Volkswagen has been playing hardball in recent months. This is good news, as Europe needs a buoyant Germany, which in turns needs a buoyant Volkswagen.

Given the current miserable economic situation and with over four million unemployed, a strike is the last thing Germany needs.

The market appeared to be celebrating the onset of economic recovery in Germany, though the evidence for this is tenuous, to say the least.

Germany needs a new beginning. We want a new start and this is only possible with black-yellow.

Prostitution remains largely a black market and Germany still needs to do much, much more against forced prostitution.

Such an elephants' wedding may result in paralysis when it comes to brokering the type of structural changes Germany needs. At the most, you can expect half- hearted compromises.