And Mr Kohl dug a bit deeper when referring to his opponent of the SPD, Mr Gerhard Schroeder. On balance he did miserably as premier of Lower Saxony, his announcements had remained empty promises. According to the media he was the shiny knight on the golden sloop, but in reality he had failed abominably as far as the re-unification of the two Germanies and the common European currency were concerned. Prior to Mr Kohl, state leader of the party and federal labour minister Norbert Bluem had delivered a fiery and trend-setting speech, to the delight of the more than 600 delegates. It's all still speculation, but rumours abound.
Several newspapers claim to be in the know, though party officials' lips are sealed.
Don't count your chickens before they are hatched - that's what their leaders keep repeating these days. Mr Scharping will remain head of the parliamentary group. And Mr Riester allegedly already has said yes. Mr Schroeder is also to have two women run traditional ministries, namely the ministry for internal affairs and the ministry of justice. Even if they have to form a coalition government, the SPD is hell-bent on getting the ministries for internal affairs, defence, economics and finance.