What would Van Pelt say?
First he had to play catcher for a losing team. Then he had to worry about Lucy chasing him around while he played Beethoven on his very small piano. No wonder Schroeder reacted like this:
Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, who has led Germany since 1998, said for the first time on Wednesday he would not play a role in the next government, in an emotional farewell including broadsides at the United States and Britain....
He quickly composed himself, hitting his stride in a passionate defense of a strong German state and lashing out at "Anglo-Saxon" economic policies favoured in Britain and the United States, which he said had "no chance" in Europe.
In an apparent reference to Hurricane Katrina, Schroeder castigated Washington for liberal, hands-off policies that left it exposed in times of crisis....
"I do not want to name any catastrophes where you can see what happens if organised state action is absent. I could name countries, but the position I still hold forbids it, but everyone knows I mean America," he said to loud applause....
Schroeder clashed with Britain and Washington in the run-up to the 2003 Iraq invasion and has been at odds with British Prime Minister Tony Blair over the direction of European economic policy.
Blair has urged European Union countries to cut back state influence on the economy, running into fierce opposition from both Schroeder and his ally, French President Jacques Chirac.
Schroeder stressed the importance of the Franco-German link in his speech, saying it was crucial for the defense of Europe's social model....
The SPD and the conservatives are due to start formal coalition talks from next Monday. Schroeder will participate in those negotiations, which are due to conclude by November 12.
His withdrawal, while not unexpected, is nevertheless a blow to the SPD, which is likely to struggle to fill the void their most charismatic figure leaves behind him.
Schroeder has not given any signs of what he could do next, although companies could be keen to make use of his connections and deal-making skills, which he used as chancellor to secure lucrative deals for German industry.
Comments