What you are describing would mean they are very stupid in the exact thing which is supposed to be their strong side.
It’s just corruption. Politicians have long learned that to appear stupid is advantageous - plebes don’t get alarmed when they see something wrong, but can explain it by stupidity, and they also don’t insist on rolling it back.
These people are vermin. The best thing Germans can do for their future is to interrogate meticulously, investigate and jail for life all of the German politicians who’ve touched power in the last 20 years, with death sentences postponed by 20 years, and maybe also check their family members. The second best thing would be a good French 60s’ style revolution, which would likely lead to the same anyway, because what’s secret would no longer be that.
Similar for many other European countries.
No, I’m not fascist, actually kinda anarchist (more ancap than ancom, but tolerant to the latter).