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Merkel Shifting Left to Boost Re-Election Chances
http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/0,1518,826387,00.html
Getting on well: Merkel and DGB trade union federation chief Michael Sommer.
The incident occurred on the Friday before last. It was shortly before midday when the government spokesman lost his bearings. Steffen Seibert had unwittingly put himself in the line of fire.
During a government press conference, a journalist wanted to know how the chancellor felt about the behavior of her coalition partner, the pro-business Free Democratic Party (FDP), which had controversially blocked a plan to set up a so-called "transfer company" to train and find new jobs for the 11,000 employees of the Schlecker drug store chain, which had gone bankrupt. Seibert replied with what he felt was the right answer: "There are reasons for a transfer company, and there are very good reasons against it." That was interpreted as a gesture of support for FDP leader Philipp Rösler. A short time later, the news agencies reported: "Merkel backs Rösler after Schlecker decision."
Something had gone wrong. Was the chancellor siding with Rösler? Was this a sign of indifference towards social justice? That wasn't the message Chancellor Angela Merkel had intended to convey. In fact, she could very well envision a rescue company for the mainly female shop assistants made redundant by Schlecker. The chancellor was worried about the poor Schlecker ladies -- that was the Merkel image her spokesman was meant to spread. Seibert was quickly told to correct the mistake. In the afternoon, he tried desperately to revise his statement. He said that he had been totally misunderstood, and that the chancellor had most certainly not sided with the FDP. But it was too late. The next morning, the Süddeutsche Zeitung ran a cover story titled "Merkel Approves FDP's No to Schlecker."
Fortunately for the chancellor, the government spokesman's slip-up was overshadowed by fresh news on Saturday. On Friday night, her government and local authorities had agreed to a healthy wage hike for public-sector workers. It was much more in keeping with the image Merkel would like to acquire at the moment.