The European the elections to the European Parliament showed a substantial shift to the right: the result disclose a major support of explicitly fascist or populist right-wing parties. And as so often in politics there is no clear line, it is justified to look in fear at the (further) shift and it is equally justified to celebrate the even small successes, i.e. the fact that those political powers could finally not fully succeed. However, there is something to worry about that is not or at least not central looked at. There have been over the last year or so – now looking at Germany – many protests against the increasing power of the populist AFD – the claimed Alternative for Germany. The protests against these populists have been centrally concerned with the alternative that this party and movement suggested. Right so! However, little attention had been paid to the fact the “alternative” had been in many instance only alternative in the sense of being more radical in what the mainstream parties did already for many years. And these protests against the AFD and the like also did not ask why many people are looking for an alternative and, subsequently, reflecting about the possible real need for an alternative. If such desire for an alternative had been recognised at all, it had been even worse: in Bavaria the so-called Christian Social Union suggested that they should do exactly what the populists would demand and by implementing these measures they could avoid further successes of the AFD – one could also say that they wanted to be the better alternative by being better in implementing the AFG-programme. In Bavaria and also other Laender of the current Federal Republic of Germany there is no reason to feel relief by the successes of the Christian parties and the same may be said for other mainstream parties. Protests against the populist successes are surely necessary, however taking up the reasons for these successes by those who are in responsible positions, would be definitely more important. Looking only briefly at a few issues – and without discussing them in depth – may highlight what is going wrong in the Federal Republic and, cum grano salis, similar can be said for many other EU member states.
- Migration/foreigners – emigration
One – if not even THE one – of the major concerns and reasons for the success of the populist groups and namely the AFD is the question of migration and foreigners. It is surely justified, to see problems around questions that concern migrants and foreigners. However, the problems are not given by the fact of the people coming to Germany. The problems are mainly given by the following facts:- In very principal terms, the idea of nation state and even nation may well be questioned. Is it legitimate to maintain this concept while both, today’s challenges and the ways of addressing them are going far beyond national borders and indeed we must accept that the idea of national identity must be move towards global identity and responsibility? BRICS and The New Silk Road/Belt And Road Initiative can be seen as important steps; and the EU could be so too, if they would overcome their ambition of a hegemonic competitive area, where competition is directed towards the development of an economic fortress, characterised by internal competitiveness. – The issue of globalising identity will be taken up later, emphasising that it is not meant to give up the ways we like to live, replacing this by concept of complete “levelling” and denial.
- The so-called ‘welcome culture’ must be reconsidered, not in terms of returning to closing the borders but in terms of thinking about what welcoming means. It is of course about the provision of the means for a decent living; but it is equally and even more importantly a matter of mutual integration. We only see soe germs of putting such orientation into practice: when we look at kindergartens and schools we are immigrants a learning the language and culture of the host country and the other way, pupils of the host country learn in exchange about other countries. – Isn’t it questionable if a project in Germany invites Russian youth to stay for some time in Germany, to learn about democracy in order to bring this concept of democracy back to their own country? Do they also learn about the problems and failures of this western, German democracy? Will they establish an AFR – and Alternative for Russia, when they go back to the country of origin? – The Ghettoisation of foreigners can surely not be an answer for people moving into the country – the long processing times for asylum applications, the refusal of work permits, the non-recognition of qualifications are other factors. And it can also not be a solution that people move from one European country to another EU-country, e-g. Germans moving to Denmark or Sweden , in many cases with the idea of ‘living a German life in a new environment’.
- The emigration is an interesting point in a completely different respect: while the problem of populism is often seen as problem of the countries of the former GDR, it is in fact too often overlooked that it is not least people from the former FRG moving there in order to cause unrest. In some respects, it is a continuation of the power grab that was the official policy of West Germany in 1989/1990.
- And last but not least the policy exploiting those countries from which migrants are coming must urgently be stopped. The fact that it is in many cases and increasingly the middle class arriving in the so-called developed countries shopping list the problems in the countries of the original, as it is increasing poverty and decreasing the potential of developing in those countries.
- Loneliness – alienation
Alienation is another point that is of increasing relevance not least in connection with digitalization and Artificial Intelligence. It is not about these means as such – they are only technical aspects fostering a trend that is frequently overlooked: it is about the digital gap by way of cutting off people’s real life, resulting in alienation not only in terms of work and employment, but also as ‘alienation from life’. Loneliness in the cities is an increasing problem remaining without real solutions and resulting in the longing of many people to experience togetherness, mutual help, being truly recognised by others – beyond money and material benefits. It is this is estrangement that can be seen as one of the elements that make up for the seedbed of the new right, offering apparently this ‘missing link’.
Coming back to globalism and global responsibility, means to find a way of thinking global and acting local. In other words, it is not taking anything away from - Inequality – not as a figure
The effect of huge inequality in European societies and between societies is well known, while in political terms it is too often only addressed as a matter of figures, not recognising what inequality means in real terms, in real life. The more or less commonly known saying of not knowing how to get along for the rest of the month when the 15th had been reached, can only grasp the surface of the problem: living on the streets looking, in bins for something to eat, the shame of begging or selling street papers …, but also living in overcrowded places, being more or less ghettoised and discriminated, not finding an ear or an eye, the problems of daily life and at the same time facing the other side: an unbelievable wealth, characterising the throw-away-society. People, who see that their rich counterparts throw away furniture, kitchen appliances, radios and whatever equipment must feel thrown away themselves. Working class women are surely more concerned by unequal pay than by a gender*, people of colour surely feel more disrespected by the bad working conditions in the low paid jobs that are too often left for them than by emphasising their “race”, forbidding the N-word: race is not primarily a construct of letters but of the additional socio-economic fetters these people must accept their responsibility. - Talking about inequality means not least talking about the environmental crisis and the widening social gap that is resulting: the gap for instance between those who drive posh e-vehicles and those who depend on public transport that suffers from major underinvestment; the gap between those who are fortunate enough to get job in a car manufacturing company that criminalises and threatens the living conditions by using so much resources that ‘normal living’ in the region is under threat (see e.g. https://www.tagesspiegel.de/potsdam/brandenburg/wegen-tesla-fabrik-in-grunheide-wasserverband-macht-dem-land-brandenburg-schwere-vorwurfe-11485805.html#:~:text=Seit%20September%202020%20beliefert%20er,8%20Millionen%20Kubikmeter%20Wasser%20vorsieht).
Positive thinking is needed in Europe to overcome racism, xenophobia, the increasing influence and strength of the populists and fascists. Protest is important – and it should not least be the protest against politics and policies in the interest of minorities, the famous 1 percent – looking at a reality unveils dimensions, going far beyond what we can imagine
Super-rich outstrip their extraordinary grab of half of all new wealth in past decade.
Billionaire fortunes are increasing by $2.7 billion a day even as at least 1.7 billion workers now live in countries where inflation is outpacing wages.
A tax of up to 5 percent on the world’s multi-millionaires and billionaires could raise $1.7 trillion a year, enough to lift 2 billion people out of poverty.
The richest 1 percent grabbed nearly two-thirds of all new wealth worth $42 trillion created since 2020, almost twice as much money as the bottom 99 percent of the world’s population, reveals a new Oxfam report today. During the past decade, the richest 1 percent had captured around half of all new wealth.