Get this:

Voters turned out in droves to give a public flogging to Mr Schroder's party, which is pushing through unpopular cuts in Germany's cherished social welfare system. The public is also frustrated with the high jobless rate.

Now, far be it from me to defend Gerhard Schroder, but do you think it occurred to those frustrated German voters that their 'cherished social welfare system' just might have somthing to do with the high unemployment rate?

Apparently not.

But wait 'til you hear the weird part. From the same article, here's a bit that... well, just read it:

The anti-immigrant Law and Order Party fell well below the five per cent needed for representation in the parliament and leader Ronald Schill promised he would accept the political consequences and "emigrate to South America".

The heck with dissonance, what's the German for "gigantic thumping irony?"