One reason Germany has dragged its heels so long on the Greek debt crisis is that Merkel was hoping to get the local election in North Rhine-Westphalia out of the way before having to take action.
No such luck. Her party now has to face the voters having contributed 20-odd billion euros to a Greek bailout.
If her coalition loses the election, she will lose her majority in the upper house of parliament more difficult, not that she was reforming much anyway.
