Consensus has smothered the nation’s domestic politics – it needs a dose of reality-based controversyIf I think of Germany at night, I still sleep soundly. But after the recent bruising assertion of German power in the eurozone, especially during the hellish all-night Brussels dance along the precipice of Grexit in mid-July, I’m not alone in feeling the first twinges of insomnia. The fact that there are so many things the Germans have got right should not stop us, and them, from asking what they have got wrong – or at least, could do better. I have been chewing this over, and come up with a surprising thought: to achieve more consensus abroad, perhaps Europe’s leading power needs less consensus at home.As it happens, this week sees the 40th anniversary of the signing of the Helsinki Final Act, a milestone on the journey that led eventually to today’s united Germany, with its East German chancellor and president. It is interesting to go back and sample the style of German foreign policy at that time: patiently multilateral, modest, humble even, and yet with touches of the inspirational, as in the rhetoric of Willy Brandt and Richard von Weizsäcker. Related: Why is Germany so tough on Greece? Look back 25 years | Dirk Laabs I don’t think the homespun wisdom of Dr Schäuble’s granny should be the thread upon which the future of Europe hangs Related: ‘We need permanent revolution’: Thomas Piketty, 2014’s most influential thinker Continue reading...
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