Chancellor Angela Merkel – poster girl of the pastors’ kids

As Angela Merkel faces a virtual coronation as sovereign of Europe, the biographies of the lady are coming thick and fast. Five new tomes have been published in recent weeks – two in German, one each in English, French and Dutch. Her background as a Lutheran pastor’s daughter is highlighted in all these Merkel studies.

It is indeed an interesting coincidence that both Angela Merkel in Germany and Theresa May in Britain are the daughters of clergymen. There is a category in America for these sons and daughters of the manse: PKs – pastors’ kids.

PKs tend to be serious-minded and conscientious, as both Mrs May and Frau Merkel are. Some commentators can’t figure out if Theresa May is a “left-wing” Tory since she often speaks about the poor and the needs of working-class people. They don’t grasp the fact that Theresa’s values are drawn straight from the vicarage, where her father – who veered towards the Anglo-Catholic – would have had a sense of conscience towards the needy of the parish.

Angela Merkel’s Lutheran background also played a decisive part in her formation, and she retains many of the values of being that PK.  When the German parliament voted to introduce same-sex marriage recently, Angela dissented – in her usual quiet but firm manner.

She announced that she was brought up to believe that marriage is between a man and a woman and she adhered to that belief. Although one gay parliamentarian called out sarcastically “Thanks a lot!”, overall her view was respected. Maybe because of her PK status.

Background

I believe that her PK background also influenced her in her compassion for migrants, when she went against the popular grain and welcomed refugees to Germany. But much weight is also given to her experience of growing up in East Germany under Communist rule, where freedom of movement was controlled by the state. In consequence, she values the right of anyone to move anywhere. She was horrified by Hungary’s actions in building a fence to keep migrants out of the EU.

All Merkel biographers admit that she’s a very, very canny politician, operating by stealth. Like Margaret Thatcher, she was trained as a scientist – she’s a wizard at integral calculus – and she was appalled to discover that economists, unlike scientists, seldom provide exact, or even accurate, information. It’s all inspired speculation!

Another characteristic of PKs is that they are often very ambitious – they’ve been well educated and have watched their father dominate a pulpit – but they begin life with little money, since inheritance is usually forbidden in church families. This makes them strive all the harder.

If and when we have married Catholic priests – which most people support – it will be interesting to observe the pattern of CPKs….

***

No fan of Ginger Man

I wasn’t a great fan of The Ginger Man, written by J.P. Donleavy, who has just died aged 91. His hero – “feckless, unwashed, penurious Sebastian Dangerfield” –  seemed less than compelling. The 45 publishers who turned it down, initially, evidently felt similarly.

I also thought the text rather misogynistic – certainly incorrigibly blokey. An early line proclaims: “These English wives are great. Know their place!”

Even so, as Archbishop of Dublin, Dr McQuaid made an error of judgement in closing down a dramatised version in 1959. There was no theatre censorship in Ireland, so his action was, really, illegal – he simply took the law into his own hands, which was wrong. And the theatre management at the Gaiety should have stood by their legal rights.

John Charles McQuaid did reputational damage to the Church with this high-handedness.

***

Ultra-orthodox Jews leading the demographics

I sometimes have occasion to drive through an area of North London called Stamford Hill. This is a neighbourhood strongly associated with ultra-Orthodox Jews, with their quaint 19th Century costumes, and the ringlets and large hats (some in fur) that are favoured by the men.

The women are modestly attired and are often with their children, as Haradi and Hassidic Jews are forbidden birth control and encouraged to have large families. There is something picturesque about seeing so many people dressed in such old-fashioned styles – almost like being in a movie about past times.

The lives of the ultra-orthodox are governed by strict religious practices, and you cannot but admire the way they adhere to their traditions, which must be hard to reconcile with the modern world. Liberal and even mainstream Jewish groups are often fiercely critical of the ultra-orthodox, whom they regard as extremists.

However, the ultra-orthodox are winning the battle of the demographics – even in Israel – simply because they have more children and more descendants. How long Israel can remain, in theory, a secular state, is now in question – because of these demographics.

This being Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Year, of the calendar year 5778) Stamford Hill will surely be en fete.