Yes, it's shrinking because Sarah exited left, came back in on the right, and now has her own party with blackjack and racists.

> It may seem to have "outsized influence" for someone from the US or the UK, with their different voting system, which practically creates a two-party system. In a proportional representation system smaller parties have influence, too - for example by being a coalition member.

Well, my point is that without explanation, 5% sounds like "completely irrelevant" for many people. So I guess we are in agreement. But even if you are familiar with the German system, do you not think that both FDP and Greens had an outsized influence in the just ending coalition compared to the SPD, in relation to their relative voting percentage? And historically, the FDP and CSU have a lot more influence that what would be proportional to their vote share compared to the bigger partners. I am not saying this is bad, I am saying that even a 5% party can have a relatively large impact on politics in the German system.

Die Linke has not been in a coalition on the Bund level, but it certainly was so in the Laender. While Laender are a lot less powerful compared to US states, that's not nothing.

>That's a very narrow view. Try to get a German-style workers council at an US company. Good luck!

Implementation detail. An alternative are strong unions. Some US unions are stronger than German unions. Ask the teachers about the "Dritte Weg".

My point is not: US and Germany are the same. My point is: It's a gradual difference. Not a complete systems change.