More courage again
Great amazement is going through the country these days, because according to current polls, the AfD is at 18% and about the same as the SPD. With around 61 million people entitled to vote, that would correspond to around 11 million voters who would choose the “Alternative for Germany” today. All Neo-Nazis? Hardly likely. Presumably, however, many who no longer feel represented by the established parties, those who now reflexively look for the culprits for this development in everyone else except themselves.
Parties that do a lot of politics for the world climate, for immigrants and for minorities and seem to forget their own citizens more and more. Citizens, for example, who keep this country running every day through their work, taking responsibility if you had to get up early in the morning or stay up all night. Real achievers with different incomes from all walks of life. Those who work out what the state spends, but who now have enough of leading politicians without any professional qualifications and experience, enough of unrealistic policies that have to be thought up by a few and paid for by many.
Enough of an ideologically driven, allegedly “without alternative” policy, which is justified in its own bubble by supposed experts, disseminated by public broadcasting journalists who have been paid compulsory fees and brought onto the streets by related organizations, some of which are lobby-financed. A policy that, hardly self-critical, apparently sells its own citizens for stupid, patronizes, lectures and moralizes and thus repeatedly appears as double standards. A policy that wants to use gender to direct language and thereby change people’s thinking. And last but not least – enough of a policy that panders to the zeitgeist and mainstream and loses the protective character of proven tradition and political-spiritual continuity.
The strengthening of the “unelectable” shows that branding the political opponent does not work in the long run. Bans on thinking and speaking, whether real or felt, have no place in a democracy. Our basic law protects and the party law regulates admission political parties in Germany and accordingly each party can be chosen whether we like it or not.People may be persuaded but not patronized and the freedom of each individual only unfolds in the open exchange of opinions.
That’s exactly what this darned “18%” can remind us of and thus be a wonderful opportunity to have really honest, controversial and open debates with more courage. “ANIMUS IN CONSULENDO LIBER” – free spirits advise here – the conservative politician Cato the Younger reminded the Roman Senate more than 2000 years ago.
Only those who authentically live this principle of free, unreserved thought and speech will win back some of the voters who “fled” in recent years.
In this sense
Ernst M.-Ehrenkönig
CEO & Managing Partner
