#Germany update

The vaccination program has finally gathered speed w/ the arrival of sufficient vaccines, AZ doubts clarified, & local organisation sorted out. During the last 2-3 weeks, it has accelerated considerably & now includes GP surgeries, not just vaccination centres.
2/

Currently, we have a new headache, two, in fact.

Headache no. 1 is our federal system that hands 16 state prime ministers all authority over education & most authority over lockdown measures. W/ the economy complaining & elections in Sept, since autumn, PMs have broken rank.
3/

The unified, consensual approach that worked so well during lockdown no. 1 has been undermined for every lockdown since, with compromises ignored & lockdown measures watered down - they're now different from state to state & community to community.
4/

Headache no. 2: Merkel will retire in September & already no longer leads the Conservatives, so we've seen a competition for the party leadership (won by state PM Armin Laschet). As the Cons are made up of 2 parties (Bavarian CSU & Merkel's CDU), the current popularity of...
5/

Bavarian PM Söder (leader of the CSU) has resulted in a power struggle for the Conservative chancellor candidacy.

As we are entering another wave, Germany is watching with growing concern and disbelief as two men are fighting for promotion at a time of crisis.
6/

Polls show that a majority of Germans have wanted to continue or even enhance lockdown measures. Instead, in the last months several PMs have eased measures & opened schools & workplaces. Infection numbers are climbing. ⅔ of hospitals are full & can't except more patients.
7/

Finally (!), Merkel's federal government is seeking to regain control w/ a draft law that transfers much of the authority needed to impose lockdown measures from a state to the federal level, making it possible for her to impose them nationwide. It will be passed this week.
8/

So there you go. A combination of inadequate politicians at state level, guided by personal & regional interests & the September general elections whose lure of power proved too much for some, have created the current situation.
9/

2 lessons:

We should have postponed the elections. A public health crisis that requires consensual politics is no time for a political campaign.
We need to reform state authority for education & public health. It's always been ludicrous to run 16 different education systems.
10/

So, when this is over, we have work to do. Fix the weaknesses in our federal system, too long ignored as it was all going so well, & rethink the kind of men and women we elect into power. We will see a number of current disgraced PMs deselected in future state elections.
11/END

German politics will become interesting, come September. Watch this space.

P.S. No, we will not leave the EU [sigh].
On this, a cartoon by Heiko Sakurai:

"Oh, look, the Conservatives are deciding on who'll be their chancellor candidate"
*accept
P.S. Today, the Conservatives confirmed Armin Laschet as chancellor candidate. Heavily trailing in the polls even among his own voters, who credit him w/ few qualifications & little chance to win the Sept elections. German Twitter is having a field day with this. #SOEDERvsLASCHET

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