Favorite EU PM

[minionofmidas]

I'm not actually a huge fan of any politicians, especially not ones who make it to key leadership positions, But Schroeder and Perrson immediately spring to mind as relatively good.

Yea, me neither. Although my choices, if I have to pick, run towards Zapatero and Verhofstadt - but that's maybe just because I've seen more of Schröder and can't fairly compare him to the others.

[minionofmidas]

Rasmussen ties Schüssel for last on my scale. Of course Berlusconi is not even on the scale, and most of the new member states aren't weighed in yet...and the Greek Cypriots might well end up not on the scale as well.

[minionofmidas]

Oh God, Raffarin a good prime minister ?? Nobody likes him !
Have a look to that webiste
http://www.php.sofres.com/cote2/ , it's quite interesting. My favourites are Mauroy, Rocard and Bérégovoy ...

Didn't Bérégovoy commit suicide after a political scandal?

[minionofmidas]

If a highranking politician is implicated in a major scandal, suicide is the morally right thing to do.
Sounds like a good man.

[minionofmidas]

suicide is never the right thing to do!

I put that somewhat harshly (also, let me point out that I was only referring to presidents, PMs and the like, to really major scandals, and to people who are actually guilty).
Obviously there are some good reasons why suicide is/may be not the right thing to do - such as concern for your family, especially if you have children.
I don't consider suicides to be morally reprehensible in any way, though. I believe it's within a person's rights.
And I do consider the behaviour of many disgraced politicians - not even to speak of corporate crooks - quite reprehensible.

[minionofmidas]

Schröder certainly has shown much more backbone, and taken more risks, than anybody else in Europe over Iraq.
Which is very much typical of the man...he's highly opportunistic, jumps at chances to ingrate himself with the voting public and is not at all risk-averse in that.
I don't love him, btw.