German politics

Merkel counts her blessings

Under fire at home as well as abroad, Angela Merkel fortifies her political base inside the Christian Democrats

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Readers' comments



"But Angela Merkel is undeniably under pressure" Just tell me who isn't under pressure on these days... Seems to me, that TE would be pleased to report that Ms. Merkel is as frightened as Mr. Brown and Mr. Sarkozy are. Instead, she is doing what any sensible household leader should: stop yammering, count your pennies, work hard.


A new Franco-British axis in the making?"Brown and Sarkozy: A potential power duo", swooned John Vinocur of the International Herald Tribune.German Finance Minister Peer Steinbrück was more dismissive. He likened countries such as France and Britain to "lemmings" hurrying down the path to fiscal suicide.

Thinker Mayor

Constraints are just an excuse. If you look back at German history you will see that almost each chancellor was faced with difficult circumstances and still managed to push through. Yes, she does enjoy high approval rating but that says nothing about her accomplishments, Gerhard Schroeder would most likely lose to her in an election but he has shown real guts by introducing the Harz reforms which almost lost him his party. That is true leadership. I fully expect Ms Merkel to go down as one of the wost chancellor's of Germany's history, the time is running out and key reforms need to be implemented. Unfortunately she looks set to win next year's election.
This is not solely about her behaviour during the crisis but during her tenure. Again she has achieved nothing of note, how can anyone support her?
As far as Britain and France are concerned it has to be noted that Germany actually lost political influence during Merkel's tenure, she may be making headlines but the real decicisions are being made elsewhere whilst Germany's concerns may be noted but not taken into account.
On the whole, at least four lost years for Germany.


Merkel is not Obama - that much is clear. And considering her course described as 'timid', aiming at the middle with no political experimentation, her approval ratings and general respect she receives from political friend and foe alike make her a good, maybe even great leader.After the US elections many a commentator asked in Germany, why no Obama existed in Germany, why so few charismatic politicians of that political class existed in Germany. Well, it might all come down to the saying that every democracy receives the leader it deserves - in this case that would speak very positively for Germany, but also illustrate that Germany is not a country where charismatic politicians can thrive - but that quiet, behind-the-scene-maneuvering is rewarded and respected by all, including the electorate.


British Prime Minister Gordon Brown will be meeting with French President Nicolas Sarkozy and EU Commisssion President Jose Manuel Barroso in London on Monday next week, to discuss the current economic crisis.The interesting thing about this meeting is not who will be there, but who will not be there. The one prominent figure who will be absent will be German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who was not even invited to attend the discussion.Is this a calculated affront by France and Britain against "stingy Germany"? Yes, one might think so. It's interesting to see how, in the current crisis, Germany and France are moving more and more apart, whereas France and Britain are moving closer and closer together. On the other hand, this should not come as a surprise, as Gordon Brown and Nicolas Sarlozy seem to share the same belief in the state as a good investor. As for Mr Barroso, he is always content with throwing taxpayers' money about, as long as the EU commission is perceived by European voters as the big crisis manager.Should this be a reason of concern for Merkel?No, it should not. Merkel should stick to her line, and just do what she thinks is right.


The student has become the master...Merkel is the new Kohl. Crisis? What crisis? She's way too timid/scared to make any sort of quick, significant moves. This sort of personal trait might serve you well in calmer times but right now Germany needs a leader who's willing to just take a bit of a gamble. All I know is that I won't give the local CDU candidate my vote in 09. My 2nd vote has always gone to the Free Democrats and I may vote for the local FDP candidate this time around as well, even though he/she won't stand a chance of winning the local seat. And then I hope the FDP may try to enter a coalition with the SPD...after all these days the CDU is just a more socially conservative version of the SPD.


I tend to agree with View Pointer's general assumption. Ms Merkel’s approval rate is almost embarrassing for a democracy. If there would be a direct-election tomorrow, she very likely would catch alone more than the needed 50 percent of the electorate. Her ‘middle of the road’ course makes her selectable for both sides of the centre. She is sure an asset in the hands of the Christian Democrats.

Thinker Mayor might like Ms Merkel to represent and execute more ‘Keynesian’ values, but I doubt that this would be the right thing to do now where she needs the whole country behind her. When it comes to money, all Germans are quite ‘conservative’. And after all, nobody forgets that the crisis started in the US and Britain with a credit crunch – as a result of their citizen's being lured into spending “down to the underwear”, through “zero down mortgages” and the irresponsible spread of credit cards, without any proper background checks. That was never so in Germany.

Thinker Major was probably not aware when he wrote his lines that the parliament just now (yesterday evening) passed a 50-billion-EURO bill over the next two years, besides the 500-billion-offering for rescuing lame banks and backing loans for small and mid-size enterprises. This bill has to be approved today in the Bundesrat (länder chamber). There will be some blanket pulling but eventually it will pass there too.

Plus: The Bavarian CSU continues her heavy pressure for a tax reduction. This we will very likely see when the consumer spending shows clear signs of weakness. ‘Money is as shy as an antelope” goes a German saying. The mood in the country right now is not that of a ‘timid Angela’ at all – this is, last but not least, credited to trust building behaviour of the German Chancellor who doesn’t cry “fire” when the house isn’t burning yet.

View Pointer

Ms Merkel enjoys such high personal approval ratings because she steers a steady, centrist course. During her chancellorship she may not have had huge accomplishments bu this is likely more due to the unique constraints of being aligned with the SPD than her supposed timidness. She probably did the best anyone could have under the circumstances.
The Economist reports that half the electorate would vote for her in a general direct election. From my traveling experiences to Germany, I find that the other half still respect her greatly and generally accept the course she sets. That is amazing in itself and a actually a sign of a great leader. I have not encountered anyone who, while maybe disagreeing with her policies, held a poor opinon of her.

Ms Merkel's cautious course right now may still pay off as Germany's economy is driven largely by exports which are currently getting cheaper outside the Euro zone as the Euro falls in value and as foreign competitors begin falling by the wayside. German business may actual prosper in many specialty areas and that may make economic conditions less harsh there than in other developed countries.

Thinker Mayor

The comment about her having achieved nothing of substance was aimed at the lack of political reforms during her whole tenure and not just the recent two months.
Fair play to her for keeping the books (sort of) balanced but g overnment income has risen, thanks in part to a disgraceful rise of VAT right after the last election.
What Germany needs is a shift in thinking, education and wealth distribution to be able to cope with the future otherwise the financial crisis will be regarded as the starting point of a major decline. Unfortunately there is little sign of it.


The Economist rightly states: “She (Ms Merkel) was helped by a surprisingly bright start to the Christmas shopping season and another drop in unemployment”. The Economist forgot to mention that the budget is nearly balanced too.
I wouldn’t call this exactly, “nothing of substance has been achieved”, as the former commentator put it. - In a world where unemployment grows so dramatically and government debts are sky rocking all around is this at least not worse than other governments performances are. If people right now are spending ‘brightly’ despite the clouds - which is a sign of trust in the government - and the country comes during Christmas season to a devotional halt and some breathtaking anyway, it’s probably better to keep the powder dry for the unknown battles ahead.
And the Linke (Socialists) are foremost eating into the Social Democrat’s cake, as polls show. Not much to be afraid of for “timid Angela” either. It is politically rather wise to cover some of the Social Democrats ground now and not to move too far into the conservative spectrum, since the left voters have a choice (The Linke) what the conservative voters don’t have . . . And if some ‘deserters’ vote Liberal? So what, they are Angie’s dream pets anyway.

Thinker Mayor

'Ms Merkel has come far by steering clear of extremes.'
Actually she has steered clear from anything. During the tenure of the 'grand coalition' nothing of substance has been achieved. Her popularity is down to soft issues, Schroeder's reforms kicking, a favourable press and an SPD that is in an identity crisis that provides no alternative.
The Left Party is here to stay and will take some votes from the SPD, unless the SPD can build a coalition with the SPD/Greens they will have to change their mind towards the Left Party. Germany seems to be leading a bit more towards the left so I can't see CDU/FDP gaining a majority anytime soon.
Bleak times for Germany if this 'grand coalition' has to continue...


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