Search

The article focuses on celebrity politics in Germany and the campaign for the federal election in September 2006. The first lady, Doris Schröder-Köpf, wife of Germany's chancellor, has designed a line of 44 dog accessories. Chancellor Gerhard Schröder has made use of the media to present himself as an enthusiastic father, after adopting an orphan from Russia. When it comes to feeding the media, opposition leaders seem more like amateurs. For most of her tenure as leader of the Christian Democrats, Angela Merkel has refused to talk about her private life. Yet, realising that such reticence could be a handicap, she has started to become more open. However, it is Guido Westerwelle, leader of the Free Democrats and Merkel's most likely coalition partner, for whom being more personal has proved hardest. When he outed himself as gay, he was criticised for exploiting his sexual orientation for political ends. If the candidates' private lives play a big role in the 2006 elections, Merkel and Westerwelle may have a hard time winning. Perhaps more serious campaign issues will emerge.

By taking out an injunction in a German court against a British tabloid for publishing rumours about his private life, Germany's chancellor, Gerhard Schröder, has done nothing to squelch the story, while giving his opponents a chance to froth on one of their favourite subjects--sinister continental threats to ancient British liberties. The 'Mail on Sunday' ran an interview with Schröder's ex-wife about the state of his current marriage. She appeared to confirm rumours that it was on the rocks. It linked the chancellor to a prominent television talk-show presenter. By British standards, it was pretty tame stuff. In Germany, though, standards are different. Reporting of politicians' private lives counts as a scandalous intrusion. Schröder even went to court last year to scotch rumours that his hair colour came out of a bottle. It is the opinion of this author that the injunction against the 'Mail on Sunday' is toothless. The paper did not sell any of the offending copies in Germany, and it does not even have a proper website from which Germans could download the story. Despite the German lawyers' failure even to try to prevent the 'Mail on Sunday' from publishing whatever it likes in Britain, the paper sees the whole business as a terrible warning of the dangers of further European integration.