Germany has a bleak future thanks to Olaf Scholz

The demise of chancellor Olaf Scholz’s lacklustre coalition of Social Democrats, Greens, and the liberal Free Democrats is unsurprising. The ideological blend fits Germany, as Stalin might have said, ‘like a saddle fits a cow.’

Scholz seems almost to have modelled himself on Liz Truss; though it took him longer to damage the world’s third-largest economy, he has done a thorough job. Germany’s economy, Europe’s largest, is expected to contract for a second consecutive year in 2024. Ludwig Erhard, the architect of the West German economic miracle, must be spinning in his grave.

The Bundestag is likely to hold a vote of confidence in December, though Scholz has suggested delaying this until next year. An election is due to take place on 23 February.

Christian Democratic Union (CDU) leader Friedrich Merz is currently poised to become Germany’s next chancellor. As we’ve seen in the US, polls can be misleading, but Merz’s CDU-led bloc holds such a commanding lead that his victory seems assured.