Gustave, you are right to put the 'frontal assault on the jumbo' in a context of two parties struggling for political leverage.
However, it seems that while Eurpean and international politics is most important for the discussion on this international thread, it is not for the political parties in Germany.
For the current government, as well for the previous one, domestic power struggle by means of changes in taxes and social security to gain support by public majorities is determinng their political future. Foreign policy is background music, although it adds to the public image of any top politician to be active in 'international affairs'.
Mutual mudslinging is a function of the internal power struggle - and maybe more than any time I can remember, it is a sign of concernedness that the political choices the government made and is planning to do the in the future are to unpopular to prevail in public discussion; that therefore the focus of public interest has to be diverted to a field that is not central to the decisions to be taken.
The government parties' objective was to stymify the opposition after their dramatic gains in state elections since Nov.98 (the date of the article you presented) - and that had clearly not come about by changes in the language the chancellor uses in international politics - and to catch them in a long-term uphill battle for public image.
I guess the scheme was successful in both counts. The recent broadening of allegations to include present CDU party president W.Schaeuble could be repudiated, but only awkwarkdly - aliquid semper haeret (and maybe in this case, rightfully).
Anyway, have you heard anything about Daniel Cohn-Bendit lately? Is he contacting German Greens over jurisdiction in cases of havary in international seas, and consequent oil disasters?
Regards MNI. |
