4 ms·

As a person, she's extremely obstinate. For a leader, this trait can be advantageous - after all, who wants a leader who changes their minds all the time - but

As a person, she's extremely obstinate. For a leader, this trait can be advantageous - after all, who wants a leader who changes their minds all the time - but for the rest of Europe it's a curse. Somehow she is unable to admit she made some serious mistakes, and we're all suffering because of it.

deleted 9y ago
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isolli 9y ago
Agreed. While I have only respect for her, I'm afraid that through ignorance and rigidity her policy choices during the Eurozone crisis have set European integration back a generation.
oarfish 9y ago
Well it rather seems she changes her mind all the time. You can find various compilations of instances where she doubled back on earlier statements (sometime from years ago, but still). I get the impression she is extremely opportunistic, at least on a larger scale.
- Flockster 9y ago
  Wasn't it at the WH Correspondants Dinner, where Colbert said to Bush: "He believes the same thing Wednesday, that he believed on Monday, no matter what happened Tuesday. Events can change, this man’s beliefs never will." I really have a hard time blaming someone for changing views over a legislative period of more than 12 years.
- qznc 9y ago
  Is that a bad thing? As the chancellor for all of Germany, her job is to act in favor of as much of the population as possible.
lispm 9y ago
That's actually the opposite of the perception of Angela Merkel in Germany. In Germany she is seen as populist, because she changes her mind quite often or waits until the public opinion is clear. Only in the refugee crisis, she was seen as following moral principles having not made any concessions to right wing politics (which earned her a lot of respect and a lot of hate). Make no mistake, generally her team is very accurately tracking public opinion.
- kleiba 9y ago
  A politician who implements the public opinion? Shocking!
- dvfjsdhgfv 9y ago
  > she was seen as following moral principles having not made any concessions to right wing politics Well, Bavarians might disagree with both "moral principles" and "right wing". Especially CDU is hardly "right wing".
  - busemann 9y ago
    Our Marxist-Leninist party in Germany has recently put up election posters that read "Rechtsruck der Regierung stoppen!" - basically "Stop the government's swing to the right!". I really have no idea what they are talking about, considering our "conservative" government ruling party is now pushing far-left open border policies, unlimited migrant and refugee intake, gay marriage recently passed under their government and they implemented minimum wage laws. The CDU has never moved as far left before as they are right now.
  - lispm 9y ago
    > moral principles Some Bavarian politicians may have other moral principles. But Merkel defended the German constitution which has no limit for asylum seekers and she also followed her christian upbringing. THE whole CDU is clearly not right anymore, but take Erika Steinbach as an example of the (former) right wing. Or the critics from the CSU. There is also a large group of voters right from CDU/CSU - a voter domain which other politicians from CDU/CSU also claim(ed) for themselves. Politicians from the CDU moved to the AFD ... a prominent example is Alexander Gauland, who was 40 years member of the CDU.
jonathanstrange 9y ago
Well, political opinions differ. I personally don't think Merkel has made any mistakes whatsoever. If the elections were only about the main candidates, I'd definitely have voted for her in the next election (have already voted). She seems to be the only person left in charge who takes basic human rights and humanist values seriously; for everyone else they seem to be only important as a lip service and as long as they are convenient.
odiroot 9y ago
But Merkel does indeed change her mind all the time. Not even trying to be judgmental but her politics are really populist. She has not a clearly defined platform, just whatever is agreeable with the electorate.
pgeorgi 9y ago
> who changes their minds all the time Like cancelling the 2002 nuclear shutdown deal in 2010 and then reenacting a new, poorly planned one in 2011 because a plant several thousand miles away ran into issues?
gozur88 9y ago
As I recall she didn't want to shut down Germany's nuclear industry, but was dragged there by the voting public. It's pretty difficult for stubborn people to be successful politicians in a parliamentary democracy.

deleted 9y ago

[deleted]

isolli 9y ago

Agreed. While I have only respect for her, I'm afraid that through ignorance and rigidity her policy choices during the Eurozone crisis have set European integration back a generation.

oarfish 9y ago

Well it rather seems she changes her mind all the time. You can find various compilations of instances where she doubled back on earlier statements (sometime from years ago, but still). I get the impression she is extremely opportunistic, at least on a larger scale.

Flockster 9y ago
Wasn't it at the WH Correspondants Dinner, where Colbert said to Bush: "He believes the same thing Wednesday, that he believed on Monday, no matter what happened Tuesday. Events can change, this man’s beliefs never will." I really have a hard time blaming someone for changing views over a legislative period of more than 12 years.
qznc 9y ago
Is that a bad thing? As the chancellor for all of Germany, her job is to act in favor of as much of the population as possible.

lispm 9y ago

That's actually the opposite of the perception of Angela Merkel in Germany. In Germany she is seen as populist, because she changes her mind quite often or waits until the public opinion is clear. Only in the refugee crisis, she was seen as following moral principles having not made any concessions to right wing politics (which earned her a lot of respect and a lot of hate). Make no mistake, generally her team is very accurately tracking public opinion.

kleiba 9y ago
A politician who implements the public opinion? Shocking!
dvfjsdhgfv 9y ago
> she was seen as following moral principles having not made any concessions to right wing politics Well, Bavarians might disagree with both "moral principles" and "right wing". Especially CDU is hardly "right wing".
- busemann 9y ago
  Our Marxist-Leninist party in Germany has recently put up election posters that read "Rechtsruck der Regierung stoppen!" - basically "Stop the government's swing to the right!". I really have no idea what they are talking about, considering our "conservative" government ruling party is now pushing far-left open border policies, unlimited migrant and refugee intake, gay marriage recently passed under their government and they implemented minimum wage laws. The CDU has never moved as far left before as they are right now.
- lispm 9y ago
  > moral principles Some Bavarian politicians may have other moral principles. But Merkel defended the German constitution which has no limit for asylum seekers and she also followed her christian upbringing. THE whole CDU is clearly not right anymore, but take Erika Steinbach as an example of the (former) right wing. Or the critics from the CSU. There is also a large group of voters right from CDU/CSU - a voter domain which other politicians from CDU/CSU also claim(ed) for themselves. Politicians from the CDU moved to the AFD ... a prominent example is Alexander Gauland, who was 40 years member of the CDU.

jonathanstrange 9y ago

Well, political opinions differ. I personally don't think Merkel has made any mistakes whatsoever. If the elections were only about the main candidates, I'd definitely have voted for her in the next election (have already voted). She seems to be the only person left in charge who takes basic human rights and humanist values seriously; for everyone else they seem to be only important as a lip service and as long as they are convenient.

odiroot 9y ago

But Merkel does indeed change her mind all the time. Not even trying to be judgmental but her politics are really populist. She has not a clearly defined platform, just whatever is agreeable with the electorate.

pgeorgi 9y ago

> who changes their minds all the time Like cancelling the 2002 nuclear shutdown deal in 2010 and then reenacting a new, poorly planned one in 2011 because a plant several thousand miles away ran into issues?

gozur88 9y ago

As I recall she didn't want to shut down Germany's nuclear industry, but was dragged there by the voting public. It's pretty difficult for stubborn people to be successful politicians in a parliamentary democracy.