His first steps backwards

Friedrich Merz, the victor of German elections in February is struggling even before he takes office. Outgoing Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s Social Democrats (SPD) – the election losers – used coalition talks to ram through their policies in a 144-page pact to serve as junior partner to Merz’s Christian Democrats. The accord shies away from any big reforms of the economy, of the creaking social welfare state and even from the no-brainer of reinstating military conscription to help deter Russia. The agreement is so bad and