Dear Reader,

I have to say that this is a piece of news that really surprised me.

A survey released today by the Allensbach Institute found that a third of Germans believe they live in a “sham democracy” in which “normal citizens have no voice.”

In east Germany a full 45% said that Germany is a Scheindemokratie, while 28% of those in the west agreed.

In general, 28% said that German democracy needs to be “fundamentally changed.”

It is more than mildly worrying that such a large number of people see the institutions of their country as a facade. It suggests a lack of trust in all of the pillars of democracy: the media, the parliaments, the executive and the judiciary.

Lockdowns are likely to have played their part. During the pandemic many people realized for the first time what it means to have their liberties taken away. But there are no doubt deeper trends at work here.