No Schmidt

[G-Man]

Former German chancellor Helmut Schmidt dead at 96.

[G-Man]

No Schmidt

Schmidt was a skilled economist and a fine organiser. Also a man of more integrity than most politicians.

I've always had a special affection for him in light of what was effectively a coup d'etat in 1982, bringing Helmut Kohl into power.

The reason for the vote of no confidence that led to the end of the coalition was differences between SPD and Genscher's liberals of the FDP regarding economic policy. But the FDP had no mandate to break the coalition; the large majority of its MPs and 75% of the members supported the coalition with the SPD in 1979. In 1980 they campaigned as coalition partners with the SPD.

I don't think I find myself in the territory of conspiracy theory when I issue my suspicion that the events of autumn 1982 were planned three years earlier, when the right-winger Franz-Josef Strauss forced his candidacy for chancellor in the 1980 elections upon the CDU/CSU. Everybody knew Strauss would not win in 1980, as it turned out to be.

I strongly suspect that Kohl and Genscher hatched their plan to topple Schmidt, after a respectful period, then already. That explains why Kohl stood aside so easily for Strauss when the latter threatened to break up the CDU/CSU marriage (the CSU is the more right-wing Bavarian wing of the CDU).

If there was such a plot, then the vote of no confidence in 1982 was a perversion of the wishes of the voters and therefore a coup.

[Evariste Euler Gauss]

No Schmidt

RIP. Another great of the 70s gone.