Oh to be German. After 16 years of outstanding leadership from Angela Merkel, who never put petty partisanship before her national and European goals, there will now be a modest change of tack. The timing of a subtle shift in a liberal direction is perfect. But Germany will not move from the centre ground nor will it cease to play a leadership role in Europe.
Compare this with binary Britain where we have invented a new insult (“Woke”) to describe beliefs and character that perfectly match those of Merkel and Olaf Scholz. And where dimwitted ideologues with gormless nationalist rhetoric drive us daily into ignominious irrelevance.
As Germany takes another confident step forward we have disappeared into a sentimental cloud of post imperial confusion. What we have traditionally done well (The City, The Arts, Tourism) is threatened by our economic travails and our unique insularity. We could learn from the Germans. We won’t.
Paddy’s Blogs in a crazy world 
Germany is a world-class nation. Anglea Merkel has led the country with distinction, honour and decency. They have managed to emerge from their dark past into the light of Liberalism and human progress. They will continue to lead Europe in the same direction. Britain could have been a partner on equal terms, close collaborators at the forefront of that leadership. Instead, what has Britain now become?
I think the recent decline of Britain into ‘gormless nationalism’ actually began when Gordon Brown was defeated. The Lib/Con government then held the Tories in check for a while until the disastrous 2015 election when Cameron’s hubris began to run riot and the slow decline began to gather momentum.
Add to that the war in Syria and the millions displaced around Europe and you had the perfect xenophobic cocktail ripe for exploitation by unscrupulous politicians. Britain turned inward.
Cameron compounded the process by trying to neutralise Farage. He did the worse possible thing. Calling the EU referendum at the worst possible time when the result was in doubt.
Ever since the worst of Britain and its people’s prejudice has been nurtured and encouraged by disgraceful people in all walks of life. Johnson simply jumped on the bandwagon for his own purposes. His sycophantic troops followed the Pied Piper to seek the same self-advantage. They morphed into xenophobes to climb the greasy pole.
Britain is now seen around the world as an irrelevance. A quaint country of reactionary people going nowhere. Quite a decline in a hundred years. World power to almost zero.
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