Blackberry season in the east

Blackberry season: In Brandenburg, Thuringia and Saxony, the dark fruits are currently booming among politicians. The old fruit variety is normally harvested well into October. In a political context, however, the harvest is likely to take place at the end of the year or even later.

A possible alliance between the CDU, SPD and the Sahra Wagenknecht (BSW) coalition has been referred to as a "blackberry coalition" for several weeks. Whether such coalitions will actually be formed is still up in the air. However, at least in Thuringia and Saxony, a start has been made. In Thuringia, exploratory talks have already been agreed. But there is still a lot of "gardening" to be done.

Until now, the media and party researchers have used the names of countries and their flags to find a name for a coalition. The Jamaica coalition stands for an alliance between the CDU, Greens and FDP. It was first mentioned in Germany in 2005. The first Kenya coalition of the CDU/CSU, Greens and SPD came into being in Saxony-Anhalt in 2016 and was imitated in Brandenburg and Saxony in 2019.

However, in the case of the current constellations, the color spectrum for national flags is exhausted. As there is no country in the world that uses the colors black (for the CDU), red (for the SPD) and purple (for the Sahra Wagenknecht alliance) together in its flag, nature must now be used.

Fruit shows the party colors as it ripens

The blackberry serves as a namesake because the fruit shows the party colors of the potential coalition partners at different stages of ripeness. The term "blackberry coalition" is attributed to party researcher Karl-Rudolf Korte. The professor from the University of Duisburg-Essen used the term in an essay with theses on the state elections in the east.

According to survey results, it was already expected at the time that the BSW would play an important role in the formation of governments in eastern German states from then on. Where the left-wing party once enjoyed the status of a popular party and even came into government, its decline opened up space for something new.

Fertilization is advisable on sandy soils

In fact, the BSW achieved double-digit results in Brandenburg, Saxony and Thuringia from a standing start and will inevitably be represented in the cabinet of the three states in the event of a majority government. This is because the CDU/CSU has ruled out alliances with the AfD. In Brandenburg, the BSW recently achieved 13.5 percent of the second votes, in Saxony and Thuringia it was previously 11.8 and 15.8 respectively.

In all three states, a continuation of the previous alliance is no longer possible. In Thuringia and Brandenburg, the Green coalition partner was lost because it no longer made it into the state parliament. In Saxony, the Greens are now too weak. In Brandenburg, the Greens are no longer in the state parliament and the election winner, the SPD, is dependent on the BSW - because the CDU alone is not enough.

If you look up blackberries in the gardening guide, you will find a wealth of tips. Blackberries, which belong to the rose family, are relatively undemanding. On very sandy soils - as in Brandenburg - some fertilization is recommended. Otherwise, the blackberry loves the sun, but in any case the blackberry bush should be cared for. After all, this also applies to a coalition in which the partners hold different views on many points.