Whatever the party’s long-term strategy, there’s no question that it has decided to ignore Scholz’s calls for détente and go on the attack by ignoring its partners’ red lines. 

Ruining Scholz’s summer holiday

The party’s summer disruption campaign began last week. In an interview with German public television, party leader Christian Lindner, who is also Germany’s finance minister, cast doubt on a budget compromise that he, Scholz and Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck of the Greens had reached in early July. 

The July agreement was preceded by a months-long…