Germany – the new mini-superpower

"The Germans aren't particularly Keynesian," says Charles Grant, director of the Centre for European Reform, a London-based think-tank. "They want to save and build, cut budgets, force austerity. The problem is how do states that are already immobilized cut their way to growth? Having said that, German elites are still committed to Europe. But they feel misunderstood right now as others in Europe complain." Whether Merkel's Germany is simply changing the model and habits of Europe, or is drifting away, is a question the best and brightest theorise about. Much of Merkel's explanation for her behaviour, whether on immigration or fiscal rules, is based on what Mr Grant calls "public opinion" in Germany. Yet public opinion is not created in a vacuum.