Beware the Merkon

GNUS INTERNATIONAL

By George (or should that be Georg?) she's got it!

Like a celebrity marriage, I give it six weeks. But I'm usually wrong about these things. To begin to conceive how difficult it is, imagine that the Tories were to go into coalition with New Labour, with Blair begging for a post in the cabinet.

About the only thing the CDU-CSU and the SPD will agree on will be the welfare and labour reforms. All those Germans who were opposed to such reforms will find themselves in a situation where they either get what they didn't want (if the SPD get their way) or get it much worse (if the CDU get theirs).

Still, it's just as likely that the whole of government will be so trapped in deadlock that nothing will happen - the status quo (no, I don't think I want to talk about Status Quo after their recent revelations, or I'll start to feel ill) will prevail and the German economy will continue to sink slowly down the toilet (which a Polish plumber will come and unblock at some point). Perhaps those Germans aren't so daft after all...

My biggest sadness is that we are now once again in a situation where no Greens have a share of any government in Europe.

(NoseMonkey doesn't know what to make of it, either. Fistful of Euros comments that no one can see Schröder just walking away and adds that the Grand Coalition "might bring the worst of both worlds". We shall see. As for Merkel, I wonder how long her humourless, strident character will prevail when she is forced to negotiate and compromise all the time. Imagine Thatcher having to do that... Actually, I'm quite enjoying that thought...)