Gerd ist geil

Last night i was at Munich's Gasteig, to see former Chancellor of Germany Gerhard Schroeder speak.

He was launching his new book, 'Entscheidungen' (Decisions) and answering questions posed by my new employer, and ready wit, Hans-Werner Kilz, editor of the Sueddeutsche Zeitung.

The venue itself is a monstrosity, comparable with the National Theatre on London's South Bank, but without the spectacular surroundings to distract the eye from its concrete-clad functionality.

The talk, on the other hand, was enlightening. Not because Herr Schroeder said anything particularly fresh, but because i hadn't realised how charming he is.

Modest and unassuming, he had the crowd eating out of his hand as he flitted between light-hearted, self-deprecating humour and heartfelt ideological soliloquies.

I had to wonder how a man who seems so much more genuine than Tony Blair was unable to convince the German people to go along with his social reforms.

One of the reasons he gave for that was somewhat unusual. The electorate, he suggested, had been too politically ignorant to back him, too selfish to sacrifice temporary stability for gradual progress.

And there you have the difference between politics, even society, in Britain and Germany. In Britain we expect our politicians to treat us with respect, even though some may think of us privately with contempt. This stems from our culture of politeness, of saying what we feel ought to be said, rather than what we think.

In Germany by contrast, i have met very few people who dress up their opinions in niceties and caveats. What we in Britain think of as impolite, passes as directness, even honesty. That's why a politician like Schroeder is able to say exactly what he thinks without fear of becoming a popular hate figure.

Perhaps if we were able to engender a culture of straight talking in British politics, our statesmen would be seen as approachable and trustworthy. Instead, they are seen as distant, either preaching from on high or ignoring the electorate. They are almost universally mistrusted, even more so than us journalists.

In short, Blair would have done well to take a leaf out of Schroeder's book during one of their many meetings.

Perhaps then he might have been remembered as the progressive reformer he has, in part, been, rather than as the disingenous spin-merchant that many Brits believe him to be.