The founders of the movement Alternative für Deutschland (Alternative for Germany) are anything but political oddballs: they include some of the country's most respected economists and Hans-Olaf Henkel, the former president of the Federation of German Industries. Their sentiments are not new on the continent — Eurosceptics can be found in the poorer regions of the south in particular — but they are virtually unheard of in German public life.

The group's statements on its website probably sound like pure Cameroon to Brits: "The will of the people is never listened to and it is not represented in parliament. The government is depriving voters of a voice through disinformation, is putting pressure on constitutional organs, like parliament and the Constitutional Court, and is making far-reaching decisions in committees that have no democratic legitimacy."

Germany, strained from a year of costly bail-outs, is not averse to Eurosceptics; mainstream parties have voiced concerns about the path on which Europe is going. Alternative für Deutschland is not yet formally a political party — in order to contest an election its candidates on the party list will each have to collect a minimum of 1,000 signatures in the state concerned.

Still, with concern growing over the fact that the country has become the paymaster for the rest of the eurozone, the group could attract protest votes and, judging by the current frustration within Merkel's own party, potential support is also growing there.