Too Much Partying

Even the ancient Greeks, whom the Germans so admire, only had the traditional two choices. There is much to pick and choose from now, which begs the question, ‘Are we better off?’ Victory of a semi-rational party can be compromised by a (required) coalition with some nutjob party, or—much worse—a handful of nutjob parties can get together on their own and gain a majority.

They seem to stick by this ‘system’...all I know is, every time things go slightly awry, the media throws its hands up and screams “Kaos!”

“Chaos as Berlin hit by railway warning strike”

“Merkel risks 'chaos' as she fights for reforms”

“etc.”

This does not seem to bode well for any future crisis management, and in a country that urges its citizens to get out in the street and demonstrate to deal with problems the government cannot resolve, crises just may arise.

Things are always even more tenuous in the former communist east naturally, but ‘another 40 years’ to rebuild? It didn’t take that long to ruin it...and one has to assume that the reigning dictatorship made the process of decay as inefficient as everything else.