German Papers Selling Themselves in Berlin
Beneath the surface, there's a lot of frustration, uncertainty and fear among members of Angela Merkel's Christian Democrats (CDU), Edmund Stoiber's Christian Social Union (CSU) and outgoing Chancellor Gerhard Schröder's Social Democrats (SPD). Frustration at having had to make big compromises in the coalition talks, uncertainty about whether former rivals will be able to work together amid the attrition of everyday government, and fear of the public response to the unpopular tax hikes they have just agreed.
In the face of stinging criticism of the program from business leaders and party members, Angela Merkel has decided attack is the best defence. It's time to stop talking everything down and to show a bit of "reverence" for the people who spent many hours thinking about how to get Germany moving forward again, she told a gathering of her Christian Democrats on Monday.
Berliner Zeitung thinks asking for "reverence" is a bit cheeky. Not even Helmut Kohl went that far in his 16 years in power, and he wasn't exactly timid. "Angela Merkel hasn't been Chancellor for a second yet and she's already asking her party members for reverence - what will she be demanding of us, the citizens?" asks the newspaper. "What will she demand when she's actually done something?"
Business daily Financial Times Deutschland says the party conferences nodded through the government program with little or no dissent because public pressure on them is so intense. "Despite the clear votes at the party conferences of CDU, CSU and SPD there's an unmistakeable sense of exhaustion. The scars of the fierce election battles and power struggles are far from healed," the newspaper writes. "Public opinion and inner fears are no lasting glue to keep the coalition together, neither is the sweet taste of imminent power. The fat party conference majorities are misleading: the grand coalition has yet to find the strength that will keep it together in the longer term."
Left-wing Die Tageszeitung focuses on the SPD conference which turned into an emotional farewell party for Gerhard Schröder. The recent leadership crisis that prompted Franz Müntefering to resign as chairman seemed forgotten, and amid all the applause, tears and gratitude, even critics of the program voted in favour of it. "It would be fatal to mistake such behaviour with professionalism and to think everything's all right again now," writes the paper. "It would be professional to deal with the causes of such a crisis." No lessons have been learned and the party is storing up problems for its new leader Matthias Platzeck, says Tageszeitung.
Centre-left daily Süddeutsche Zeitung says regional elections in three states next year could shift the balance of power in the grand coalition and undermine the confidence the three parties are trying to instil in themselves with their overwhelming backing for policies many members don't agree with. "If support for the two main parties crumbles in these state elections, so will the false sense of security they wallowed in at their conferences," writes the paper.
Tabloid Bild points out that the SPD's applause for Schröder rings hollow given that the party drove him from power by refusing to back his reform policies. "Schröder opened the SPD's eyes and forced the country and the party onto the path of reform. In return the party drove him away, first from the chairmanship and then from the chancellery. It was partly a guilty conscience that made the party applaud its chancellor with such unrestrained fervor yesterday. Now, that it's too late for Schröder."
