Descent into banality
The candidates debate—and Germany’s election campaign plumbs new lows
ON SEPTEMBER 1st the German chancellor, Angela Merkel, and her main challenger, Peer Steinbrück, had their only televised debate before the federal election. The country has since been abuzz with controversy—over Mrs Merkel’s necklace. Even though she had worn it before, Germans first noticed it during the debate. It is made of black onyx, red foam coral and golden crystal. These are the German national colours, although their arrangement on the chancellor’s neck might to some have looked more Belgian. The question was, what did it mean?
This article appeared in the Europe section of the print edition under the headline “Descent into banality”
From the September 7th 2013 edition
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Emmanuel Macron shows off the gloriously restored Notre Dame
Five years after it was gutted by fire, the cathedral is more beautiful than ever
Ursula von der Leyen has a new doctrine for handling the hard right
The boss of the European Commission embarks on a second term
Marine Le Pen spooks the bond markets
She threatens to bring down the French government, but also faces a possible ban from politics
The maths of Europe’s military black hole
It needs to spend to defend, but voters may balk
Ukraine’s warriors brace for a Kremlin surge in the south
Vladimir Putin’s war machine is pushing harder and crushing Ukrainian morale
Vladimir Putin fires a new missile to amplify his nuclear threats
The attack on Ukraine is part of a new era of missile warfare