Germany’s Iron Lady is more like Bertie Ahern than Margaret Thatcher

MANY Irish people, it seems, regard Angela Merkel — the German chancellor as near as certain as to returned to power after the German federal elections on Sunday — to be the modern day version of Margaret Thatcher. And, by extension, like her as much, regarding each as hostile to the interests of the Irish.

It may be an ignorant supposition, based on easy cliché and limited information.

About all that they had in common was being females in power, succeeding in what is normally the domain of males. They also held it for a long time: Merkel will surpass Thatcher’s longevity in office soon. After that, they are different, very different.