“Merkel’s Deal”
Angela Merkel, now in her fourth term as German Chancellor, has weathered many crises without jeopardising the stability of the government in Berlin, or the integrity of the eurozone. After an inconclusive election in September 2017, she held firm against the demands of smaller parties that seemed incompatible with her moderate and accommodative stance. In March, the initially reluctant centre-left Social Democratic Party (SPD) saw wisdom in reviving the grand coalition with Ms. Merkel’s conservative Christian Democratic Union as the only realistic option to avert another poll. This week she resolved a row on the refugee question that could have ended the CDU’s 70-year alliance with its sister party from Bavaria, the Christian Social Union, and risked her government’s fall. Horst Seehofer, the Interior Minister from the CSU, wanted migrants to be immediately turned back to the country of their original registration in the European Union. The Chancellor held that the proposal was at odds with the bloc’s principle of free movement as embodied in the Schengen passport-free zone and would undermine EU unity. Under the latest compromise, asylum seekers registered outside Germany would be accommodated in transit centres on the border with Austria and sent directly to the respective states. The step represents a victory for Mr. Seehofer, a staunch opponent of the open-doors approach on migration who had threatened to resign form his party and government positions. The compromise is a further dilution of Ms. Merkel’s bold 2015 move to allow about a million refugees into Germany, which was subsequently softened by setting annual limits to curb inflows. As a junior partner in the current coalition, the SPD had expressed scepticism over the latest proposal, insisting that it fell outside the scope of the original agreement with the CDU. While echoing the concern that the transit centres not be reduced to internment camps, Ms. Merkel has given an assurance that people could not be held for long periods under the country’s constitution. Clearly, Germany’s major mainstream parties are faced with the dangers that liberal and centrist forces are up against across the EU and elsewhere. The number of refugee arrivals into Germany has fallen significantly since 2016. But the issue has acquired renewed urgency in view of elections scheduled for October in Bavaria. The CSU is anxious to arrest the erosion of its popular base in favour of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) and has been lurching further to the right itself. The perilous consequences of that slant have been evident in several EU states, the hollowing out of the political middle-ground and strengthening of extreme forces. On the other hand, the reality of mass immigration today calls for a concerted approach on conflict resolution and respect for the rule of law.
WORDS AND MEANINGS –
Jeopardising
Meaning: Put (someone or something) into a situation in which there is a danger of loss, harm, or failure.
Example: “A devaluation of the dollar would jeopardize New York’s position as a financial centre”
Synonyms: Threaten, Endanger.
Inconclusive
Meaning: Not leading to a firm conclusion or result; not ending doubt or dispute.
Example: “Three years of inconclusive negotiations”
Synonyms: Indecisive, Proving nothing.
Reluctant
Meaning: Unwilling and hesitant; disinclined.
Example: “Today, many ordinary people are still reluctant to talk about politics”
Synonyms: Unwilling, Disinclined.
Reviving
Meaning: Restore to life or consciousness.
Example: “Both men collapsed, but were revived”
Synonyms: Resuscitate, Bring round.
Coalition
Meaning: A temporary alliance for combined action, especially of political parties forming a government.
Example: “A coalition between Liberals and Conservatives”
synonyms: Alliance, Union.
Avert
Meaning: Turn away (one’s eyes or thoughts).
Example: “She averted her eyes while we made stilted conversation”
Synonyms: Turn aside, Turn away.
Resolved
Meaning: Firmly determined to do something.
Example: “Constance was resolved not to cry”
Synonyms: Determined to, Bent on.
Turned back
Meaning: to return the same way that you came instead of continuing on your journey, or to make someone do this. Bad weather forced them to turn back. Example: “The actor was lampooned by the press”
Odds
Meaning: The ratio between the amounts staked by the parties to a bet, based on the expected probability either way.
Example: “Nicer is starting at odds of 8-1”
Embodied
Meaning: Include or contain (something) as a constituent part.
Example: “The changes in law embodied in the Children Act”
Synonyms: Incorporate, Include.
Asylum
Meaning: The protection granted by a state to someone who has left their home country as a political refugee.
Example: “She applied for asylum and was granted refugee status”
Staunch
Meaning: very loyal and committed in attitude.
Example: “A staunch supporter of the anti-nuclear lobby”
Synonyms: Stalwart, Loyal.
Scepticism
Meaning: A sceptical attitude; doubt as to the truth of something.
Example: “These claims were treated with scepticism”
Synonyms: Doubt, Doubtfulness.
Insisting
Meaning: Demand something forcefully, not accepting refusal.
Example: “She insisted on carrying her own bag”
Synonyms: Stand firm, Be firm.
Echoing
Meaning: (Of an object or event) be reminiscent of or have shared characteristics with.
Example: “A blue suit that echoed the colour of her eyes”
Renewed
Meaning: Resume (an activity) after an interruption.
Example: “The parents renewed their campaign to save the school”
Synonyms: Resume, Return to.
Anxious
Meaning: Feeling or showing worry, nervousness, or unease about something with an uncertain outcome.
Example: “She was extremely anxious about her exams”
Synonyms: Worried, Concerned.
Perilous
Meaning: Full of danger or risk.
Synonyms: Dangerous, Fraught with danger.
Example: “A perilous journey south”
