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Article: Twitchy nostrils. (West German Social Democrats) (Europe)
- Article from:
- The Economist (US)
- Article date:
- May 20, 1989
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1989 Economist Newspaper Ltd. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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West German Social Democrats
Twitchy nostrils
FROM OUR BONN CORRESPONDENT
SNIFF the air in West Germany these days and you can smell a government on the rot. The opposition Social Democrats love it. For them the coalition's decay gives off the scent of victory.
The Social Democrats owe much of their revival to their workaholic chairman, Mr Hans-Jochen Vogel. Since taking over two years ago he has put a lid on the squabbles that his predecessor Mr Willy Brandt not only tolerated, but often encouraged. As a result the Social Democrats now look a model of discipline compared with the bickering bunch led by Mr Helmut Kohl, Germany's ...