Why Merkel does it better

John Kampfner | Issue 2 | Brussels, Comment, Magazine

From the Archive

726C5C60-438A-47A5-A301-A857F915D38B

As Boris goes from one blunder to the next, the German chancellor has kept the virus under control, says John Kampfner

Germany has just recorded its highest ever rise in daily infections. The country feels as worried now as at any point during the first wave. So why would I rather catch Covid there than here?

The short answer is that everything is comparative. Britain, otherwise known as clown-country (my term, the Germans use the slightly less pejorative ‘the island’), has never had a grip on the crisis. It has lurched from one decision to another, each announcement carrying the trademark bluster of Boris Johnson.

In Germany, the statistics are different; the atmospherics even more so. The country’s response has been characterised by competence on the ground and the quiet calm of Angela Merkel, who has not sought to intervene with the decisions taken by the regions and the municipalities. The Chancellor and her government have been fastidious about planning ahead, sticking to the science, being frank with citizens and refraining from bombast.

A couple of weeks ago I found myself in Duisburg, in the Ruhr region to the west of the country. The town has for decades suffered from post-industrial blight – not unlike a large swathe of northern England. It has poor quality and crowded housing and other forms of deprivation. In other words, this should be a Covid hotspot. Except the methods of tackling the problem there are unrecognisable to anything seen in the UK.

As I was shown around the …

Subscribe to The Mace

Join the member community shaping British politics and stay ahead of what's really happening in the world of politics and public affairs, with expert analysis, breaking news, and insider insights from Westminster and Brussels. The Mace is the leading news source and resource for the government affairs industry, offering required reading and lobby intelligence for professionals.

To see what you are missing out on by not subscribing to The Mace, click here to download our full membership info-pack. This includes having no paywall on op-ed content or profiles/interviews, allowing professional profiles to be read with maximum impact and visibility by government, special advisers, MPs, peers, civil servants, and policy and political decision-makers.



Farmers have suffered enough this summer — it’s time the government got on side

John Cooper | August 27, 2026

Britain’s farmers have battled repeated heatwaves and droughts, but MP John Cooper says the government’s Family Farm Tax is piling further pressure on an industry that desperately needs

It’s not a popularity contest: The case for protecting Meghan and Harry 

Lucy Carrier-Pilkington | August 25, 2026

You don’t have to like the Sussexes to believe the government has a duty to protect them.

Is money a factor behind Prince Harry’s move back to the UK?

Mace | August 21, 2026

Is there a connection between Prince Harry's share of a £34 million legal bill and his sudden move back to the UK? The Mace follows the money.

Are Meghan and Harry about to undergo a PR makeover?  

Lucy Carrier-Pilkington | August 20, 2026

Could the Sussexes’ shock UK return finally bring peace with the royals - and the British press?

Burnham is trying to fix Whitehall, but will the political machinery change?

Mace | August 7, 2026

Andy Burnham is shaking up government with more changes than by any incoming prime minister in memory. But, asks Sir Bernard Jenkin MP, does he understand why the

Dame Antonia’s key civil service reforms are ready to be supported by Whitehall, says Jonathan Freeman

Mace | August 1, 2026

The Civil Service is ready to support Dame Antonia Romeo's flagship changes to government machinery - notably relating to AI and devolution - under new prime minister Andy

Experts warn more government support needed to help UK aviation meet net zero by 2050

Mace | July 30, 2026

UK aviation can decarbonise while meeting growth ambitions, but urgent government action is needed to prevent costs increasing for passengers and the sector losing its competitive edge.

Don’t rule out an early election as Burnham may see an opportunity to kick Reform, says Fred de Fossard

Fred de Fossard | July 28, 2026

With the new Prime minister championing policies which go beyond Labour’s very confined 2024 manifesto, an early election is not illogical.

Despite promises of radical change, Labour’s culture of ruling political families remains entrenched

Lucy Carrier-Pilkington | July 28, 2026

Andy Burnham's inner circle appears to perpetuate Labour's long-running culture of nepotism, and is doomed to cause frustration among backbenchers.

Kemi’s true blue purge, with help from Sir Philip May

William Cash | July 26, 2026

The news that former Home Secretary Sir Grant Shapps has failed to make the new Tory candidate list has put fear into dozens of former Conservative MPs. Whether