Germany’s Social Democratic foreign minister, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, has had a good week. On Sunday his party nominated him to lead them into the national election in September 2009. He then won his comrades’ backing for his choice for the SPD’s new chairman. And two days later an opinion poll showed a surge of support for his battered party.

But Mr Steinmeier also knows he needs every one of the next 54 weeks to turn early promise into results, when the SPD tries to displace Angela Merkel, the Christian Democrat chancellor, in a year’s time. Whether the carpenter’s son turned mandarin turned worthy cabinet minister can do so is still an open question.