Big trouble in Old Europe!

Schroeder to step aside as leader of Germany's Social Democrats

German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder said Friday he would step aside as chairman of his Social Democratic Party, a move he hopes will counter stubbornly low poll ratings and end squabbling over the government’s reform plans.

Schroeder will remain as chancellor, but said he planned to hand over the party chairmanship in March to Franz Muentefering, the leader of the Social Democrats’ group in parliament.

‘‘I will concentrate on my work as chancellor and head of government,’’ Schroeder told a news conference. Muentefering, a close aide seen as being closer to the party’s core voters, will take on responsibility for

Closer to the "core voters" means more leftoid, because it's the leftoids who have their knickers in a twist.

Schroeder last year pushed through a package of reforms meant to revive the stagnant German economy, trimming welfare benefits and speeding up tax cuts — and struggling to overcome resistance from left-wingers in his own party and Germany’s powerful unions.

Never stand between leftoids and the public trough.

Meanwhile, the Cheese Wiz has got problems of his own - Embattled Chirac faces party coup

Supporters of Jacques Chirac will gather in their thousands today in a desperate move to curb a high-level revolt against the President's campaign to save the party chairman and former Prime Minister, Alain Juppé, from being banned from politics for corruption.

Of course it all started when his pal Juppé got convicted last week of organizing illegal party funding and Jackanapes took over the "investigation".