Author Topic: Merkel to be Germany’s first woman chancellor (Read 660 times)

Toad · « **on:** October 10, 2005, 12:44:11 PM »

Merkel to be Germany’s first woman chancellor

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Under the agreement, which ends a three-week political deadlock, Merkel would have to give most of the seats in the new Cabinet to Schroeder’s Social Democrats as the price of governing, including top jobs such as foreign minister....

...Merkel’s forces have 226 votes in the 614-seat parliament, while the Social Democrats have 222. A coalition needs 308 seats for a majority.

So she is Chancellor but her Cabinet is mostly Schroeder. Parliament is pretty much a tie between the two.

It sounds a bit like "stalemate" but maybe they'll find a way to work together. Like our Senate.

leitwolf · « **Reply #1 on:** October 10, 2005, 06:38:24 PM »

A woman as chancellor has a nice touch.. but why on earth did we vote such an ugly one into office?
Not a smart move - she'll be in the news every day .. four tough years..

On a more serious note, she really needs to read up on Thatcher .. in recent years she had a hard time keeping her own party members in line and with what should've been the opposition in parliament as member of her own government i fear she might not last very long. She already had to concede most of the positions of the new government to the Social Democrats, a sign of things to come.

beet1e · « **Reply #2 on:** October 11, 2005, 06:36:33 AM »

Let's hope she's as good as Britain's first woman PM.

lazs2 · « **Reply #3 on:** October 11, 2005, 08:08:23 AM »

See rule # 5

beet1e · « **Reply #4 on:** October 11, 2005, 09:41:56 AM »

Lazs, all you really need to know is that Germany's gun control is even tighter than Britain's. That should help you decide.

Masherbrum · « **Reply #5 on:** October 11, 2005, 09:44:23 AM »

Why is that most women politician's have faces that can make a Bulldog wail?

Karaya

FiLtH · « **Reply #6 on:** October 11, 2005, 11:44:25 AM »

All those years of "takin it" left a permanent grimace on their mugs

lazs2 · « **Reply #7 on:** October 11, 2005, 02:24:40 PM »

well.... hitler was the inovator for government control and confiscation useing the big con about how gun control was for your own good..

before that governments admited that they were doing it to protect themselves from you.

disarming the jews was a masterstroke in the history of genocide.

lazs

Fishu · « **Reply #8 on:** October 11, 2005, 08:54:06 PM »

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Originally posted by leitwolf
A woman as chancellor has a nice touch.. but why on earth did we vote such an ugly one into office?
Not a smart move - she'll be in the news every day .. four tough years..

At least you can expect something from the ugly ones.
We finns do have an ex-miss as a culture minister.. makes up for the looks, but is dumb and naive stupid b****.

Redwing · « **Reply #9 on:** October 12, 2005, 06:04:37 AM »

Interesting times ahead it seems.
Both major parties have been blockading each other (and the reforms this country needs) for 20 years. Now they're going to have to work together in a combined effort, I hope it'll work out.

lasz, think of our social democrats as an equivalent to your democratic party. You'd probably call em commies, but at least they're not planning to take this away:

lazs2 · « **Reply #10 on:** October 12, 2005, 08:11:43 AM »

is that the autobahn? I have heard that it is getting more and more restricted... that is a shame.

I will guarentee that if you let the commie democrats in that they will eventually make that road 55 mph (for your own good). It might be ten years and it might be longer but the nannies will take more and more from you.... so slowly that you.... no... your kids.. will hardly notice. You will be an old man telling your kids that there was an autobahn and that it really was a good thing... they will call you a dinosaur and antisocial.

lazs

Hangtime · « **Reply #11 on:** October 12, 2005, 09:18:50 AM »

Too late Laz. The Autobahn of legend with unlimited speeds has been largely nutered. There's still a few stretches where you can unwind, but for the vast majority of the road network there's a speed limit. We have more road miles of unlimited (unenforced) high speed roads in Nevada and Wyoming than they do in all of europe now.

beet1e · « **Reply #12 on:** October 12, 2005, 10:44:37 AM »

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Originally posted by lazs2
I will guarentee that if you let the commie democrats in that they will eventually make that road 55 mph

like all US roads were from 1975-1981?

J_A_B · « **Reply #13 on:** October 12, 2005, 11:46:49 AM »

I'm surprised Schroeder backed down. He didn't seem like the sort who would give up power so easily.

The 55 MPH US speed law was in response to the 70's gas problems, not "for our own safety".

J_A_B

beet1e · « **Reply #14 on:** October 12, 2005, 12:44:16 PM »

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Originally posted by J_A_B
The 55 MPH US speed law was in response to the 70's gas problems, not "for our own safety".

I never said it was a safety issue, and left out that little bit of Lazs's text.

The German autobahn tended to have a speed limit of 120km/h on the 2-lane sections, but no limit on the 3-lane sections. I last drove in Germany this year, when I was attending the Eurocon.