"How many of our politicians are drug addicts?" was the headline in Berlin tabloid BZ yesterday after traces of cocaine were discovered in toilets used by elected officials and civil servants in Berlin's Reichstag parliament building.
It was more a case of red faces than white noses around the parliament yesterday after the revelation by television station SAT1 that 22 of 28 toilets tested were contaminated with cocaine.
"It's unbelievable what was in this report. The toilets where cocaine was found are cleaned every day, sometimes even twice," said parliamentary spokesman Mr Hans Hotter, choosing to defend the professionalism of the toilet cleaners rather than the habits of the toilet users.
The federal government first dismissed the findings as "unbelievable", but the federal public prosecutor yesterday announced it was launching an investigation into the matter.
However, the government continues to dismiss out of hand calls for drugs tests for all politicians and civil servants.
Politicians have so far appeared unsure of whether to come across as shocked by the revelation and appeal to traditional supporters or whether to act a little world-weary and maybe pick some of the elusive youth vote.
Mr Hubert Huppe, drugs spokesman for the opposition Christian Democrats (CDU), decided to adopt the latter, more pragmatic, strategy.
"We in the parliament are no better or worse than anyone else. Anyone who thinks there wouldn't be any drug addicts among 650 parliamentarians and officials is naive," he said yesterday.
"It's unbelievable that the public are being taxed up to 50 per cent to feed the habit of politicians," joked one visitor to the parliament yesterday, adding that the Reichstag toilets may now become as much of a must-see as the new glass dome. Germany's news media have been on a cocaine buzz since Christoph Daum, the national soccer team's nominated new coach, tested positive for cocaine and fled the country.
On Monday, news magazine Der Spiegel published a 14-page cover story on Germany's "cocaine society", while Berlin tabloids have been reprinting tales of 1920s Berlin, "when taking cocaine was as normal as taking a glass of cognac".
Berliners who worried that the return of the government and arrival of civil servants from the rather dull city of Bonn would be the death knell for the city's rakish reputation are glad to see they had nothing to worry about.
