I actually think the differences between British and German politics are a lot more structural and cultural rather than about personalities.

1. None of Germany’s chancellors since 1945 were privately educated.

Five British PMs since then went to the same *school*.

1/6 https://twitter.com/andrew_adonis/status/1300112162019512321

Even though roughly the same percentage of people attend private schools in Germany and the UK, they don’t nearly dominate public life in the same way.

For example, none of the ministers in the current German cabinet went to private schools.

2/6

2. Because of Germany’s federal structure, 6 out of 8 chancellors since 1945 had previous experience as ministers in a state government (5 of them as ‘first minister’).

It’s generally very common that ministers and MPs at the national level have experience at state level.

3/6

3. Germany only has one influential reactionary newspaper (Bild), whereas Britain has at least four (Sun, Mail, Express, Telegraph), which hold enormous sway over the framing of political events, policies, etc. This is a huge factor in my view.

4/6

4. Because of the proportional element in the German electoral system, voters have a lot more choice, which arguably produces a more nuanced political mandate and makes larger parties more accountable.

5/6

None of this is to say that the German system is flawless or generally superior (it isn’t), but I think these structural and cultural factors explain the differences between British and German politics more accurately than the personalities and deeds of ‘great leaders’. 6/6