Clearly mine. 😇 Merkel's book is an exercise in denial. She had the political capital and chose not to use it. Now she's trying to justify her inaction. 😔

More in my book with @willwilkes.bsky.social Broken Republik (English, @bloomsburybooksuk.bsky.social) and Totally Kaputt? (German, #PiperVerlag)

www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1526679140

Germans are focused on preserving the present and don't expect brighter days ahead, and so debt is a burden and not an opportunity.

But the mindset creates a self-fulfilling prophecy. Decline becomes inevitable.

That's an identity issue and it's why Germany needs a vision for the future.

Public finances aren't a Schwabian household (to use the German cliche). That was the idea of the "black zero" balanced budgets in the past, which left education and infrastructure trailing peers.

Debt is an investment in the future...if spent wisely. So fearing debt is fearing the future.

If political actors show an understanding of people's problems and come up with viable solutions, they would blunt the AfD's appeal.

It should be a competition of ideas and not a battle in the courts.

The problem is the CDU and SPD have limited credibility since they've run Germany forever.

Despite the challenges, it's not too late for Germany.

There's still enough substance that can be tapped to defuse ethnic nationalism and make Germany a nation to be proud of.

More obviously in our book:
Broken Republik (English) - amzn.eu/d/56WqhsR
Totally Kaputt? (deutsch) - amzn.eu/d/hy05nza

Thank you 🙏

Germany was not liberated from the Nazis, it was the Nazis. It has acknowledged guilt, but not accepted responsibility.

These half-measures have prevented the creation of an inclusive civic identity and allowed ethnic nationalism to reemerge.

More in amzn.eu/d/56WqhsR
and amzn.eu/d/hy05nza

And even more on the inside story of Germany's descent into crisis is in Broken Republik, my book with @willwilkes.bsky.social

www.waterstones.com/book/broken-...