Ehmke Two old friends make a new friend - and at once they get jealous of each other. Another unforeseen consequence of our success. Life's such a tangle, Reinhard! Everyone looking at everyone else. Everyone seeing something different. Everyone trying to guess what everyone else is seeing. It's such an endless shifting unreliable indecipherable unanalysable mess!

Wilke I think that what Herr Wehner is saying is comparatively simple. 'Sack me. Or sack yourself.'

Ehmke And this time Willy will have to do it. He'll have to nerve himself to pick up the pistol and pull the trigger. It's either Willy or Uncle. They can't both survive.

Wehner (with Ehmke, Wilke and Guillaume) Banished! Exiled! Shut out from the sunshine of our great leader's smile!

Ehmke Sacked?

Wehner Sacked? Dear God, no. Made to sit in the corner at lunch. Firmness tempered with mercy, as always. The great peacemaker at work once again. Hands as unspotted as ever.

Ehmke (with Wilke and Guillaume) So now of course it's Helmut's turn again to chisel away at him.

Schmidt (with Brandt) 'No.' That's the word, Willy. You must learn to say it! 'No . . . no . . . no . . .' They want a fifteen per cent pay rise? No. 'No' meaning no.

Brandt 'No' will mean no buses or trains, of course. No post. No hospitals.

Schmidt It will also mean no lack of support from me as your Minister of Finance.

Guillaume - So that's what he says. No. And what does it mean? It means no.

Ehmke No buses or trains. No post. No hospitals. And no support from Helmut, because - no Helmut!

Wilke (with Brandt) He's in Washington, Herr Chancellor.

Brandt And no word?

Wilke He says -just do whatever you think best.

Brandt Thank him, will you, Reinhard?

Ehmke (with Guillaume) So when the employers collapse and 'no' turns out to mean 'yes', who's to blame?

Guillaume Willy.

Ehmke When the world's oil producers force prices up, and suddenly there's no petrol in the pumps and no cars on the autobahn, who's the guilty party?

Guillaume Willy.

Ehmke Who made the sun shine for them yesterday?

Guillaume Willy.

Ehmke So who's making it rain today?

Guillaume Willy.

Ehmke Who put the leak in their roof and the hole in their shoe?

Guillaume Willy. Willy, Willy, Willy.

Ehmke He's dropped ten points in the polls. Even the left-wing press have turned against him.

Kretschmann - Get him out of there, Günter. Get him on the train again. More upturned faces. More smiling lips and shining eyes. Make him happy again, Günter!