Populist and anti-democratic movements are emerging all around the world – a resurgence of nationalism. In Germany of all places, these movements are given a precious gift from the established parties, as they are abandoning the concept of nationhood that today is known as German, to the rising forces of the right without putting up a fight.

The political centre of Germany has stopped wanting to be German. It is European, or even internationally-minded, it is concerned with the greater community and accomplishing tasks for humanity as a whole – German issues are not to be mentioned. The national position has been abandoned. It is readily available as a unifying bond for radicals who do not have anything else that unifies them on their political programme.

The struggle to be the authority to decide the meaning of what is German, is ultimately a question of self-assertion and of the future viability of the political centre. And it must finally accept that it has to fight this fight.

The debate on what it means to be German can no longer be defined by the right-wing AfD party!