IT is difficult to argue with Alison Rowat when she states that "what happens in Germany has implications far beyond the country’s borders" ("Merkel is down but do not be too quick to think she is out", The Herald, November 23). Prolonged efforts to create a new coalition government have broken down and there is no doubt that one of the areas of serious disagreement among the parties involved in the negotiations, is the question of migration.

There are those insisting upon a refugee cap, following almost almost a million migrants entering the country in 2015 with many thousands subsequently. Mrs Merkel is not willing to accept a formal cap, at least so far. If there was any doubt about the significance of that question to Germans today, one only has to reflect upon the intervention of the German President, Frank-Walter Steinmeier. It is extremely unusual for such a figure to become involved in domestic politics. In a speech he observed that German policy must be able to distinguish between political refugees and economic migrants so as to "define legal access to Germany".

Mrs Merkel’s motivation in inviting hundreds of thousands to Germany may well have been entirely humanitarian and, in that respect, deserving of admiration. However, there is no doubt that, as a result, her popularity has been diminished, because many Germans has since resented the economic, social, and cultural consequences, which have ensued and they have recorded their dissatisfaction at the ballot box.

The German Chancellor has had a stellar career in German politics and as a leading light in the European Union. Securing a new coalition government in Germany, with so much contention, division, and intransigence, could prove to be one of her major achievements.

Ian W Thomson,

38 Kirkintilloch Road, Lenzie.