Angela Merkel launches re-election bid amid cacophony of spying scandal.

[dipsydoodle]

Source: Guardian

"Merkel stop watching us" screamed a banner above a noisy group of protesters which forced Angela Merkel to raise her voice as she launched her election campaign.

Barely concealing her irritation, the German chancellor struggled to drown out honking vuvuzelas, and chants of "hypocrite" and "liar", with promises of more of the same from a third term at the helm of Europe's biggest economy – jobs, stability and stronger growth.

But Germans want reassurance on a different front. Whistleblower Edward Snowden's revelations have plunged privacy-conscious Germany into convulsive outrage. Distrust of the government's handling of the surveillance scandal is as high as ever – and threatens to damage Merkel's re-election bid.

Despite dominating opinion polls, she knows voter anger may yet bring nasty surprises in September's poll which she warned could be "very, very close". Her government is mounting an effort to take back control and put a lid on the scandal.

Read more: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/aug/16/angela-merkel-re-election-german-nsa-spy

[Cali_Democrat]

1. The Guardian has become a joke....

...similar to other tabloids in the UK....with hyperbole and melodrama being the most important aspects of a story.

Kind of sad. They used to do some pretty good reporting a few years back.

[dipsydoodle]

3. Maybe allow for the fact

that to the Germans this represents Stasi 2.

If you don't believe the Guardian then try Der Spiegal : Spying Scandal Shakes Up German Campaign http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/spd-demands-investigation-of-nsa-head-as-spy-scandal-enters-campaign-a-909469.html

[blkmusclmachine]

2. .

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