RARELY HAS the Bundestag known such drama. On January 29th, to scenes of uproar in Germany’s parliament, a tiny majority of mps approved a radical five-point plan to curb irregular immigration. The non-binding motion was introduced by Friedrich Merz, head of the centre-right Christian Democrats (cdu) and the favourite to take over as chancellor after the election on February 23rd. Among other matters, it proposed permanent controls on Germany’s borders and a “de facto entry ban”: the rejection of any immigrants lacking papers, including asylum-seekers.