ANGELA MERKEL – THE WOMAN WHO REMADE GERMAN POLITICS

DR JOE HAJDU

19 JUNE 2021

This year Angela Merkel will have been the Chancellor of Germany for sixteen years.  The longest period in power of any democratically elected leader in the world.  The leader that many Germans call die Mutter will leave the stage in September 2021.

Dr Joe Hajdu, an academic and author gave the audience a clear, authoritative, and fascinating insight into the labyrinth of German politics. He highlighted the complexity of their system of coalition governments and pointed to Angela Merkel’s skill in managing at times disparate unions of political ideologies.

He described how Angela Merkel rose through the ranks of the CDU from her initial appointment as the Minister for Women’s Affairs to Chancellor. He described Merkel’s personal qualities – fierce intelligence, a scientific approach, a cool, calm manner, and her incorruptibility.  On the latter apparently one commentator noted “to claim that Angela Merkel can be bought is the same as saying The Donald Trump takes his marriage vows seriously”.

Dr Joe Hajdu explained how Merkel’s formidable intellect, leadership skills and  Christian humanism allowed her to achieve much in Germany including: abolition of National Service, support for renewables and the phasing out of coal and a liberal refugee program. None of this was achieved without some criticism. He maintained that Angela Merkel was a shrewd politician and a pragmatist who has been a remarkable leader in Germany and internationally. She is a woman for our time.

Marcel Colman, a Germanophile and U3APP tutor was a very able facilitator of a most fascinating seminar.

To watch the recording of the seminar, click HERE.

Pam Caven, CoM, Working Group

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