Germans are ‘the most uptight people in the world’ says mini-Merkel

Angela Merkel’s chosen successor has divided Germans after describing them as “the most uptight people in the world” as she made a joke about gender-neutral toilets that failed to land.

Annegret Kramp-Karrenabauer launched an outspoken attack on political correctness, describing it as “madness”.

Handpicked by Mrs Merkel to succeed her as leader of the Christian Democrat party (CDU) last year, Ms Kramp-Karrenbauer’s used to be known as “mini-Merkel”.

But she has appeared at pains to cast off that image in recent days with a series of appeals to the party’s conservative base that could not be further from Mrs Merkel’s more measured style.

A risque joke at a traditional carnival event last week was the first sign Ms Kramp-Karrenbauer, or AKK she likes to be called, was casting off the shackles.

“Anyone been in Berlin recently?” she said. “ You can see the caffe latte faction, who recently introduced toilets for the third gender. They’re re for men who aren’t sure whether they can still pee standing up or have to sit down.”

The joke was slammed by Germany’s political establishment as offensive to transgender people, and AKK’s long-standing love of the carnival appeared to have backfired on her.

Ms Kramp-Karrenbauer in carnival costume last weekCredit:
KAI PFAFFENBACH/REUTERS

But rather than apologising, she doubled down at an Ash Wednesday appearance this week, defending the joke and accusing her critics of political correctness gone mad.

“Sometimes you have to take a careful look before you get into a feigned rage over something,” she told an audience of party faithful. The joke, she claimed, was part of traditional carnival humour had was aimed at “feminists and macho men, and the relationship between men and women” rather than transgender people.

“If we’re as uptight as we have been in the last few days, then part of our tradition and culture in Germany is broken and we should not allow that,” she said to rapturous applause.  “These days I feel we are the most uptight people in the world.”

She went on to discuss a move by a kindergarten in Hamburg to ban children wearing Native American costumes, calls for New Year fireworks to be banned because of air pollution, and vegan activism. “This is all madness,” she said. “Everyone should be happy after their own fashion.”

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The remarks went down resoundingly with the CDU base, and could be an attempt by Ms Kramp-Karrenbauer to reach out to the conservative wing of the party after she defeated their candidate, Friedrich Merz, in last year’s leadership election.

AKK was seen as the continuity candidate for Mrs Merkel’s centrist approach, but since her victory she has looked to unify the party.

She could not have chosen a better venue to differentiate herself from the chancellor than the small town of Demmin in West Pomerania.

Ash Wednesday political speeches are something of an institution in Germany. Mrs Merkel was a regular at the Demmin event for 21 years, and Ms Kramp-Karrenbauer said she had agreed to take over the tradition at the chancellor’s personal request.

Profile | Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer

Traditionally no holds are barred in Ash Wednesday speeches, when politicians make jokes at the expense of rivals. But while Mrs Merkel’s appearances were usually cautious and measured, AKK threw caution to the wind.

It was a performance that drew tuts of disapproval from the establishment — Spiegel  magazine noted that it was possible to find her original joke distasteful regardless of politics.

But it was greeted with roars of approbation from the audience of party faithful. Ms Kramp-Karrenbauer hopes to succeed Mrs Merkel as chancellor as well as party leader, and on this week’s evidence, she plans to do it in very different style.

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