It often makes the task of government more complicated, as President Bill Clinton can testify, but it need not mean that nothing gets done. Lastly, federalism is a system that accords with Germany's history and identity. Those who reconstructed Germany after 1945 recognised this, not just by sweeping away Hitler's chaotically centralised dictatorship but by abolishing the historically dominant state of Prussia as well. Federalism and democracy are well-matched partners in Germany. This is not to absolve the SPD of its share of the blame for the shocking mess over tax reform.
Power brings responsibilities.
It is not enough for the SPD to sit tight on its opinion poll lead over Kohl's CDU and claim that, should it win next September's elections, everything will be different. For German voters may well take their revenge on a party that seems no better than the CDU when it comes to addressing the nation's concerns. The voters of Hamburg have already done so, turning away from the SPD in such numbers in last month's state election that the party turned in its worst performance there since 1945. For Kohl, the Hamburg result was an omen that he may yet succeed in what once looked like an impossibly ambitious effort to win a fifth term as chancellor. For the German people, however, what lies in store is another long year of political paralysis.