Merkel Responds to Euro Crisis by Shifting Left

[arikara]

Source: spiegel

Chancellor Angela Merkel has performed another big U-turn by calling for a minimum wage, which she had opposed until now. She is sharpening her party's social profile in response to the euro crisis -- and, possibly, to secure her power by preparing another 'grand coalition' with the Social Democrats.

Angela Merkel has a reputation for playing the long game. But the German chancellor is no stranger to U-turns either, if it serves her political goals. There are some striking examples of Merkel vacating positions that had long been core to the agenda of her conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party.

Mandatory military service, that bedrock of CDU policy for decades? Merkel ditched it last year. Nuclear power? She arranged for an early exit just months after extending the lifetimes of reactors. The three-tiered system of secondary schools? A thing of the past.

And now it's the turn of social policy. At its party congress in November, the CDU plans to pass a motion that has long been the exclusive domain of the left-wing opposition parties: a minimum wage.



Read more: http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/0,1518,795067,00.html

[dipsydoodle]

1. Be interesting to see what figure they use

Uk is about US$ 9.60 hourly rate for adults.

In Germany the average wage seems to be 50000 Euros p.a. Don't know what that converts to in US$s.

[LittleGirl]

4. Xe.com is the best conversion site out there

I'm not sure where you get your figure for Germany...I lived there for 2.5 yrs and there is no minimum wage amount.

50,000 Euros today is about 69,182.00 dollars. That could change if Greece, Italy or Spain defaults.

[iamthebandfanman]

2. glad to hear..

her party has always made me nervous in all honesty

[russspeakeasy]

3. Politicians are the same world wide. Get power, keep power.

[peace frog]

5. We should ask her to have a talk with our Dems

We have more than a few Dems in Congress and the WH who could stand a significant leftward shift, starting with the POTUS.

Forget about the Repubs, they'll gouge out their own eyes, swallow their tongues and cut off all extremities before they take even the tiniest political left turn.