Jürgen Rüttgers, the powerful governor of North Rhine-Westphalia, currently holds the reins of German politics. He doesn't want anyone rocking the boat before crucial state elections in May and is hampering much-needed reforms. He could even pose a challenge to Chancellor Angela Merkel. It isn't hard to get the prominent German politician Jürgen Rüttgers angry. In fact, all it takes is a single question, as a recent incident showed. Rüttgers, who is the conservative governor of Germany's most populous state, North Rhine-Westphalia, had just schmoozed his way through his party's New Year's reception in the city of Gelsenkirchen. "Nice to see you," he said enthusiastically to his guests, speaking in the local dialect of German. Rüttgers was playing the role of the patriarchal state governor with gusto, showing that he was ready to listen to anyone, even for the head of the local community garden association.
It isn't hard to get the prominent German politician Jürgen Rüttgers angry. In fact, all it takes is a single question, as a recent incident showed.
Rüttgers, who is the conservative governor of Germany's most populous state, North Rhine-Westphalia, had just schmoozed his way through his party's New Year's reception in the city of Gelsenkirchen. "Nice to see you," he said enthusiastically to his guests, speaking in the local dialect of German. Rüttgers was playing the role of the patriarchal state governor with gusto, showing that he was ready to listen to anyone, even for the head of the local community garden association.
Rüttgers is far from being the brightest light in the chandelier, but he's pretty far left for the CDU (otherwise he'd never have made the grade here in NRW). Plus, as Spiegel noted, he's looking at a reelection battle. So
hampering much-needed reforms
Really means "hampering neolib reforms".
It should be noted that there is a strain of Catholic labor activism in Germany which is rooted in the Rhineland. So Rüttgers is not necessarily entirely insincere in opposing a neolib agenda. The fact is that what we're experiencing right now is a top-down disaster. -Paul Krugman
On the other hand, this was Rüttgers too.
*Lunatic*, n. One whose delusions are out of fashion.
There's worse further down.
Chancellor Angela Merkel has made a deal with Rüttgers, based on the following principle: the party comes first, then Germany. Merkel wants to make sure that no unpopular decisions are made before the early summer.
So unpopular decisions mean putting Germany first... Yet another nice illustration for the fact that neoliberal reformism is anti-democratic. *Lunatic*, n. One whose delusions are out of fashion.
