Why the government bank is called government bank in the Bundestag is not entirely apparent from a visual point of view. It does not have a common seating area that is typical of a bank; it should actually be called the “row of government office chairs”. There is also a non-governmental bank recently, it is located on the Kirchsee in Upper Bavaria, and it is quite rightly named. On Monday, they sat down on their hard wood in sisterly party togetherness: Markus Söder and Friedrich Merz, the greatest non-chancellors of all time, after a so-called working meeting.
The original: Angela Merkel and Barack Obama on the long bench in front of Schloss Elmau. Hundreds of times the photo was alienated as a meme.
(Photo: Michael Kappeler / dpa)
In terms of composition, the Merz-Söder scene is similar to that famous bank encounter between Angela Merkel and Barack Obama on the sidelines of the G7 summit at Schloss Elmau almost seven years ago. To see on both pictures: a wooden seat, photographed from behind the backrest, all around rough nature, alpine peaks, conifers, wisps of cloud; in addition two people, gesticulating, deep in conversation. Subtext: You can build on these boards! One could take the parallels to be coincidence if it weren’t for Markus Söder, who never leaves anything to chance in photography. The fact that the CSU boss is jealous of the Merkel-Obama photo was revealed in autumn 2019 at the latest, when he imitated the presidential pose on the spot and let the world participate in his perceived Obama affinity on Twitter.
The copy: Markus Söder in a presidential pose. But he didn’t exactly hit it, Obama was sitting right in front of the post, and the arm position also left a lot to be desired.
(Photo: Bavarian State Chancellery / dpa)
Politicians love the “safe bank” motif. Anyone who thought the phrase had something to do with deposit insurance or armored safes is mistaken in view of all the images of rulers and rulers who are prevented from ruling on park benches of all stripes. On the one hand there are the couple-seaters, who, in addition to Söder and Merz, also include the former Russian leadership standem Putin / Medwedjew (sitting together on a bike tour in 2011) or the former union duo Armin Laschet and Jens Spahn, who are on their election campaign tour in the summer wooden side by side on one Crouched backrest in front of Lake Constance panorama. Message 1: We are so loose from the stool. Message 2: We understand each other.
On the other hand, there is the type of confidence-inspiring individual banker: Robert Habeck in lonesome cowboy style alone with his cell phone on a white-painted wooden bench or, on another shot, dynamically doing a push-up. Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg musing on an ornate armrest. Or Hillary Clinton on a forged bench in the White House garden, cat and dog.
Bank as a symbol of closeness
First lady on a park bench – that could also be the title of a painting by Spitzweg or Monet, in the fine arts there is one or the other bench with a lady standing around in the landscape. In the art of political outdoor photography, the seating furniture has long been one of the standard props alongside the functional jacket, as a symbol of closeness, a place for clear thoughts, problem-solving skills turned into wood.
The picture is the message. What the Merkels, Obamas, Söders and Merzens actually discussed at their more or less intimate encounters, unfortunately, mostly remains: a banking secret.