The headline news that Mrs Merkel was re-elected to serve a fourth term as German Chancellor was expected. But two other by-products of this poll are of some interest. She got 32.5% of the vote, well down from the 41% she got in 2013. (Well down incidentally from the 42.3% Theresa May won in June of this year).
Does this matter to us? Yes – because Germany will always be the powerhouse of the European Union and a weakened Angela Merkel is less likely to be able to pull a pragmatic political deal out of her back pocket to unlock Brexit, than a Chancellor in her full strength.
The second storyline is seismic. With 13% of the vote the far right party (Alternative for Germany) secured 90 seats in the Berlin Parliament. If my schoolboy history serves me correctly that is more than Hitler started with in the Bundestag. Respected German commentators are describing this as a political earthquake.
Add to this the astonishing rise of Jeremy Corbyn, the outcome of the Brexit referendum and the success of Donald J Trump and it is clear that the unexpected is becoming the norm.
The first lesson for those of us in mainstream politics is that the electorate cannot be taken for granted. I often explain to school children when I give my talk on our democratic principles – that voters are very good at getting the outcome they want. The real power is with the voters, not the politicians. Hurrah!
The German vote – like our Brexit vote – owed much to people’s concern about mass immigration. To allow over one million new people into your country, many of them from a very different cultural and religious background, was what Sir Humphrey would have called a “brave decision minister.” The German people have sent a clear signal that they are not happy about it.
Throughout history the world has known immigration. It is largely beneficial to the host country and those migrating. But it has to be measured and controlled, or people will rise up against it. Maintaining social cohesion and encouraging integration is crucial. Evolution not revolution.
I hope the EU survives without us – the last thing we want is a tottering edifice on our doorstep. But if anything will bring it down it will be the lack of understanding of bureaucrats in Brussels of the feelings of ordinary people about uncontrolledimmigration.
We are living at a time of great uncertainty.