s plans to phase out fossil fuel boilers and high levels of migration.

While the centrist premier of Hesse portrayed himself as the stable conservative answer to the “left-wing-Green chaos” in Berlin.

And again, as here, the powers that be in Berlin are simply befuddled by a populace that doesn’t see how good they’ve got it. Berlin is baffled by the disconnect between what their bureaucracy figures are telling them versus what Herr Hans und Frau Gertrude are grousing about in the local Hofbräuhaus. It’s amazing the parallels with #Bidenomics here. Watching from here. (and more than once) I’ve documented the forecast for negative growth in the German GPD (only one in the G7), and the looming deindustrialization Germany is facing on top of – and because of – their soaring energy costs and lack of technological adroitness.

But to the German hierarchy, everything’s copasetic, and they cannot understand how dummkopf voters don’t feel it.

…Despite predictions of doom, unemployment has remained low, the country pivoted away from Russian energy and inflation has stabilised.

In many ways, Germany has coped well. But as Sunday’s elections showed, that’s not the feeling of many voters.

These are the start-up regionals to the national elections in 2025, and have put Scholz and his coalition in a tough spot already with the losses. If voters going forward continue to pummel the Greens and their partners, there may be a sea change in German policies even before the nationals simply because Scholz no longer has enough seats to maintain his own position.

The other interesting round of voting was a general election in the richest of the EU members, Luxembourg. And this was for the whole enchilada.

How that go?

“Painful” is a great word.

Luxembourg’s Prime Minister Xavier Bettel will have to consider a new coalition amid painful losses by his Green governing partner in Sunday’s national elections https://t.co/XhPgcQL2n6 via @bpolitics

— Stéphanie Bodoni (@StephanieBodoni) October 9, 2023

So Luxembourg’s Prime Minister Xavier Bettel’s “Green” coalition took a shellacking at the ballot box. Even Politico EU is being snarky about him looking for a new gig at EU headquarters with all the other now-unemployed “former” head of state supplicants.

Luxembourg’s center-right Christian Social People’s Party (CSV) emerged as the clear winner in Sunday’s general election, while Prime Minister Xavier Bettel’s ruling liberal coalition suffered major losses, failing to secure a clear majority.

The CSV ranked first with 29 percent of the vote, winning 21 out of 60 seats.

The outgoing coalition, made up of the Greens, the Socialists and the liberal Democratic Party, only secured 29 seats, falling narrowly short of a majority as the Greens sustained the loss of five seats.

The results put the CSV in a strong position to lead a coalition government, with negotiations set to begin as soon as Monday.

…Bettel, whose Democratic Party secured 14 seats and who could soon join the ranks of former European leaders aiming for a top Brussels job, said he was willing to remain in government even without being prime minister.

Along with NetZero hanging over everyone’s heads, security was also a big issue for voters, which helped that conservative lean to the right.

…The right-wing Alternative Democratic Reform party (ARD) also made gains, winning an extra seat and becoming the fourth political force in the country, in an election where security-related issues were high on voters’ agenda.

“Security” could be code for “immigration induced issues.”

Besides a shifting of seats, what does it mean for policy going forward?

…In Luxembourg, the swings were also mostly small, but included a gain for the conservatives matched with a dramatic loss for the Greens. Bloomberg reports on October 8 that the long-time ruling coalition of Democrats, Socialists and Greens got “toppled.” In a parliament of 60, the Conservatives upped their total to 21 seats, while the Greens went from 9 seats to just 4. The result is likely to be a governing coalition of the conservatives with other parties, but excluding the Greens, which could mean a significant shift in green energy policies.

WAVE G’BYE, GREENS

Within 48 hours of writing this the Green party was routed in Luxembourg general election and German Greens lost ground in regional elections in Hesse and Bavaria, two of Germany’s richest states. https://t.co/jTz2GpsuKW

— Andrew Neil (@afneil) October 9, 2023

I would like to point out one interesting party in the Luxembourg election scramble – one I think I could really get behind, and they actually made picked up another seat.

They interviewed Sven Clement, captain of The Pirate Party – yes, that’s what they’re called – and he sounds arghuably enthusiastic about their gains.

Sven Clement (Piratepartei)
What is your analysis of tonight’s election results?

“The Pirates are up by 50%. Voters are confirming us as an opposition force to check the government.”

…You were betting on six MEPs. Aren’t you disappointed?

“You have to make do with what you have… I was very pleased with the third seat we snagged in the North. A seat that literally fell at the last polling station, on the last ballot paper.”

“Now that there are three of us, there will be more questions and interpellations in the Chamber of Deputies.”

Sven should be Prime Minister – I can visualize it.. Dollars to donuts, he could really lay the law down – straighten that scurvy crew out.

“Batten down the hatches, ye bilge-sucking Frog biscuit eaters! No more Green hornswagglin’ allowed!“

We need a Pirate Party here, stat.