Whisper it softly: it's OK to like Germany

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/jul/13/germany-world-cup-final-football

Version 0 of 1.

Something strange is stirring in Britain this weekend. It's the sound of Brits being nice about Germany. In tonight's World Cup final in Rio, Germany face Argentina at the end of the most memorable tournament in my lifetime. And it seems pretty clear that, for many of us, Germany is the team we will be cheering. A cynic might say this is just because dislike for Argentina exceeds that for Germany. But that's not what is going on. Germany's football in Brazil (and especially against Brazil) has been exceptional. Wanting Germany to win is based on wanting the best team in the tournament to win.

Dip into the weekend papers, the blogosphere & the musings of the twitterati, and you'll see multiple variants on a similar sentiment: "I can't quite believe it, and I never thought this would happen, but I find myself supporting Germany. Fancy that!"

Usually our praise for German football is similar to our praise for Germans in other spheres of life where they lead the world. We cloak it in begrudging virtues: "efficient", "clinical", "ruthless". Germans are applauded in the language we use to describe well-functioning inanimate objects, such as Mercedes cars, or Miele dishwashers. And characteristics of good cars and dishwashers are, by implication, characteristics of people that you admire in a slightly resentful way.

So we are impressed with Germany, but we don't have any particular affection for it or its people. We have respect for Germany, but we don't want to spend much time there. We applaud Germans' economic success, but we resent their dominance of the European Union. We make lots of jokes at their expense, but we say they have no sense of humour.

Maybe a day on which millions of Brits find themselves rooting for Messrs Müller, Hummels and Schweinsteiger is a good moment to challenge this approach to all things German. Because the truth is that there is much to like and admire about Germany. And – whisper it softly – there is a lot we can learn from them too.

Let's start with the political miracle of modern Germany. Out of the ruins of the second world war, and the grotesque atrocities of Nazism, the Federal Republic emerged within a decade as the paragon of a stable, inclusive liberal democracy. The German economic miracle was no less extraordinary. True, Germany received billions of dollars of external aid to rebuild after the desolation it created for itself in 1945. But it significantly outperformed others who also received Marshall Aid. And by the 1950s, Germany had become the productivity powerhouse of Europe. It remains the most successful exporting nation in modern European history.

Germany is also responsible for the greatest gamble, and perhaps the greatest achievement, of any modern industrialised country in my lifetime: the reunification of East and West Germany. Can you imagine any other European country deciding to take on another 25% of its population, asking its existing citizens to pay for the costs, and then embarking on the generational challenge of rebuilding an entire former country? Reunification has been a rocky road for Germany, but the continuing political and economic commitment to its success has been astonishing to watch.

But Germany is not just a country to be admired. It is a country that should inspire us in our search for answers to some of the most pressing challenges we face.

Take the state of Britain's economy. Underneath the bonnet of our recovery lies an economy characterised by low productivity, a poor record in technical skills, low levels of savings and investment and relatively weak performance in R&D. In the long run, we will simply not be able to compete internationally, or solve the cost of living crisis we face, without addressing these challenges. We cannot copy the German economy, or transplant the culture in which it is embedded. But we can learn much from the institutions and policies that have helped produce the most successful high-wage, high-skill economy of the modern era.

What is most inspirational about the German economy is not the policies it has pursued, but the consensus of values on which the economy is based. Germany is committed to a free market economy, but one in which capitalism is organised and responsible. This "social market" rests on widely accepted rules and practices: to encourage long-termism; to promote collaboration rather than conflict in the workplace; to incentivise employers to invest in the skills and productivity of their workers; and to try to ensure prosperity is available to Germans in all regions rather than just one. And when bad times hit, Germans fall back on a welfare system explicitly based on the interlocking principles of need and contribution.

Of course Germany has its share of problems, blind spots and policy failures too. And taking inspiration from German success does not mean wanting Britain to be become Germany (just as being inspired by Jethro Tull's music doesn't make me want to grow a beard, stand on one leg and play the flute). But surely it is time for us as a country to take a collective deep breath, and tell ourselves: it's OK to like, admire and even learn lessons from Germany. And you never know: once we do, we may be on the long road to finally winning another World Cup.