Maggie of Mecklenburg

摘要

Aspectre haunts Germany: of a handbag. Ever since Angela Merkel, leader of the opposition Christian Democrats, recast herself as a radical reformer, the talk has been of a new Margaret Thatcher. Britain's former prime minister gets more credit now than she did when she was in office in the 19805, with some pundits calling for a German iron lady. Can Mrs Merkel be an Etserne Damel This is no academic question. On October 17th, the lower house of parliament, the Bundestag, narrowly approved parts of Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder's Agenda 2010 reforms. The fate of these reforms is now up to the opposition, which has a majority in the upper house, the Bundesrat. The Christian Democrats also look good for the next election, in 2006: recent polls give them twice as much support as Mr Schroder's Social Democrats.