Daniel Johnson: German economy is crumbling as industries fail to adapt

While the world was mesmerised by events in America, the ruling coalition in Europe’s biggest economy collapsed. The fall of the German government on Wednesday night may lack the drama of Donald Trump’s return, but the crisis in Berlin is yet another symptom of popular insurgency. When Olaf Scholz sacked his finance minister Christian Lindner – who had rebelled against high taxes, red tape and unrealistic net- zero targets – the chancellor knew this was curtains for the three-party coalition led by his own Social Democrats (SPD).

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