Mark Dolan: Angela Merkel is the most overrated politician in the world, the trousers-suited tyrant won't be missed

After 16 years at the helm, Angela Merkel, the Chancellor of Germany is out of a job.

In a farewell speech, she said we must keep an open mind about science and debate all aspects of policy in a respectful way. Which is confusing, because this former chemist has crushed debate around science in Germany with relentless lockdowns, mask mandates, with better, higher spec masks and divisive Covid passports.

These strict measures must have worked, right? The Germans are famous for doing things better than everyone else. Let's have a look at this latest graph of Covid cases in Germany to find out.

Maybe the Germans aren't so perfect after all. It's been so difficult for Angela, because she wanted to reinvent Germany as a progressive, democratic and enlightened country, and yet she flirts with the worst aspects of German history, by separating members of society based upon their medical status in the form of the aforementioned vaccine passports, and now she attacks bodily autonomy, with a mandate which will make being vaccinated a matter of German law.

You can't make a medical procedure a matter of law can you? Wouldn't that have a chilling impact on the image of a country that seeks to rid itself of ghosts of the past, and sell an image to the world of a freedom-loving nation of individuals? Oh dear.

World leaders are queueing up to say that she has been one of the greatest leaders of Germany since the war, citing the fact that she's been there 16 years.

That's like saying herpes is great, because it's been around for a long time. German society has been left divided unstable after her bizarre decision to welcome a million migrants into the country, which has destabilised not just German society, but neighbouring countries like Poland and the Czech Republic.

Following the Japanese Fukushima nuclear disaster in 2011, Mrs Merkel made a decision on behalf of the German people to abandon nuclear energy.

The resulting legacy is an old-fashioned, fossil fuel burning economy, with a carbon footprint the size of a yeti and a total reliance on Russian gas. Extraordinarily, Germany is now dependent on Vladimir Putin for its energy.

This cripples any chance of Germany or EU member states being able to talk tough with the Kremlin. For the Germans to receive the gas they need from Russia, they must accept Vladimir Putin's new pipeline, which is called Nordstream 2.

Except that this new pipeline allows Putin the freedom to cut off all energy supplies to the Ukraine, the Russian invasion of which has already begun, with the annexation of the Crimea. So ultimately if Ukraine falls to Russia, this will be on Germany and on Merkel. Germany is now in Russia’s back pocket.

Germany is still an economic powerhouse, but it but it's an old business model of heavy manufacturing, to which they will continue to lose market share to China in the years to come.

Britain, with its emerging green technologies, tech sector, digital expertise, innovation in science, creative industries and massive service sector is anticipated to see Britain match Germany's economic output within the next two decades.

A forecast by the Centre for Economic and Business Research, the CEBR, predicts that the UK economy will grow to become 23 per cent larger than that of France by 2035 and ultimately see the UK economy outgrowing Germany itself – the holy grail.

Today, the UK’s economy is 43 per cent smaller than Germany’s but by 2035, the CEBR predicts it will be just 10 per cent behind.

So what we've seen under Merkel is not an economic miracle but 16 years of gradual decline. Germany's handling of the pandemic was much admired in the first few months, partly because of their world-class test and trace system.

Except that by last Christmas, cases were through the roof and Mrs Merkel admitted they had lost control of the virus. And as she exits office, once again Germany has nothing to show for their stringent measures and their better, higher spec masks. Let’s take another look at that graph.

I might get a tattoo of that graph somewhere on my body. But hilariously, perhaps Merkel’s greatest legacy is Brexit.

Mrs Merkel reflected the profound arrogance of EU leaders at the time, when then Prime Minister David Cameron went over to Brussels with his begging bowl, seeking concessions, in order to prevent our departure from the block.

He returned with thin gruel and ultimately we left. Germany dominate the EU politically and economically, and she could've given Cameron anything with which to satisfy the British people the EU could change.

It's been reported that Mrs Merkel dismissed the idea that the Brits would leave and the rest is history. Just being in the job for a long time, doesn't mean you are good at it. Ask Matt Hancock.

Germany is now a divided society, in long-term economic decline, with a pandemic in full flight in spite of Draconian restrictions.

And now with dangerous echoes of its own totalitarian past, Germany shouldn't mourn the passing of Merkel, they should celebrate Angela’s ashes.

Her legacy has left a sauerkraut taste in the mouth, she’s gone from bad to Wurst and if you think she was a great Chancellor, just keep taking the pilsner.

Germany is an amazing country. I love its people, its cities and landscapes, its culture of expertise, it's art and it’s spirit of expertise, hard work and perfectionism.

But Angela Merkel is the most overrated politician in the world and this trousers-suited tyrant won't be missed.

Auf wiedersehen pet.