Signs of hope in the European gloom | Letters
(The Guardian Greece)

Under Chancellor Angela Merkel, the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) has pursued a policy of `social democratisation`. With the adoption of key policies once branded as `left` - phasing out nuclear power, abolition of military conscription, introduction of quotas for women on company boards and establishment of a national minimum wage - she has aimed to win over the more conservative-traditional voters of the Social Democratic party (SPD). So far, this strategy has succeeded.But now SPD chancellor candidate Martin Schulz has been campaigning with the old slogan of `social justice` to win back precisely this group. That the CDU could not prevent the election of SPD candidate Frank-Walter Steinmeier to the presidency of the Federal Republic of Germany (Report, 13 February) could well be a portent for the Bundestag elections this year. Continue reading...