Sunday, July 14, 2013

German Fallout

"Disaster," "complete failure," "a flop": the German opposition parties have been unsparing in criticizing Interior Minister Hans-Peter Friedrich for what they call his failure to bring back answers from a trip to Washington for talks on the National Security Agency (NSA) Internet surveillance scandal. Friedrich promised more information ahead of his visit, which included meetings with US Vice President Joe Biden and Attorney General Eric Holder on the NSA's online spying activities.

Konstantin von Notz, a member of the Greens and an expert on domestic affairs, told DW that Friedrich's meeting with US politicians cured nothing, offering a placebo instead: "It was an attempt at making it seem like something was being done."

  DW
Well, of course it was. And had the opposition party been in power, they probably would have done the same thing. But as far as the German people go, this may signal the beginning of the end for Angela Merkel.

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