Is Germany about to go green? The German general election has finally loosened the grip on power of the Christian Democrats: the dominant political force almost since the end of the Second World War. But with the end of the chancellorship of Angela Merkel looming – she remains in post only as caretaker – they looked stale and out of ideas. They lost many seats in the Bundestag as their share of the vote collapsed, and it seems highly unlikely they could participate in the formation of another coalition.