Merkel rejects Ahern to urge FG vote

Heinrich

Is this for real? If it is then our Betie must look like a buffoon in the EU. Strange that it only appeared in the Irish Examiner.

http://www.irishexaminer.com/irishexaminer/pages/story.aspx-qqqg=ireland-qqqm=ireland-qqqa=ireland-qqqid=29376-qqqx=1.asp

By Shaun Connolly, Political Correspondent
GERMAN Chancellor Angela Merkel has made an extraordinary intervention into the Irish general election campaign by effectively urging voters to turf her EU partner Taoiseach Bertie Ahern out of power.


In a fulsome public letter of support for Enda Kenny read out at this weekend’s Fine Gael ard fheis, Ms Merkel made it explicitly clear she wanted to see a change of government after the May election.

“I hope that Fine Gael will be successful and will emerge as the strongest force from the election in May and will take over the responsibility of government,” Ms Merkel was quoted as stating in the letter, read out to delegates by Simon Coveney MEP.

Such direct intervention by a major European head of government in another country’s election is extremely unusual and breaks the widely respected diplomatic rule of neutrality in such matters.

Despite Ms Merkel’s Christian Democrats belonging to the same People’s Party block in the European parliament as Fine Gael, her specific endorsement of FG to win the looming, and tightly contested, election is even more of a surprise given her close working relationship with Mr Ahern at EU level.

The chancellor is currently unrivalled as the most influential leader in Europe having just taken over the presidency of the EU after giving Germany much greater weight on the world stage since coming to power in 2005.

Such an intervention by Ms Merkel in France’s closely fought May presidential elections would undoubtedly provoke a major international row.

Fianna Fáil declined to comment on the matter.

lucernarian

Interesting indeed. Thanks for the post.

The million euro question:) is: Will it have any effect on Irish voters, positive or otherwise?

Did she give reasons for her statement aswell?

LostinBlanch

Did she make the statement yesterday morning?

brianthebard

Didn't FG align themselves with the European Centre party a few years back? I thought that would explain it.

SeanW

This sounds like an April fools joke.

ballooba

It's dated April 2nd.

gilroyb

This interjection is about as well reasoned and appropriate as those Guardian readers who sent letters to people in the US urging them to vote for Kerry over Bush... how did that work out again?

I wonder is it like Lorcan Allens letter from Bertie in the last Wexford co co elections ?

Time Magazine

Angela Merkel and members of Fine Gael are in the same party, the European People's Party.

Simple as, really. Shared idealogy.

watty

I can't imagine most people here give two hoot what Merkel thinks, I wonder how many people even know who she is.

I'm despairing of Irish politics. It seems to be a case of leaving out who you hate most and vote the rest with the least objectionable as 1

mr_angry

ballooba wrote:

It's dated April 2nd.

Then its a day late.

lostexpectation

how is that they still have christian in there name??

LostinBlanch

mr_angry wrote:

Then its a day late.

But the quote would have been made on the 1st. Seeing as nothing else has happened today then it must be an April fools. Someone in the examiner must have egg on their face.

kmick

[Sarkasmus]That's going to make a huge difference alright. Angela Merkel is a hero to most Irish people[/Sarkasmus]

InFront

direct intervention by a major European head of government in another country’s election is extremely unusual and breaks the widely respected diplomatic rule of neutrality...

Now that must be sarcasm

darkman2

Ms Merkel made it explicitly clear she wanted to see a change of government after the May election.

WTF......I think we shoud see this as a sign of aggression. They are looking for regime change in Ireland:eek: When is the war going to start;)

Maybe we should kidnap some German sailors:)

J.S. Pill

I think its important to keep a sense of proportion about this. This was, afterall, simply a letter of support that was sent to a sister party. Merkel was hardly calling press conferences in Germany on the uber-evils of FF and Herr Ahern though I'm sure she knew that it would find its way into the public realm.

Didn't Gerhard Schröder address the 2001 Labour (UK) annual conference?
This is the only evidence I can produce for the moment (scroll down to the bottom of the page) - http://www.labour.org.uk/index.php?id=intac05

QUOTE=Heinrich] Strange that it only appeared in the Irish Examiner[/QUOTE]

Is that right? Think they mentioned it again in the examiner today.

ballooba

J.S. Pill wrote:

Is that right? Think they mentioned it again in the examiner today.

Indo too.

Time Magazine

lostexpectation wrote:

how is that they still have christian in there name??

In other countries where 70% of the population declare themselves to be members of a Christian church, calling yourself a Christian Democrat is not frowned upon.

The Christian Democratic Union are currently in power in Germany; Christian Democracy in Italy are perhaps the most successful political organisation in Europe; the European People's Party representative in Sweden is its second largest party; Christian Democratic Appeal is the largest in the Netherlands; Sarkozy's UMP are soon going to hit the headlines in France; the Christian Social People's Party is currently in government in Luxembourg...

Chakar

It'll take a lot more than an endorsement of FG by Merkel to damage relations between the two governments. Its not going to make blind bit of difference to the outcome of the election although I'd say a few people might have not liked it.

upmeath

Don't Fine Gael now describe themselves as Christian Democrats anyway? I think it's slightly wrong amidst all the secularity and political correctness of the EU that major international political alliances are being formed on the basis of creed, it's a little too late for that sort of thing.

brianthebard

Christian Democrats were set up in the mid to late 1800s and since then have evolved into a centre party organisation. Its just a name afaik.