First published on my old blog on 10/8/2005. 

Gerhard Schröder is my favourite German politician. If I could vote, I would NOT vote for him. 

That’s the kind of logic we’ve come to expect of you, I hear you mumble. 

Ja, well. No. 

That’s the kind of logic I’ve learnt here in Germany, watching the German voters falling in and out of love with political parties faster than anyone can say “Bundesverfassungsgericht”.  [Read on]

First published on my old blog on 3/8/2005. 

I always thought for Germany the glass was half full. But, today I changed my mind. Now I think the glass is half empty. 

So what? Well, the first describes a positive frame of mind. The second a negative frame of mind. Big difference. In the world of economics – huge.  [Read on]

First published on my old blog on 2/8/2005. 

This is not new, but I thought I should just go on record with it: Objective reporting is a romantic illusion. It doesn’t exist. Not anywhere in the world. Also not at any German and South African newspaper, magazine, or other medium. It doesn’t exist, because it can’t exist. [Read on]

First published on my old blog on 1/8/2005. 

In the past weeks I’ve been unashamedly pro-CDU and anti-SPD. And pro-Merkel. But, I’ve never been anti-Schröder. Although I really should be – to be consistent. [Read on]

This article was first published on 3/6/2005 on my old blog. 

According to today’s edition of the Financial Times Deutschland (FTD) Bundespresident Köhler said it’s far from cut and dry that he will call for parliament to be dissolved and an early election to be called, in the event chancellor Schröder loses the confidence vote on July 1. Well, well. Either Köhler is a lesser man than I thought, or he is just playing to the crowd.  [Read on]

First published on 3/6/2005 on my old blog. 

In the days after it became clear Germany would (or might) be going to the polls in September this year, public polls predicted a comfortable win for the opposition under Angela Merkel. I suspect this “comfortable win” will gradually evolve into “a tight race” as we get closer to election day in September.  [Read on]