14 May, 2012

German Hollandaise

A bad night for Mrs Merkel, with her CDU having its worst result in Nord-Rhein Westfalia (NRW) since the war. NRW is the most populous region in Germany.

Norbert Roettgen, CDU leader in NRW, fell on his sword. He had been regarded as heir apparent to Mrs Merkel. The region, or Land, is now governed by a clear SPD-Green majority, led by Hannelore Kraft, who is now being openly described as a competitor to Mrs Merkel in next year's national elections.

Other fallout has been that the Greens in Germany are saying that the austerity must end, and the PdL and IdV in Italy are warning Mario Monti that he too must change.

This is rather as forecast. Hollande-ism is sweeping Europe, and we haven't seen the end of it yet.

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