Ahead of local elections in the German city of Cologne later this month, mainstream political parties from the left to the centre-right signed a pledge not to campaign on negative social aspects of immigration, including unemployment and threats to security.

The agreement has been leapt upon by prominent figures on the global right including Elon Musk, who see it as evidence of the liberal establishment attempting to restrict democratic debate and downplay truths that are inconvenient for its world view. Even if they’re overstated, it’s hard to argue that these accusations are entirely without merit. But I don’t think this is the most interesting thing that we learn here.

One aspect of the story that has been glossed over in much commentary is that this was not a new pledge: it has been in place since 1998 in some form or another, with slight revisions before each election campaign. On the surface this makes the story less sensational. But take a step back and it tells us something more powerful: with the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) currently polling at triple their tally in Cologne’s previous election and tied first in national polls, establishment attempts to set the terms of debate are no longer working.