THE HINDU Editorial Vocabulary- November 21, 2017- Topic 1

Falling apart — On Germany political crisis

The crisis over government formation in Berlin has raised the possibility of fresh elections in Germany and the ripple effect of instability in the European Union. The breakdown in talks between Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union and potential partners to get the requisite numbers in the Reichstag has dealt a blow to a time-tested post-War model of political compromise and consensus-building. 

A major sticking point in the coalition negotiations among the three ideologically disparate parties — the centre-right CDU, the left-wing Greens and the pro-market Free Democratic Party — was whether the hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees who migrated to Germany should be allowed to bring their families. Curiously, the CDU conceded the extension of the current freeze on family reunion, on the insistence of its sister party, the Christian Social Union. This is a substantial concession from a party that backed the government’s bold decision to open the doors in 2015 to rescue millions who had risked their lives to reach Europe. The Greens, key allies in a potential Jamaica coalition with the conservatives and the FDP, fell in line, despite their humanitarian stance on refugees. But the FDP dug in its heels, demanding the phasing out of a tax to support Germany’s eastern regions. Remarks by its leader that it is better not to govern than govern badly is a measure of the discord during the negotiations.

In this fluid scenario, another general election cannot be ruled out, especially as the centre-left Social Democratic Party has so far foreclosed the possibility of cohabiting with the conservatives in another grand coalition. After it received its worst-ever drubbing in the September elections, the party may be reluctant to revisit its position, lest it risk further erosion of its popular base. But in the unlikely event of it backing the CDU, the Social Democrats may insist on offering support to a candidate other than Ms. Merkel as Chancellor. A minority government led by the CDU is a theoretical possibility, but even the conservatives do not seem to warm up to it. That leaves the President with the responsibility of determining whether fresh elections are the only option. The far right Alternative for Germany, which emerged as the third largest party in the elections, believes it can further consolidate those unprecedented gains — something the mainstream parties will be conscious of during last-ditch attempts to cobble together a coalition. The proof of the efficacy of the German consensus model lay in solidifying the political centre-ground over the decades. The need for a strong middle ground could not be greater than it is at this point. Once the Netherlands and France averted political instability at the hands of populist and eurosceptic parties earlier this year, the outcome in Germany had appeared to be a foregone conclusion. Perhaps not.

Vocabulary

Crisis: a time of intense difficulty, trouble, or danger.

Example: The current economic crisis

Synonyms: emergency, disaster, catastrophe, calamity, predicament

Instability: lack of stability; the state of being unstable.

Example: Political and economic instability

Synonyms: unreliability, uncertainty, unpredictability, insecurity, riskiness

Requisite: made necessary by particular circumstances or regulations.

Example: The application will not be processed until the requisite fee is paid

Synonyms: necessary, required, prerequisite, essential, indispensable, vital

Disparate: essentially different in kind; not allowing comparison.

Example: They inhabit disparate worlds of thought

Synonyms: contrasting, different, differing, dissimilar, unalike, poles apart

Conceded: admit that something is true or valid after first denying or resisting it.

Example: I had to concede that I'd overreacted

Synonyms: admit, acknowledge, accept, allow, grant, recognize

Coalition: an alliance for combined action, especially a temporary alliance of political parties forming a government or of states.

Example: A coalition of conservatives and disaffected Democrats

Synonyms: alliance, union, partnership, bloc, caucus, federation, league

Discord: disagreement between people.

Example: A prosperous family who showed no signs of discord

Synonyms: strife, conflict, friction, hostility, antagonism, antipathy

Foreclose: rule out or prevent a course of action.

Example: The decision effectively foreclosed any possibility of his early rehabilitation

Erosion: the process of eroding or being eroded by wind, water, or other natural agents.

Example: The problem of soil erosion

Insist: demand something forcefully, not accepting refusal.

Example: She insisted on carrying her own bag

Synonyms: demand, command, require, dictate, urge, exhort

Consolidate: combine a number of things into a single more effective or coherent whole.

Example: All manufacturing activities have been consolidated in new premises

Synonyms: combine, unite, merge, integrate, amalgamate, fuse, synthesize

Unprecedent: never done or known before.

Example: The government took the unprecedented step of releasing confidential correspondence

Synonyms: unheard of, unknown, new, novel, groundbreaking, revolutionary

Cobble: roughly assemble or put together something from available parts or elements.

Example: The mayor cobbled together a budget

Avert: prevent or ward off an undesirable occurrence.

Example: Talks failed to avert a rail strike

Synonyms: prevent, avoid, stave off, ward off, forestall, preclude

Foregone: precede in place or time.

Example: So she did his bidding and gave him the cup, which no sooner had he drunk than his head forewent his feet.