Monday, January 31, 2005

5 Million Unemployed Germans

Unemployment has hit 5 million people in Germany, the Bundesagentur fuer Arbeit will announce this Wednesday. This is the highest level of unemployment since the 1930s, and the 11th consecutive month with worsening figures.

In normal times this would sound the death-knell for Germany´s ineffectual SPD/Green coalition government. But, as in the UK, the opposition hasn´t cracked a way of getting through to the voters. In both Germany and the UK, the governments´ Teflon-coated leaders remain more popular than those who oppose them.

Even Chancellor Schroeder´s exciting plan to force unemployed women into prostitution doesn´t seem to be harming his re-election prospects. Maybe this is what Germans secretly want..

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