GERMANY'S SOCIALISTS' KNICKERS IN A KNOT

Malu Dreyer has a blunt reaction to recent elections in Germany as it comes to grips with the "shock" of a far-right party's electoral breakthrough.
The AfD won over 12 per cent of votes, entering the German parliament for the first time in over half a century. Dreyer, who has been an enthusiastic backer of German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s relatively liberal refugee policy, called the election result a “watershed moment” and “something like a disaster.”

  “But at the same time, I think it’s very important to take into account the fears people have, and — whether you like them or not — to integrate them into your political thinking. This does not mean posing any restrictions on our own liberal thinking.”