"The grand coalition has 'de facto' collapsed, if not yet 'de jure', writes Heribert Prantl. "A lengthy election campaign now lies between its factual and legal demise. But it is Chancellor Angela Merkel, not Vice-Chancellor Franz Müntefering, who has ushered in this election campaign. She derided one of Müntefering's most cherished political projects, the introduction of a minimum salary for postal service employees, to such an extent that he felt betrayed, disappointed and snubbed; his minimum salary proposal was a compromise offered to the coalition partner. ... It was a calculated provocation that hit the coalition like a flash of lightning, even before the meeting of the coalition committee in the chancellery. The resignation of Franz Müntefering, who has been sorely tried both on a personal level and politically (even by his own party), was the thunderbolt that followed." (14/11/2007)

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"Both sides are straining to break the deal that has yoked them in uncongenial coalition" notes the daily. "The CDU fears that Mrs Merkel is being drawn too much into compromise and is losing the appetite for further reform. This could damage her appeal in 2009. She recently insisted that she would not turn back from crucial reforms; but many fear that she will listen to those arguing that Germany's recent recovery allows her to focus on redistribution. It is time to break the coalition. It has served its purpose, steadied the economy and passed overdue reforms. Mrs Merkel needs the freedom to pursue her market policies untrammelled by Social Democratic dogma or the chafing of unreliable partners. Calling early elections is awkward, but Helmut Kohl found a constitutional way to do so through a vote of confidence. She should use Mr Müntefering's departure to do the same. Germany would be the winner." (14/11/2007)

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According to Jan Macháček, the grand coalition government in Berlin faces a test of endurance following the resignation of Franz Müntefering: "Vice-Chancellor Franz Müntefering stepped down citing personal reasons. But on the other hand he is leaving the government one day after its decision to expand benefits for older unemployed persons. Müntefering was a resolute opponent of this solution. One can't yet say with certainty whether the coalition is coming to an end, but the likelihood that it will collapse has grown. Müntefering was one of the spiritual fathers of the grand coalition; he was instrumental in negotiating it for the Social Democrats (SPD). Investors and the Anglo-Saxon press will always associate him with his description of foreign - or to be precise American investors - as 'locusts'. But in reality he was among the more pragmatic Social Democrats." (14/11/2007)

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"No matter how much we can understand the grave personal motives given by the Chancellor's deputy Franz Müntefering, the moment chosen to announce his resignation from Angela Merkel's government smacks of an avowal of failure and the end of the Schröder era", explains Yves Petignat "The 'General Münte', last of the red-green coalition's old guard, is leaving the day after an agreement was struck between conservatives and social democrats extending the duration of unemployment benefit given to over 58 year olds from one to two years. This measure was opposed by the Deputy Chancellor and the Minister of Employment who perceive it as the beginning of the dismantlement of social reforms, the same reforms which forced Gerhard Schröder to sacrifice the end of his mandate, but allowed the reflation of Germany's economy." (14/11/2007)

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British historian Timothy Garton Ash talks in an interview with Helmar Dumbst about "Europe's reunification" in 2004 and its consequences: "There's a good joke about it: When the East Germans shouted 'We are one nation', the West Germans shouted 'We are, too'. In people's minds they are still not a united nation. Not only many West Germans, but also many West Europeans, feel a kind of 'westalgia', a longing for the cosy, small, prosperous European Community that was protected from the East by the Berlin Wall, the Iron Curtain. But it won't come back, we'll just have to get along without it." (14/11/2007)

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The French sociologist and philosopher Gilles Lipovetsky analyses consumer society in an interview conducted by Lourdes Ventura to mark the publication in Spanish of his book 'Paradoxical Happiness'. "In a society dominated by leisure there is a cohabitation of daily difficulties and the well-being which results from the democratisation of pleasure generating elements previously reserved for the lucky few. ... In bygone days, people sought refuge from crises in the Church. Now they flock to shopping centres. To fight anxiety, societies used to count on the consolation offered by religion. Hypermodernity promises paradise through all sorts of things: we are invited to travel, to drink good wine, to buy technology, to consume culture, to go to huge parties... All this to avoid being demoralised." (14/11/2007)

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The liberal-conservative Venstre party led by Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen suffered considerable losses in yesterday's elections, but the conservative coalition will presumably remain in power. "The voters have clearly expressed their desire to keep Fogh, with his assured leadership style, at the government's helm. But the election results also clearly indicate a desire for wide-scale political solutions. The prime minister should therefore not restrict his strategy to working together with the New Alliance but also pave the way for cooperation with the left-wing Liberals and even with the Social Democrats on important issues. ... During the election campaign he proposed a compromise in the country's immigration policy. That was a clever move, but the same approach should be applied to other areas, for example social policy." (14/11/2007)

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Following the clear election victory of the new Slovenian president, Danilo Türk, which is widely regarded as a "vote of no confidence" against the current government, Prime Minister Janes Jansa has threatened to resign. Janez Markes comments: "[Jansa] believes all this could have a negative impact on the preparations for the country's upcoming EU presidency. ... The rift between the governing coalition and the president could cause them to head in opposite directions. ... Jansa sees Türk's victory over Peterle, with Türk winning 68 percent of the vote, as a major defeat for the government. Now we are witnessing how he's trying to manoeuvre the country into a political situation that has always worked to his advantage - a state of emergency. Yet he's taking a big risk with these tactics because at the same time he knows that a state of emergency would not be good for Slovenia. (14/11/2007)

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City planner Gerd Held compares the strikes in France with Germany's train driver strikes: "In our neighbouring country, after the first day of the strike, on October 18 the president made a personal visit to the Landy railway depot in northern Paris, one of the strikers' strongholds. Without further ado he made it clear that his government could make compromises regarding the details, but not as far as the fundamentals were concerned. This was a signal to France's many regular train passengers to resist the strikers' blackmail tactics. In Germany, on the other hand, there is a yawning gap between the government's 'steady-handed' tactics and people's everyday experiences. We have arrived at the point where making tough compromises is no longer necessarily a better option than making tough decisions. So when the wheels stop turning in Germany and France this week, it will also be a competition between two political cultures." (14/11/2007)

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French public transport employees are massively on strike this Wednesday, November 14th, to protest against the proposed government reform of their special pension schemes. The editorialist Laurent Joffrin explains that "the current conflict is not an old-style confrontation where one protagonist will topple the other before the same partner-adversaries get back together after the strike, but a serious effort to find an honourable compromise once the balance of power has been established. It suffices to listen to the managers of the companies concerned to understand that there is real room to manoeuvre in future negotiations. In other words, this strike can result, not in a sterile arm wrestle, but in the improved quality of social relations in France. Beyond an inevitable conflict - for who doesn't defend their own interests?- here is an opportunity to be seized." (14/11/2007)

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Following a breakdown in negotiations on the part of their union, tens of thousands of Finnish nurses are threatening to hand in their notice in a bid to crank up pressure on their local employers. In addition to the general salary raise, they want their salaries to be brought in line with those in comparable professions. The government is now considering forcing the employees to work to prevent the health system from collapsing. Johanna Westman comments: "The local authorities had declared their intention of retaining responsibility for the public health system. ... But if mass resignations do go into effect, the health system could suffer permanent damage. And despite all the conspiracy theories it's not true that the government is deliberately stalling. The calculated dismantling of the welfare state would be bad enough, and uncontrolled progress in this direction is the worst that could happen to us." (14/11/2007)

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Francesco Ramella considers recent violent events involving youths. "On Sunday we saw virtually insurrectional violence among groups of ultra supporters who, under the pretext of the death of one of their's, let loose on vandalising rampage. Other crimes have recently featured youths, as both victims and perpetrators of violence. On the one hand, the high school shooting in Tuusula, committed by an 18 year old Fin, and on the other, the assassination in Perugia of an English student, no doubt committed by other students. The Finnish tragedy took place in a calm urban context and the other unfolded in a lively university town that welcomes foreign students. Three different atmospheres, then. The ultras exercise group violence. The Finnish tragedy represents a solitary violence, and that of Perugia expresses a violence stemming from a lack of deep social bonds ... . All three nonetheless have some thing in common: they are cut off from the adult world which fails to give them a sense of responsibility." (14/11/2007)

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Following the European Court of Justice's decision to overturn Germany's Volkswagen law the future of Hungary's Lex Mol is now uncertain, Stephen Kinsella, an expert on EU competition law, writes in a commentary. The law is aimed at preventing the takeover of Hungarian energy company MOL by the Austrian energy giant OMV. The European Commission decided on Tuesday, November 13, to initiate proceedings against the Hungarian law. "Although according to the European Court of Justice, measures aimed at restricting the movement of capital are unlawful, exceptions can be made. However, the member state in question must justify such exemptions. The Hungarian government has argued that the Lex Mol is necessary to protect its energy supplies. But as the EU's liberalisation policy in the energy sector also takes the security of energy supplies into account and furthermore is aimed at consolidating a common European energy market, the European Court of Justice is unlikely to consider these regulations appropriate." (13/11/2007)

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As Fatih Akin's latest film 'Auf Der Anderen Seite' (On the Other Side) is being released on French and Belgian screens, the Turkish director born in Hamburg explains to Fernand Denis why Turkey is the focus of his films. "The more I film in Turkey, the more Turkish I feel. I think I try to better understand it each time. If you compare the German part of the film to the Turkish part, the latter is far more attractive, because there is more sunshine. In fact I know Germany very well. I grew up there, I live there. And, naturally, Germany cannot stimulate my curiosity as much as Turkey. My view of Germany is banal, while Turkey is an adventure. ...Two years ago I had an idea about Turkey's EU accession. To say yes or no is too simple. Making a film offers the means to reflect on the question, to form an opinion and adopt a position." (14/11/2007)

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In an interview with Joanna Derkaczew, theatre director and playwright Jan Klata asserts that the "angry outcry against [the previous ruling party] the PiS on Poland's stages has long since become conformist". "Is it courageous to throw plastic bags full of water at a Kaczynski puppet, as the actors in German director Nicolas Stemann's production at this year's festival in Bydgoszcz did ? ... Why are these supposedly incredibly daring plays against the threat of totalitarianism emerging only now that political theatre has become fashionable ? Even artists who normally only work in so-called intelligent plays about emotional life now feel obliged to lower themselves to the level of this political theatre, even though they really consider it to be the inferior, sillier form of theatre." (10/11/2007)

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"A house in London that provided a backdrop for one of the most passionate affairs in literary history, between the French 19th century poets Arthur Rimbaud and Paul Verlaine, is to be saved to honour their legacy", writes journalist Emily Dugan. "A host of prominent figures, [including the author Julian Barnes and singer Patti Smith] ... have backed a campaign to save the house in Camden [North London] amid fears that it would be acquired by property developers. ... Now the site of their last days together is to become a place for poets to meet, research and perform. The conversion into a cultural centre is being pioneered by the charity Poet in the City, which has been getting backing from big financiers to create an archive of work, a performance space, and a café where artists can meet. ... Supporters of the project hope that French visitors arriving in London on Eurostar trains will drop into the house, which is close to the new St Pancras International station." (14/11/2007)

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Martine Vandemeulebroucke gives a humorous account of the first domestic disputes linked to the political crisis that has been dividing the Flemish and Walloon communities since the elections last June 10th. "The first separations due to the political crisis have been announced. ... The victims ? Mixed couples: French-speaking (Walloons and Brussels inhabitants) and Flemish. Such domestic disputes are usually triggered by this little phrase: 'you, the Flemish/French-speakers/Walloons', which reduces the partner to a representative of his or her linguistic community. We definitely aren't speaking the same language any more. True, these echoes of quarrels and separations don't have the value of polls and all this can seem trifling in the current political context. Apart from on one point: they are a measure among others of how opinions are becoming more radical, in the same way as the action in the political sphere is." (14/11/2007)

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