A Tale of Two Unions

The Christian Democratic Union of Germany, the party of Adenauer, Kohl and Merkel, is, as the name suggests, a union: it joins what by itself would be separated. An association of paleo- and neo-liberals, conservatives, Christian trade unionists, Catholics and Protestants – all of whom have rather little in common except the intention of bringing “reasonable people” to power and keeping bedraggled, wild-eyed revolutionaries safely at bay. They are united by the insight that the constant fighting for faith, status and class interests doesn’t get anybody anywhere in the end, so why don’t we all sit down and be reasonable and do the sensible th…