448. Question Time: Mandelson’s Epstein Disgrace, Kirk’s Assassination, and Trump’s Illegal Boat Strike
11 September 2025
111. Angela Merkel: Putin, Trump, and Europe’s future
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Podcast
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9 December 2024
What lessons on leadership does Angela Merkel have after 16 years served as Chancellor of Germany? Does she have any regrets from her tenure? What was it like being in East Germany when the Berlin wall fell? And what should Europe do to ensure the future security of Ukraine?
Rory and Alastair are joined by ex-Chancellor of Germany, Angela Merkel, to discuss all this and more.
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Assistant Producer: India Dunkley
Producer: Nicole Maslen
Senior Producer: Dom Johnson
Head of Content: Tom Whiter
Exec Producers: Tony Pastor + Jack Davenport
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A very interesting and illuminating interview. Thank you!
But I do wish there had been an option to hear Frau Merkel’s responses in German.
if you get the YouTube version which I posted on social media earlier this week you can go to settings and change language to German
Hi Alastair
This was a great listen but I’d be really interested to watch a video version with the German audio and English subtitles (for when my German fails me….).
I realise the dubbing was needed for the podcast, (and the parts where I heard the original German were dubbed well), but you always lose some nuance when things are translated and not in the original voice.
Kind regards
Andrea
Commenting from Portugal, the view from here of Merkel has always been one of “fear”, contempt, but also admiration of this big political figure. Heavily associated with austerity, even if seen as a symbol of stability.
Such insightful conversation as this one gives us a better look into her mind. I guess in some things really brave, in others with an uncertain legacy.
Thanks for this interesting interview. As a former conference interpreter, I was disappointed that you didn’t acknowledge the person who did the interpreting. Was it AM’s former trusted interpreter at the AA ? AM herself always acknowledged and thanked her interpreter(s) if she had the opportunity to do so.
Did you synch the interpretation differently after the interview as the English soundtrack on the podcast always finished before AM, or was it voiced over afterwards ?
Listening with a professional ear, I find the interpretation very competent but the interpreter is not a native speaker of English which detracts slightly from the overall performance.
we talked about her, and praised her hugely, on a later episode