Topic: German Election
Good morning.
I've just read an entertaining, informative article from Der Speigel concerning Angela Merkel, leader of the Christian Democrat Party. I wish I could tell you the difference between them and the Christian Social Party. What's relevant is that she's a candidate for Chancellor in the upcoming German election.
Here's an excerpt describing an all-candidates meeting:
She is here to add some spunk to this convention. She has brought Peter Mueller with her, the Minister President of the state of Saarland. Mueller speaks first. He walks up to the lectern, and the first thing he does is place a glass of beer on it. "Cheers," he says. His voice sounds croaky. He has won over his audience. Almost before he started.
Here's another:
But there is still no welcoming committee. Alice Schwarzer once wrote that men "wouldn't dream of letting somebody without a prick join their pissing contests." Michael Schindhelm says roughly the same thing, albeit differently. "The Union always argues from a position of superiority. Deep down it does not trust East Germans to represent its system. The Union cares about distinction. Angela Merkel was born in 1954. This means that she is deeply entrenched in the history of the GDR."
Canadian politics is every bit as clannish as the next country's. It is common knowledge that the inhabitants west of Kenora are expendable; candidates from Quebec or Ontario may be viewed as suspect depending on who's looking at them.
Posted by Jetta
at 9:16 AM PDT
Updated: Monday, 23 May 2005 9:26 AM PDT
