Super-Sarko frightens the Germans [Burst of business and political confidence puts Merkel in shade]

The Times ^ | 8/12/2007 | Matthew Campbell

[Michael81Dus]

Merkel is a fish and neither left nor right. Apparently she wants to keep Turkey out of the EU but is all for continuing the negotiations. Apparently she is for a higher general self-responsibility but barely manages to reject the most outrageous leftist claims for higher welfare.

Look, I don´t know how much you´re familiar with German politics, but your observation sounds, as if you miss some important facts. In Germany - unlike in France, Britain or the US - we have a parliament that is elected accordingly to the votes a party gained, and not by majority vote. So, a party with 6% of the votes gets 6% of the seats in parliament, even though none of its candidates reached a majority in a district. Therefore, we have five parties in parliament, and the only acceptable option for a coalition in 2005 was a get-together for the CDU/CSU and Schröder´s SPD. It´s like the Republicans being forced to build a government with Democrats! Therefore, the Chancellor cannot really do what she wants. She is forced to moderate, and her capabilities were seen only in foreign politics. Merkel is the most popular politician in Germany with an approval rate of 75-80%. I wouldn´t mind if her rate was lower, but if she could do some real change, especially in the health sector, the employment laws, nuclear energy or taxes.