Do German political parties really want to see the UK suffer?

In his analysis of the stance of Germany’s main political parties towards post-Brexit UK, @JanoschDelcker wrote the following:

The throwaway line that warrants deeper analysis is this: “All parties are sorry the U.K. is leaving the EU but want to make sure the Brits will be worse off after their departure.”
It’s a line often repeated in Brussels circles. As a general would treat a deserter from his battalion, ‘the British must be punished to stop anyone else from leaving’. It is a line often repeated by the EU’s most fervent supporters. ‘If the U.K. fails, then the EU will look stronger and its power will grow’.
While such a destructive policy towards a close ally appears absurd at face value, displaying your animosity towards countries who have turned their backs on the EU project can help your career in the Brussels corridors of power.
UK-bashing has become a favourite pastime in Brussels. It certainly won’t hurt the chances of those seeking a seat at the 2019 EU elections or those that have an eye on one of the best paid and safest job in politics - that of an EU commissioner.
But, in the real world, the one where livelihoods are made and taxes collected, such a self-destructive policy doesn’t wash.
A fundamental reality of the global market is that if your trading partner suffers, so do you. A struggling British economy would lead to a reduction in demand for German goods, and therefore job losses in Germany.
Germany exported over €86billion to the UK in 2016 (data). Were the UK to be made to suffer, as Mr Delcker analysis argues, there would be an unavoidable drop in the purchase of BMW cars, Liebherr cranes and Bayer petrochemicals.
No responsible german political party can legitimately hope for the UK to be worse off after Brexit, because to back such a cause would be to wish unemployment on the very people they are seeking election from.
Germans go to the polls in a month’s time. Politicians are known to sabre-rattle and stretch the truth in the lead up to elections. Let us hope that this anti-British posturing in the lead up to the vote is just that. That, once in office, reason will prevail, and a deal will be found that allows both sides to thrive, and for everyone to keep their jobs.
