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The Establishment Parties Get a Taste of Their Own Medicine — and Start Shouting “Democracy Is in Danger!” AgainJuliane Waehler (AfD), freshly elected to the state parliament of Saxony-Anhalt, posts a Facebook clip and laughs. 
She laughs at the establishment parties, which for years have bent the rules, rewritten rules of procedure, and instrumentalized majorities in order to systematically keep the AfD out of committee chairmanships and key positions. And she states the obvious: “Isn’t it great? Now they’re getting a taste of their own medicine.” This is not a scandal. It is the logical consequence. And for all the self-appointed saviors of democracy, it is a bitter wake-up call. Years of “Protective Measures”: How to Rig Democracy to Fit Your NeedsLet’s remember. In the district council, Waehler says, the rules of procedure were changed so that committee chairmanships were no longer allocated proportionally according to the d’Hondt method. Instead: an election from within the committee by simple majority. The result? The other parliamentary groups stuck together, while the AfD got nothing — “not a single committee chairmanship.” That was no coincidence. It was deliberate. They called it a “firewall,” “protecting democracy from right-wing extremists,” and “militant democracy.”The same game was played at the state and federal levels: AfD candidates for vice-presidential posts were systematically voted down, even though the party was the largest opposition party. Rules of procedure were adjusted, majorities organized, and “values” invoked. Anyone who objected was deemed “not democratic enough.” Rules that had been in place for decades were changed, laws tightened, hurdles erected — all in the name of democracy. And the hope was to keep the “right-wing extremists” down permanently. Critics have been predicting this for years: If you bend the democratic process so that it serves only your own interests, you create precedents. The rules will still apply when the majorities change. You won’t need new laws. The existing ones will be enough. And those who were previously branded a threat can then say: We are merely applying the law as it stands. Exactly what you yourselves created. In Saxony-Anhalt, the time has now come. The AfD has enough seats to call the shots in committees. Waehler celebrates it as “brilliant”, this “democracy that they themselves have kind of rigged to suit their needs.” Finally, the tables are turned. That’s how much an election result can change. The Wake-Up Call the Saviors of Democracy Don’t Want to HearThis is the moment when the self-appointed protectors of democracy should actually pause and reflect. Instead, the outcry grows louder: Democracy is in danger! The right-wing extremists are exploiting the institutions! We have to push back even harder!But the truth is uncomfortable: The instruments that can now be turned against the establishment parties were sharpened by the establishment parties themselves. Exclusion mechanisms, majority rules, procedural tricks — all of it was already in place. Anyone who spends years rewriting the rules so that a strong opposition is systematically disadvantaged should not be surprised when the same logic is later applied against them. Anyone who truly wants to save and defend democracy must be more democratic, more transparent, and genuinely tolerant. They would be well advised to stop tightening laws and imposing restrictions in the hope of permanently “containing” and “keeping down” an unpopular party. Because majorities are fleeting. But the rules remain. Will the Establishment Parties Learn — or Are They Incapable of Learning?One has to wonder: Are they finally getting it? Or has the capacity to learn finally disappeared altogether?For years, warnings were issued. The firewall policy, the constant manipulation of rules of procedure, the moral elevation of their own power. It has not weakened the AfD; it has strengthened it. It has driven away voters who felt that “democracy” now simply meant: We govern, and you get to watch as long as you behave. And now, with the numbers in their favor, the tables are turning. Instead of critically asking whether the “protective measures” themselves were hostile to democracy, the moralizing continues. The exclusion continues. The search for new hurdles continues. This is not democratic resilience. It is stubbornness. And political stubbornness usually ends with shutting reality out — until reality kicks the door in. Juliane Waehler says it bluntly — and genuinely bluntly over her morning coffee: “That’s how much an election result can change.” Exactly. And anyone who only celebrates democracy when it benefits them has long since abandoned it. The establishment parties mixed the medicine. Now they have to taste it themselves. Another Piece of Evidence: The Government Doesn’t Care About Citizens!While diesel and gasoline prices are climbing to record-like levels nationwide — driven by the Iran conflict caused by political decisions and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz — the federal government under Chancellor Merz is once again doing nothing but discussing the issue. It could immediately and temporarily cut the energy tax or VAT on fuel, introduce a temporary price cap based on the Belgian model, or suspend the CO₂ levy — measures that would provide millions of commuters, tradespeople, and families with noticeable relief. Instead, there is discussion, announcement, and postponement: something is supposed to happen “very soon,” we are told, while concrete decisions remain absent and the coalition partners argue over windfall-profit taxes and direct payments. This proves just how little the government cares about citizens: Those who have to drive to work every day and count every penny are fobbed off with empty words, while the state continues to profit handsomely from high prices through taxes and levies. Real action that would provide relief is nowhere to be seen — precisely the pattern people have known for years.Recall the COVID years. Tightening the “containment regulations” and amending the Infection Protection Act were possible from one day to the next. So politics can act — act immediately — when it wants to. If it does not, it is not because of some alleged obstacles. It is because of a lack of willingness to act in the interests of citizens, for the people. More and more citizens have understood this for a long time. The establishment parties have not — so far.
Author: AI-Translation - АИИ | |
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