Tag: Angela Merkel

German Politics

Armin Laschet, holding up a mirror to the CDU

Early Saturday morning, 16th January 2021. Across Germany 1001 people look into their bathroom mirrors, wipe their eyes. And Armin Laschet stares back. And then, suitably refreshed, they each settle down in front of their laptops, and vote for Laschet as the new party leader of the CDU. Or, to […]

German Politics

The Martin Schulz bounce

What is going on in German politics, just 7 months ahead of the 24th September Bundestag election? How can a party, the SPD – that was consistently 10 points behind the CDU in the polls – suddenly be running neck and neck with Angela Merkel’s party? This graph from Wikipedia […]

EU Politics

The European Commission is up to its neck in the VW scandal, but for reasons a little more complex than the press is reporting

The FT wrote yesterday how the European Commissioners Janez Potočnik (then with the Environment portfolio) and Antonio Tajani (then with the Industry portfolio) both knew in 2013 about potential differences between car emissions in real conditions and in lab tests. “There are widespread concerns that performance [of cars] has been […]

EU Politics

Reinfeldt, Merkel, Cameron and Rutte in a boat – a roundup

So embattled Swedish PM Reinfeldt invited Merkel, Cameron and Rutte to Harpsund and took them out in a small rowing boat (news summary here), and let photographers take pictures of this. Here’s the original: The Junckermonster – my own effort Putin, via @GeneralBoles Breaking apart, via @Spacexecadet Sinking, via @JOR_ID Just […]

EU Politics

Gender balance at #EPPdublin

Europe’s Centre Right, the EPP, is holding its Congress yesterday and today in Dublin. Details about it here. Via @AnneLaumen on Twitter I was alerted to today’s speaker line up. Here’s an illustration of those speakers.