German leaders vie to catch wind of change

In spite of all the headlines and chatter the real winner in the latest of 19 EU summits was none other than German Chancellor Angela Merkel. First lets take a look at numerous headlines that got the story wrong. Merkel Big Loser

Yesterday, various news agencies reported that Hungary opted out of the treaty while Sweden and Czech Republic remained "undecided". However, the latest spin is that Hungary did not opt out yet and the gang of 26 will forge ahead without the UK. UK the "Big Loser" Having Fallen into "French Trap"?

Chancellor Angela Merkel braced for a heavy electoral defeat in polls on Sunday in Germany's second city Hamburg, with surveys showing her conservatives on course for a drubbing.Voters in the first of seven state elections in what could prove to be an annus horribilis for Merkel are poised to hand power to the opposition Social Democrats (SPD), ending nearly a decade of conservative rule, polls show.In the run-up to the election, the SPD was polling nearly double the support enjoyed by Merkel's centre-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU).

The BBC reports New election blow for Germany's Merkel Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives have suffered heavy losses in an election in Germany's most populous state, exit polls suggest. Support for the Christian Democrats dropped from 35% to 26% in North Rhine-Westphalia, with the Social Democrats set to return to power with the Greens. It is the Christian Democrats' worst result in the state.

Praise from German chancellor Angela Merkel is typically hard to come by. However, Merkel is freely distributing praise these days, to the person least-deserving, herself. As the eurozone marches down the "Road to Shared Liability" Germans are largely unaware of the Hidden Risks of the Euro-Zone Bank Oversight Plan risks that Merkel ignored when agreeing to the eurozone oversight plan last week.