GERMANY: Two rivals now speak on better terms, writes Derek Scally
Six months after sweeping to power, chancellor Angela Merkel has won the ultimate nod of recognition from her arch-rival Edmund Stoiber.
The Bavarian state premier has asked Dr Merkel to drop the formal Sie form of address with him and instead use the familiar du form.
The two politicians have known each other for years and have spent countless hours together since Dr Merkel assumed the Christian Democrat (CDU) leadership six years ago. Yet, through it all, the two continued to refer to each other as Frau Merkel and Herr Stoiber.
Asked why, Dr Merkel replied recently that it was up to Mr Stoiber, head of the CDU's Bavarian sister party and her elder by 13 years, to make the first move.
Mr Stoiber finally did so during dinner last Friday in a characteristically stiff manner, saying: "I'm Edmund . . ." Dr Merkel's reply is not recorded for posterity, but Bild newspaper reported that the two politicians toasted the social breakthrough with a glass of wine.
"Stoiber's du is not a shock, but it didn't have to happen," said linguist Prof Werner Besch, author of the book Du, Sie, Titles. A du relationship is not a prerequisite for a close professional or personal relationship, he said, and many older Germans work and socialise together for years and never get on to first-name terms.
The du/Sie distinction, similar to the French tu/vous, has been the source of German social headaches since the 17th century.
As in French, the informal du is primarily used with friends and family, while people in social situations refer to their juniors as du and their elders as Sie. Adults use Sie with each other until asked to use du.
Things got blurry after the 1968 student revolutionaries championed the universal use of du as a step towards a more egalitarian society.
And while the du/Sie distinction has loosened up in the last decades, you still have to watch your step. A German singer appeared in court last year accused of insulting a police officer. His crime? Addressing the police officer in the du form. The singer narrowly escaped having to pay a €500 fine after explaining it wasn't an insult because he uses du with everyone.
A recent survey suggested that the universal use of du is in decline and that Germans are now more selective in how they address new acquaintances.
The Social Democrats (SPD) still du each other, but the CDU are a more buttoned-down lot, and Dr Merkel sticks to Sie, even with her closest aides.
"Women are more careful offering the du form," said Prof Besch, "in case there are any mistaken erotic connotations."
Thankfully, that's something that nobody in Berlin is anticipating between Angela and Edmund.