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Full episode 10.09.10 | 00:30 - 01:00 UTC

People and Politics - The Political Magazine

Full episode

People and Politics - The Political Magazine

Topic

Energy Revolution? The government holds on to nuclear power.

Topic

Thilo Sarrazin, Polemicist or Hero - Do mainstream parties still represent their members?

Topic

Rail Project Stuttgart 21 - The citizens’ revolt

Topic

Fatal Civil Courage - the Dominik Brunner Case

The German government is hailing its newly agreed energy plan as a revolution. But the opposition says it's a disaster because it extends nuclear power use. We also look at the provocative arguments put forward by Bundesbank official Thilo Sarrazin which have divided Germany. More than a few people agree with what he says, but that's not reflected in the main parties.

And in Stuttgart the protests against an ambitious and expensive project to build a new main station underground continue. Finally the killers of Dominic Brunner have been convicted; the debate about civil courage goes on.

Topics

Energy Revolution? The government holds on to nuclear power.

decade ago a Chancellor Gerhard Schröder's SPD-Green government passed a law phasing out nuclear power by 2022. Now Chancellor Angela Merkel's center-right coalition wants to extend that deadline. Her plan would see the last reactors running until 2040 or 2050.

AThe government is celebrating its new energy plan, which also involves heavy investment in renewables, as a revolution. The opposition is up in arms against the plan, and has threatened court action and protests.

Thilo Sarrazin, Polemicist or Hero - Do mainstream parties still represent their members?

The CDU chancellor has sharply criticized him, the SPD and the Bundesbank want to throw him out. The allegations on immigrants put forward by SPD member and Bundesbank official Thilo Sarrazin are divisive.

Many Germans agree in principle with what he says, independent of who they vote for. Some even say they would vote for a Sarrazin party. And Sarrazin is just one example of a grass roots revolt. Do the large parties still represent the views of their members?

Rail Project Stuttgart 21 - The citizens’ revolt

Stuttgart main station is being demolished and rebuilt underground as part of a huge infrastructure project costing billions of euros. But protests have accompanied the arrival of the wrecking ball. Technical studies have been called into doubt, more and more locals are skeptical about the point of the gigantic project.

There's anger and concern among the people of Stuttgart that politicians are ignoring them. A struggle has started - against the station and against a feeling of political helplessness.

Fatal Civil Courage - the Dominik Brunner Case

Last year a 50 year old Munich man died after being beaten when he intervened to protect a group of children threatened by a group of youths.

The two main defendants in the case have been sentenced to long jail terms, one for murder, that other for assault leading to death. The case has lead to a debate in Germany about the importance of civil courage today.