Germany needs a government that makes things work

I am becoming tired of hearing how much potential Germany has. I know it has potential. That is part of why the gap between what the country could do and what it manages to deliver feels so frustrating.

At the August cabinet retreat in Neuhardenberg, Friedrich Merz placed competitiveness, security, and climate policy at the center of the government’s agenda. Those are serious priorities. The problem is that announcing the right priorities does not tell people when anything will become easier, more affordable, or more reliable. (Federal government’s statement, 25 August)

It would be unfair to claim that everything is getting worse. The revised figures released by Destatis on 25 August showed that the economy grew by 0.3% in the second quarter compared with the previous quarter. Recovery deserves acknowledgment. But modest growth does not, by itself, demonstrate that the problems people encounter in their working lives have been resolved. (Destatis, second-quarter figures)

My frustration with Merz’s government is about the distance between its promises and a convincing sense of direction. I want to know which obstacles it will remove, who will be responsible, and how we will know that the work is finished. Businesses need predictable conditions for investment. People need realistic prospects for housing, employment, and advancement. Public services need to respond within a timeframe that allows someone to plan a life.

This matters politically as well as economically. I do not believe the AfD can be pushed back through warnings alone. Its positions should be challenged directly, but democratic parties also need to show that governing within democratic institutions produces useful results.

A government cannot simply purchase trust with a better growth figure. Nor does economic dissatisfaction explain every far-right vote. Still, every promise that disappears into another announcement gives opponents an opportunity to argue that the established parties are incapable of change.

When I say I want Germany to become powerful again, I mean a country whose competence gives it influence. A Germany that can build infrastructure, support innovation, protect its people, and help Europe act together would have something more durable than a louder diplomatic voice.

I would like to see fewer declarations of a turning point and more visible evidence of one. Choose a manageable set of priorities. Publish deadlines. Explain the trade-offs. Admit where progress is blocked, and take responsibility for unblocking it.

I am not expecting a chancellor to repair everything in one term. I am expecting the government to make it possible to point to something substantial and say: this works better because they acted. That should be a reasonable demand in Germany.