When leaders lie...

Political lying may be normal, but devaluing the truth breeds cynicism

‘Strong Chancellor. Strong Germany’ — Election Poster with Friedrich Merz (2025).

During Angela Merkel’s long chancellorship, a biting joke made the rounds in Germany, and it went like this:

Following an unfortunate incident, Angela Merkel arrives at the gates of heaven. Saint Peter tells her, ‘Dr Merkel, I will give you a choice. You can decide whether you want to spend eternity in Heaven or Hell.’ Merkel thinks about that for a moment and then asks: ‘Can I spend a day in each first to see which one I like best?’

‘Sure,’ says Peter and takes Merkel down the long steps to Hell. When they arrive at the Devil’s den, a wild party is in full swing. Lemmy is playing Ace of Spades with the Devil on the drums. Merkel’s former party friends are all there, dancing merrily amidst the hot flames. There is plenty of schnapps to go around, and everyone seems to have a great time. Merkel joins the fray and asks Peter to pick her up the next day.

Peter duly returns and takes Merkel up to Heaven. When they arrive in the calm blue sky, they find a tranquil scene. An angel is playing the harp. People are lounging around on clouds, meditating or reading books. Merkel sits down and waits for Peter to come back.

‘So,’ asks Peter when he returns, ‘what shall it be, Dr Merkel? Heaven or Hell?’

‘You know,’ says Merkel, ‘I thought I’d like Heaven better. Don’t get me wrong. It’s nice and all, but a little bit dull. I think I’d rather go to Hell.’

‘As you wish,’ says Peter and points down the stairs.

When Merkel arrives in Hell, the door falls shut behind her. She looks around and finds a very different scene. There is no music in the air this time. Just a stifling heat and the sounds of tortured souls. The Devil is perched on a high, rickety chair, looking bored as he stirs a giant wooden spoon in a bubbling cauldron full of screaming people. Behind him giggling Daemons whip barefooted people across a bed of hot coals. Gaunt faces look up at Merkel from the black soil. Full of disbelief, she cries, ‘But Herr Devil, this is so different from what I saw here yesterday! You said there would be laughter and parties for all eternity!’

The Devil shrugs and says, ‘Come now, Dr Merkel, you know what it’s like. This is no different from those elections you used to hold on earth. Yesterday was the day before you made your choice. Today is the first day after. Of course, everything has changed.’

It’s an old joke that’s been told for generations, with the name of the politician in question being entirely interchangeable. It’s a nod to the fact that people are used to election promises being broken and that, to a degree, they are tolerant of that.

Voters understand the difference between campaigning and day-to-day politics. It’s a bit like going on a date and accepting that if you end up entering into a long-term relationship with the person, they may not always look as beautiful and be as polite as they were on the day they were trying to impress you. One day, they will sit on your toilet with the door open and whistle. But that’s okay. Everyone knows the score.

There is a problem, however, when deceit creates a false impression that is crucial to the decision-making process; when the options were mispresented to you so that you make a choice on wrong pretences. Like the politician chooses Hell in the joke on a false premise. Or like a date telling you they are single when they are not.

I fear the likely next chancellor of Germany, Friedrich Merz, has sailed perilously close to those winds.