[nomadking]

It's only one regional election, but it matters because defeat in North Rhine Westphalia deprives Chancellor Angela Merkel of a majority in the upper house of the German parliament. And without that, she'll find it much harder to push through the national legislation she wants.

A new coalition in NRW would jeopardise long-promised tax cuts and health system reforms at national level, as Bundesrat members are directly appointed by the state governments.

Local councils in NRW are sinking into debt, with leading to rising kindergarten fees and the threatened closure of libraries, swimming-pools and theatres.

But it's not just Greece. Ever since they took power nationally, Chancellor Merkel's coalition of Christian Democrats and Free Democrats haven't stopped squabbling - over everything from body scanners at airports to budget deficits. And the more they've bickered, the more unpopular they've become.

Does anything actually get done in a PR government with an elected second chamber that the majority voted for?