Honeymoon Is Over As Coalition Turns On Merkel

The Telegraph (UK) ^ | 7-1-2006 | Kate Connolly

[blam]

Honeymoon is over as coalition turns on Merkel

By Kate Connolly in Berlin
(Filed: 01/07/2006)

Angela Merkel is facing a revolt from within her grand coalition government just seven months after she became Germany's first woman premier.

While the Chancellor has been basking in the success of staging the World Cup finals, cracks have begun showing in the government reforms seen as vital to the country's economic stability, but which have split the ruling parties.

Angela Merkel has said Germany is in 'dire need of restructuring'

The revolt burst into the open when Peter Struck, the parliamentary leader of the Social Democrats (SPD), angered Mrs Merkel and her Christian Democrats (CDU) by saying that she lacked the decisiveness of her predecessor, Gerhard Schröder. His comments won the support of parliamentary colleagues.

At Easter, when relations still seemed to be smooth, Mr Struck presented Mrs Merkel, 51, with a chocolate rabbit. But his recent comments have been interpreted as a sign that the government's honeymoon period is over.

Mrs Merkel reprimanded Mr Struck at a meeting of the ruling parties. It was reported that when Mr Struck defended himself by saying that he had otherwise expressed the positive aspects of working with Mrs Merkel, she responded: "I couldn't give a damn."

A coalition member told the Berliner Zeitung newspaper that the meeting was "very loud" and that the icy atmosphere in the coalition was akin to the recent World Cup match between Holland and Portugal, at which the referee handed out a record number of yellow and red cards.

Mrs Merkel has, in turn, upset her ruling partners by telling industry leaders that Germany is in "dire need of restructuring", which was interpreted by the SPD as criticism of the way that it steered Germany as the leading party in the previous government.

The row comes at a time when Mrs Merkel has to deliver domestic reforms if she wants to be taken seriously at home, having spent most of her time in office concentrating on foreign affairs. But with her coalition in such serious disarray it is questionable whether she will achieve all her goals.

The most widespread reforms to have been carried out for years are due to be agreed before parliament's summer recess. Mrs Merkel's main projects concern health care and corporate tax. She has staked her reputation on pushing them through as quickly as possible. An overhaul of the federal system was passed by the Bundestag yesterday, but only after SPD threats to jeopardise the vote were withdrawn.

Despite scepticism when she entered office last December that she had the leadership qualities for the job, Mrs Merkel has enjoyed record popularity ratings comparable with those of her illustrious predecessors, Konrad Adenauer and Willy Brandt.

But the nation's patience has been growing thin, with government initiatives to increase taxes and other belt-tightening measures but no feeling yet among citizens that the reforms are working. Unemployment remains high and economic growth slow.

[Owl558]

"Mrs Merkel's main projects concern health care and corporate tax."

Is she going to get more reforms or will Germany flounder along until the government falls and new elections held?

[Torie]

How long did it take to recover from the excesses of Johnson's guns and butter, and War on Poverty run wild? I guess the German's have caught the American disease among some of instant gratification.

[encm(ss)]

This news story is vanilla. It attracted me to read. I have read and don't know a thing more from the story. Odd.

[R.W.Ratikal]

And that is the great weakness of parliamentary governments, they usually last only as long as a coalition can hold together.

Coalitions are, by definition, temporary. Merkel "won" only because her enemies joined with her to form a coalition government.

Germany is a socialist nation. (Germany was the birth place of socialism in the early 19th century).

With the help of the U.S. Germany was able to recover after WWII despite its socialist tendencies. It became so strong that it successfully resisted the ravages of collectivism until wave after wave of immigrants attached themselves to the welfare rolls. Riders in the wagon now outnumber those pushing it.

The present government under Merkel is falling apart because under socialism government must keep up the flow of goodies to the people until it collapses under its own weight.

[stylin19a]

with government initiatives to increase taxes...

yup...that always works....

[Owl558]

"I have read and don't know a thing more from the story."

The picture tells you what you're supposed to take away from the story.