|
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
| Home About Contact | ||
|
Parallel Universe: Living Democracy... It Was Worth a Try! – Experience Report on the 10th Democracy Conference in Burgenlandkreis on April 25, 2024Another critical review from a participant of the 10th Democracy Conference was submitted to buergerstimme.net and is published here. First of all, I would like to thank the team at the Konrad Martin House in Bad Kösen for the perfect organization. Everything was thought of. Of course, I had expected some imbalance in the lectures, where on the topic of hate crime and the poisoning of political discourse the right-wing or the AfD would be seen as the sole culprits, and I was not disappointed. Youth were said to be susceptible to right-wing slogans because the AfD simply acts cleverly on the internet and "has a goal." The other parties were factually focused on their programmatic content and dealt with a multitude of practical issues in city councils, state parliaments, and the Bundestag. During the discussion, the panelists also talked about how satisfied local politicians were with their party comrades in the federal government. Apart from "well, I don’t agree with everything," local problems were the main topic. That causes for disenchantment, even among young people, could be inflation and the problems of their parents, the rising cost of living, devaluation of holidays and pocket money, etc., influencing political orientation was only casually acknowledged. Workshop 2: Is There a Shift to the Right in (East) Germany?In Workshop 2, all discussants agreed that there is a shift to the right, especially in East Germany, which had obviously always existed and only played a minor role due to reunification and rising prosperity. Of course, the AfD itself was blamed for being voted for. It seemed to me that everyone believed the AfD had some secret to success that mobilizes the left-behind post-reunification victims and non-voters, which other parties do not! I spoke up and denied a rightward shift. "I have to play the odd one out now... if all the centrist parties move further left and even the CDU no longer wants to be a conservative party, and except for the AfD there is no significant conservative alternative, who is the voter supposed to choose, especially if dissatisfied with the ruling politics?" This observation was later confirmed by a slide from the presenter showing the political positioning of the current parties. I asked the group: "Could it possibly be due to the behavior of the democratically elected parties, for example breaking election promises like no weapons to war zones and then constantly demanding weapons?" Some participants answered: "It’s unfair to expect election promises to be kept in a coalition, you have to make compromises..." I replied that there is still a difference between being forced into opposite behavior and becoming the fiercest advocate of the opposite of your election promises yourself. When I asked whether perhaps the sum of the government’s misconduct could be the cause of the 'rightward shift' (Cum-Ex affair with memory lapses, shutting down nuclear power plants despite expert warnings, inflation, company relocations, "I do whatever my German voters think" attitude), someone replied that the nuclear phase-out was decided under Merkel. My counter that a different decision could have been made, since the lifetime could have been extended until April 2023, and whether it was not a crime to destroy nuclear power plants’ piping systems with acid and dismantle gas pipelines from the ground to prevent citizens from choosing a different economic policy through future elections, enraged a "democrat." These were exactly the kinds of statements that were declared hate speech and agitation in the other room. I also asked what citizens should vote for when, in one of the richest countries in the world, old-age poverty is rampant, school toilets and bridges are dilapidated, and food banks are increasing, while gender-neutral toilets in Africa and bike paths in Peru are being funded, especially when even the CDU intends to govern with the Greens after the election. Silence. During the coffee break, I then broke contact with the parallel universe and still puzzle over how it is possible to ignore the reality which nowadays even ARD, ZDF, WELT, and Berliner Zeitung can no longer occasionally conceal. It will definitely be a hard landing for many when reality knocks loudly at their door. Mr. Habeck is already surrounded by it! Note: The federal program "Living Democracy!" will continue in 2025. Quote: "Democracy is not a given: it must be learned, lived, shaped, protected and defended daily. In times of rising right-wing extremist, racist and anti-Semitic agitation and violence, Germany needs a strong civil society and a resilient democracy." The focus fundamentally seems unchanged.
Author: AI-Translation - möchte anonym bleiben | vor dem 01.07.2024 |
|
| Other articles: |
 | The Repeated Call for Peace and Justice! Monday Demonstration and Car Convoy in Zeitz on August 5, 2024The continuation of the peace movement in Zeitz. With emotional speeches and inspiring songs, the demonstrators sent a message against war and oppression.... zum Artikel |
 | Teuchern Doesn't Want Change? - RebuttalFull letter to the editor, which was only partially published in the Mitteldeutsche Zeitung.... zum Artikel |
 | How crowded will the marketplace in front of the town hall be on Monday?"You can break our bones, but not our resistance!" This is the call from Colette Bornkamm-Rink for the demonstration on Monday, August 19, 2024, in Aschersleben, due to the events ... zum Artikel |
|
Support the operation of this website with voluntary contributions: via PayPal: https://www.paypal.me/evovi/12 or via bank transfer IBAN: IE55SUMU99036510275719 BIC: SUMUIE22XXX Account holder: Michael Thurm Shorts / Reels / Kurz-Clips Imprint / Disclaimer |
