Dear Reader,
Two weeks ago, upon the launch of Green Chancellor candidate Annalena Baerbock’s new book, I suggested snarkily that she might have done better to follow the dictum that Angela Merkel appears to have appropriated from the British royal family: ‘never complain, never explain.’
Merkel isn’t quite as restrained as the Queen, but she generally limits her contact with the press to a soft summer interview with a public broadcaster. Or if the heat is really on - like at the height of the pandemic - she’ll go on Anne Will’s evening chat show, a television format known for its genteel style.
In some ways, this lack of interest in publicity speaks to Merkel’s greatest strength: her lack of vanity in an ego-driven profession. This is a particular asset in a country that still comes out in hives when politicians bang on about themselves for too long.
On the other hand, the leader of a democratic country should probably explain herself every no…
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