Ulrich Siegmund Leads AfD to Election Victory in Saxony-Anhalt

Ulrich Siegmund has led the AfD to an election victory in Saxony-Anhalt, campaigning with a friendly grin and Simson motorcycle rides. The win raises the question of how much of the outcome is genuinely "East German" and how much is myth and attempted explanation. Social problems in the East are more concentrated and more "narratable," yet they exist no less in the Ruhr region, in Lower Bavaria, and even in wealthy Baden-Württemberg. People who feel left behind, stripped of dignity, and cheated of their future and sense of meaning — even by a system they themselves eagerly helped push toward radicalism. More than ever, the principle holds: anyone who speaks of fascism must not remain silent about capitalism. The AfD relates to digital neoliberalism as historical fascism related to industrial capitalism. A moderate course under Siegmund could prove a boomerang, and a look at other European countries shows why. The full analysis appears in the current issue of the publication.