S8 Ep198: Judy Dempsey. Judy Dempsey details the pressure on Friedrich Merz's coalition from the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), describing the anti-immigrant party as "biting at the heels" of the government. With the AfD polling closely behind, Dempsey hi
The John Batchelor Show
John Batchelor
4.5 • 2.8K Ratings
🗓️ 17 December 2025
⏱️ 2 minutes
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Summary
1870 AND THE SIEGE OF PARIS
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | This is John Batchel, speaking with colleague Judy Dempsey in Berlin of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. |
| 0:07.1 | We talk about the challenge to the coalition led by Friedrich Meritz in the Bundestag. |
| 0:13.8 | And Judy uses a wonderful, vivid image of how AFD, the anti-immigrant, anti-NATO, anti-EU, anti-America Party, is, quote, |
| 0:25.4 | biting at the heels of the coalition. |
| 0:28.8 | The coalition is moving as best it can, taking up in a different direction about immigration, |
| 0:41.5 | and certainly for the coalition, which has here before been silent about the overwhelming immigration story that AFD has prospered on by telling |
| 0:48.7 | people that the immigrants should go and there should be no more immigrants. |
| 0:54.0 | It's severe language. |
| 0:56.9 | Biting at the heels. |
| 0:58.2 | Here's duty to explain. |
| 1:00.0 | And the clock is running. |
| 1:01.7 | There are elections coming, always. |
| 1:05.6 | More of this tonight. |
| 1:08.4 | Well, I wish the Bundestag did move. |
| 1:10.8 | When you mean the Bundestag, you mean the coalition, |
| 1:13.3 | that they have to really, really understand that who's biting at their heels |
| 1:19.9 | and it's the alternative for Georgetown. |
| 1:21.8 | This far right-wing anti-immigration party, by the way, |
| 1:27.8 | anti-immigration is now |
| 1:29.3 | increasingly common |
| 1:31.0 | even among the established political parties |
| 1:33.3 | across Europe. But |
... |
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