It's autumn for Schröder and Germany

Schröder's attempts to sway US in claim for UN seat reports the Financial Times. So much for EU solidarity. Surely Schröder should be pushing for a collective EU seat on the UN Security Council rather than one just for Germany!

As the above linked report notes -

The opposition Christian Democratic Union, meanwhile, is not expected to pursue the goal of a permanent seat with the same dedication. Wolfgang Gerhardt, a member of the small Free Democratic party who has been billed as a possible foreign minister in a new centre-right coalition, last week told the Financial Times Germany would revert to its earlier policy of advocating a pooled seat representing Europe.

Schröder's action is clearly that of a man desperate to try and regain popularity with an electorate that has lost faith in him. The long cold winter that comes with the end of a political career is clearly not far away where Gerhardt Schröder is concerned if opinion polls are any guide - it's just a pity that Jacques Chirac can't be sent out into the cold with him.