Mark Landler has a fairly lengthy piece in today’s New York Times about the weekly protest marches. The analysis is somewhat superficial, but it still is the most comprehensive article yet to appear in the US press. Landler echoes the skepticism of many commentators in Germany that the protest has staying power, but he does note that that the crowds have grown larger each week and that they have “injected a volatile new element into German politics.” Landler repeats the conventional wisdom put forth in the German press: the cuts in unemployment benefits are needed to revive the German – and therefore the European – economy.
“A loss of momentum for Germany’s economic transformation would carry deep implications for Europe as a whole. The Continent depends, to a great extent, on a rejuvenated German economy to propel its recovery. Yet for Germany to revive itself, most experts say that it must cut further, and deeper.”
Still, Landler gets to the crux of the matter by quoting one of the marchers in Leipzig:
Daniel Finka, a 28-year-old unemployed metalworker, marched with his friend, Daniel Gey, an out-of-work housepainter. “The policy won’t create new jobs,” Mr. Finka said. “It’s just about saving money.”
