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Welcome to The Spectator podcast. I'm Isabel Harvman. On this week's episode, we'll be looking at Germany's political nightmare, speaking to one of the world's most eminent psychologists and getting excited by the Winter Olympics.

First up, since last year's election, Angela Merkel's chancellorship has seemed to be on thin ice. Her party, the Christian Democrats, have a coalition offer pending with the SPD, which would, at best, see the far-right AFD become the main opposition.

What is fueling this unrest, and how long can Merkel continue in the current climate?

Thomas Keelinger writes on the future of Germany's leadership in the magazine, and he joins me now, along with Anne McHelvoy, head of Economist Radio.

So, Thomas, this week, Der Spiegel ran a cover adorn simply with

Chrysa, the German word for crisis. So has the situation in Germany, which has been brewing

since the election in September of last year, finally spilled over into a crisis.

Well, the trouble when the Spiegel produces its latest number, it was a moment when things

were beginning to move into a better way in Berlin. That is to say that Angela Merkel

and her top echelon agreed on a new party general secretary. And the new party general at this point

of time looks like she might become the future leader before the next general election. Her name is

Anne-Graight Krundt Kumpenhausen or whatever. I like the acronym that they've chose for him,

AKK, they call her. And that is in a remarkable about turn for Merkel to nominate someone

who is likely to be her successor. It is important that she does that because she's refused so

far to acknowledge anyone. All her rivals were nipped in the bud in her time

in office, just like under call in 18 years. So the Spiegel may be already sort of obsolete

by the time we reach next week when the party will agree on this candidate, Anne Greta,

Greta, Kampenhausen, the general secretary. So there's hope yet. And do you think Merkel has got

herself into a mess? She seems to be

switching between the thing that she says she's definitely not going to do and ending up doing the

thing she then doesn't want to do. Well, the main thing Angela Merkel wants to do is stay being

...