Windows only work when driver door is open

[beigeslugbug]

My wife has a 2005 New Beetle Convertible. As of now, the driver side window switches (all five) and convertible switch only work with the driver side door opened. Once I close the driver's door, it seems as though both doors lose power. I can tell this because none of the switches work and the red backlighting goes dark on both doors. Once I open the driver's door all window switches work fine. The driver's side mirror never works and also, the driver's door cannot be locked remotely (although the passenger door does lock remotely).

Prior to just 2 days ago, the problem initially seemed to be intermittent, affect only the driver's side window, and not be related to the door position (open vs. closed).

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

-Daniel A Musaraca