Angela Merkel doesn’t deserve to be honoured by Germany

It must rank as some form of political satire that Angela Merkel has been awarded Germany’s highest political honour. Not least because the former Chancellor will most likely be remembered foremost for turning a blind eye to the security threat posed by Russia.

The Grand Cross of the Order of Merit has previously been given to only two of Germany’s greatest postwar leaders. The first went to the Federal Republic’s first chancellor, Konrad Adenauer, who achieved the remarkable feat of reconciling West Germany with its former enemies, especially France, and, by supporting Nato, helped ensure his country became an integral part of the Western bloc. The other recipient is Helmut Kohl, who was responsible for German unification and created the European Union.

It is more than an understatement to suggest that Merkel barely deserves mention in the same breath.