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[/audioplayer]British politicians still prize a visit from the President of the United States above all others. Yet no American President has been as important to a British Prime Minister, in domestic political terms, as the German Chancellor is to David Cameron. Angela Merkel is the person who can both help him keep his party together as it approaches the next election and then, with luck, deliver his promised renegotiation of Britain’s EU membership. For Cameron, Merkel — far more than Barack Obama — is the indispensable ally.
When Merkel comes to London next week, Cameron will roll out every available inch of red carpet. Though she’s here for just a day, she’ll address both houses of Parliament and meet the Queen.
All the buttering up serves a purpose.
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