Brexit and Parliaments - a Panel Discussion in Europe House

Today I went to Europe House in Westminster where they held a panel discussion about the roles of parliaments during the Brexit process. There were several people on the panel: 

- Baroness Ludford, LibDem (House of Lords)

- Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh, SNP (House of Commons)

- Seb Dance, Labour (MEP)

- Jeff King, Professor of Law at UCL

- Davor Jancic, Lecturer for European Law.

- Maxine Mawhinney, Moderator of today, BBC News

Each of the candidates presented their cases initially, and then they jointly answered questions. All of them were overly sceptical about Brexit, so at least one did not have to listen to political scum like Farage and the likes. 

Here a few points from today that I found extremely interesting and noteworthy:

1) Baroness Ludford: "The EU Parliament has the nuclear bomb of being able to reject he final Brexit deal."

2) Baroness Ludford: "People voted for departure. People did not vote for destination." This means, there is no mandate for leaving the Single Market, as this was never on the table.

3) Baroness Ludford: People should be able to vote for the final deal. The process started with a referendum, it should end with one, too (My personal point of view: one referendum was quite enough. I am not sure if I can cope with another one).

4) Tasmina Ahmed-Sheik: "We must always acknowledge contributions EU migrants make, not just financially, but also culturally."

5) Tasmina: "I am not ready to put my faith into this government to negotiate any deal, let alone a good deal."

6) Jeff King: "European Parliament is the gold standard of parliamentary involvement in international treaty negotiations."

7) Jeff: "Parliaments need to be listened to. To rely on executive grace in a time like this is almost unbearable."

8) Jeff: "The EU scrutiny committee ought to have scrutiny reserve power. It would improve accountability function."

9) Seb Dance: "We need to have a national discussion that involves everyone - the devolved assemblies, cities, Parliament, everyone."

10) Seb: It's the EU now that holds all the cards in the forthcoming negotiations. "We shouldn't imagine that we're entering negotiations between equals."

11)Seb: "The reality is, once we trigger Article 50, the ball will be entirely in the EU27's court."

12) Davor Jancic: "European Parliament is a serious player: it has right of consent. EP previously rejected agreements struck by EU."

13) Davor: Role of national parliaments in EU27 is greatly neglected & could prove stumbling block in Article 50 deal.

14) Davor: "When the UK leaves the EU, it also leaves a partnership club where international standards are made."

15) Seb: "The UK Youth Parliament should also have their say in the negotiations since young people are the most affected."

16) Tasmina: "Labour needs to get its act together for the sake of unified Hard Brexit opposition."

17) Seb: "The fact that the UK Government has closed so many options has forced the EU to do the same."

18) Seb: "EU institutions unified on the main negotiation points despite some differences between Member States & EP groups."

19) Seb: "If Le Pen wins and we have a fascist government in France, the EU is doomed."

20) Maxine Mawhinney: Representatives from the Conservatives, UKIP, and Labour Leavers were also invited but did either not reply or did not have any interest!! 

You think life is sort of okay, ...

... and then you will suddenly get hit by a sledgehammer.

If someone had asked me last year about my personal long-term plans I would have answered: I will remain in my flat in West Norwood, rent out my other flat in Forest Hill to get some basic income, drastically reduce working on long projects in 2025 and concentrate on short term assignments only. By then I wanted to become an LLM, which is a Licensed Lay Minister in the Church of England, and focus on that area. And that's it. A straight forward and simple plan. To do so, I wanted to work full-time for as much as possible for the remaining 8 years and continue my theology course which I only started last September and which I enjoy thoroughly; one of my best choices I made in life. 

And then came Brexit.

All my friends know how much the Brexit vote last June affected me, especially the ones who are linked with me on Facebook; they had to endure quite a few rants of mine. I have also written a blog entry here about my feelings and got quite a few clicks. The biggest problem for me is, that I don't feel welcome anymore in this country. I take Brexit very personally, even though friends of mine told me to stop doing so. The issue is, I cannot. It reminds me too much of Germany in the 1930ies and I simply cannot accept this. Racism and populism is a total no go for me and my inner value system. But I got on with life and thought that within a certain time, Brexit would hopefully never occur. My sister asked me last year whether I wanted to come back one day and my usual answer was: "No, never!"

And then came Theresa May's speech yesterday. 

I am a freelancing management consultant and have lived in London for more than 20 years. I don't usually work in the UK but mainly in the EU. I take advantage of the single market. I work abroad but pay taxes in England. Usually, I fly out every week and am only staying in England at weekends. I have done this like that for the last 20 years. It works for me. With the single market vanishing I cannot do this anymore; my business model turns obsolete. 

And then came decision time for me.

So I prepared a matrix where I put down cities where I could imagine to live and ranked them: 

-->

Locations	House price	Friends	Airport	Trains	Scene	Culture	SUM
Berlin	3	5	5	5	5	5	28
München	1	3	5	5	5	5	24
Frankfurt	1	5	5	5	5	3	24
Köln	3	1	5	5	5	5	24
Hamburg	1	1	5	5	5	5	22
Wien	3	3	5	1	5	5	22
Nürnberg	5	3	1	5	3	3	20
Ingolstadt	1	5	3	5	1	3	18
	1 - high	1 - few/no	1 - far	1 - bad	1 - bad	1 - bad/little

Berlin made the race. My hometown came last, even though I like it there. But in the end, I need a big city. Coming from 20 years in London the Bavarian province is not really an option. It would drive me bonkers after a few weeks. 

And then, what's next? 

I think I am going to wait for another 6 months to see what's going on politically. Somehow I still think there is hope and a tiny shining light at the end of the tunnel, even though, deep inside I have started with the process of segregation from the UK. It is bizarre how these things work. I already told my family that I might move back this or next year and they are happy. I told my friends in Berlin and they are ecstatic. Somehow I feel ready to go. 

Maybe it is time for a fresh start? Maybe it is even fate? Or maybe I just have to practice what I usually preach to my clients, that constant change is inevitable? One never knows these days. Deep inside I still hope that our dumb and fascist government will be overturned and the British people get some sense back into their minds and start doing something. 

Only time will tell....! 

  

History Repeats itself - Brexit from a German Point of View

Walking to one of the sessions during Parliament Week 2015

Exactly a year ago during Parliament Week I went into the Houses of Parliament a couple of times in order to listen to debates and lectures and hearings. It was fascinating to see how Parliament works and I felt being part of it. My highlight was when the guard at the door said something like "Ah yes, you've been here before, you know your way already" and he let me in. I, back then, decided to finally get my citizenship done and become a Brit; I wanted to take part. And if I hadn't got my current job in Frankfurt a few weeks later (a project which lasts for a year and for which I have to fly out weekly) I'm sure I'd have gone all the way and be an owner of two passports. 

Having a full day!

But things have changed, changed dramatically within only one year. It happened all so quickly that sometimes I am simply wondering what's going on and whether this is only a dream I am finding myself in. This was especially the case around the Brexit vote where something major happened every day - vote got lost, Cameron leaves, Farage goes, the "bus lie" was made apparent, Tory backstabbing around Johnson and Gove, election of Tory party leader and new PM, 3 clowns as ministers, etc. Every day was a rollercoaster day of emotions and political surprises, if not turmoil. 

Now it's nearly November but all of this doesn't seem to stop. "Brexit means Brexit" is still haunting me and it will haunt me and at least 48% of the vote for quite a while. Sometimes, I am simply speechless, sometimes I am extremely angry, and sometimes I feel sad. These carousel of emotions is a daily thing now.

My passion for the UK started in 1994/95 during an Erasmus exchange year where I studied Business Administration at the University of Bath. This year changed my life completely. I loved everything British and I was fascinated about literally everything. I seemed to absorb Britishness like a sponge. In 1997, at the start of my first job after university I decided to move back to the UK. I chose London and only wanted to stay for a year or two; I never really left again. 

Within those 2 decades of UK I have pretty much assimilated to country and culture; I volunteered as Special Constable for the Metropolitan Police, I turned Anglican and joined the Church of England, and I did all sorts of other things. And then Brexit came along. It should change everything, everything I have believed in so far, and it hit me like a hurricane. I am trying to get my head around what's going on and still, sometimes I sit here in complete disbelief. 


The new Banana Monarchy

The UK turned out to be a banana republic. I cannot believe that all of this could have happened. Cameron instigated a referendum for sheer party political reasons, it suddenly turned out to be an advisory referendum which was never made clear from the start (which in the end might be our saving grace), no thresholds were set (such as in every "normal" country where one needs certain percentages to draw conclusions from referendums; such as a qualified 2/3 or even 3/4 majority, not just a simple majority of who passes the pole); now suddenly all we hear is "The majority of the British People have spoken". Did they? 51,9% of the cast vote is "the majority" for such a life changing issue? And where on earth is the principle of the UK being a union to be seen? England alone can always overturn all the other states. It is a hegemony we are living in, a hegemony of the English over the Scots, Welsh, Northern Irish and the people of Gibraltar. Is it just me or does this stink of injustice to others too? But then, Nicola Sturgeon is already on stage preparing for her own referendum and the Northern Irish are taking the case to the courts. 

What I found extremely astonishing was the answer to "who could vote"? Brits, Commonwealth citizens and Irish living in the UK, also Commonwealth citizens in Gibraltar. This means EU citizens like me were not allowed, but Cypriots and Maltese were, also the Irish. Basically, in a referendum about the EU, Commonwealth citizens could vote but EU nationals could not. My sense for justice and equality is just about to go overboard. I've been living here for about 20 years, integrated into the British society and have no say in this life changing matter!  

Right after the referendum we all had hopes that Parliament would get a vote over this knowing that both houses have a "remain" majority. But no, suddenly the government decided this is not possible and put this referendum result under the "royal prerogative". Sorry what? A non-binding referendum with a very tight outcome for "Leave" is suddenly subsumed under the royal prerogative? It feels like having signed a contract without reading any of the small-print. 

These days the government admitted that Parliament will get some form of vote, and one reads that the pro-Remain House of Lords better complies with the government otherwise they will be over-flooded with Leave peers and "undergo reform". For me this is blackmail. It is not mafia style blackmail where things happen in the background, no, it is worse, it is made public and one can read about it in the press! North Korea wouldn't do it any differently, it feels!

I also ask myself where are the Queen and her family in this discussion. We all know she has absolutely no power whatsoever. She has the right to be consulted, the right to encourage, and the right to warn; all very harmless stuff. But there is also something in the non-written constitution that the monarch can step in in times of emergency. There are a few powers she has left, like not granting royal assent (done last time by Queen Anne), but the simplest ones are presenting herself in public or sending off Prince Charles to do all the talking. There is lots of stuff the monarchy can unofficially do. I am simply astonished that nothing happens from that side. Funny enough I was amazed that she did not do anything during the Scottish referendum either. So must we conclude that she does not care that the very existence of the UK is at risk? I know this is a bit going off the tangent, but I firmly believe that any ceremonial head of state should have some powers of control that political proceedings are within the law and reason. For example, I know the German President sometimes refuses to sign laws and calls the courts whether certain laws are within the framework of the constitution. For me this is vital for any head of state. 


Theodor Fontane's Summer in London

Theodor Fontane, a pretty famous German poet and personally one of my favourites, wrote a book in 1854 called "Summer in London". I love this book as it describes life in the capital seeing it from a "German point of view". I read it many years ago and a few things got stuck in my mind - London has always been a multicultural hotspot, traffic has forever been a nightmare, prices were highly above normal, AND the English have a tendency to cherry picking and looking at their own (monetary) advantage first, coming close to greed. Fontane was appalled about the lack of passion and ideals; he described English businessmen with a sheer focus on the bottom line, being short sighted and unable to think strategically and long-term. I never understood this, but within the years and particularly now I must conclude Fontane was probably right.

Remember Margaret Thatcher's "I want my money back!"? And the British rebate was born. And then all the other British "Sonderwürste" throughout the decades, those exceptions for the British when it comes to the EU. This is now climaxing in leaving the union altogether but keeping access to the single market. What's astonishing is the shamelessness of their request and the expectation to access the single market without contributing to it. 

It's time the English stop with their "Rule Britannia mentality" and undergo a reality check. Back when the UK was admitted to the then EC, this country was the sick man of Europe. And now it seems they got their imperial attitude back, without having any Empire in the background. The Commonwealth, some might argue, especially when it comes to trade deals, is still there, but seriously? One would want to compare the Queen's play thing consisting of Third World countries and a few Caribbean islands to the EU, the world's biggest single market? 

As I am writing this article, a window suddenly popped up with the following news: Both, The Independent and The Guardian report about banks moving their headquarters away from London to either Frankfurt, Paris or possibly Vienna, putting 70,000 jobs at risk, by early next year. I'm wondering if this will be a wake-up call for this government, but I guess probably not. Back to my article.


Vive l'Europe! 

After WW2 it was Winston Churchill, de Gaulle, Adenauer and probably every single European who never ever wanted this atrocity of a war again on European grounds. And so that what is now the EU started slowly to exist and develop. I am a fervent European and I am so very happy to be able to live here on this continent. Seeing the EU going down this path currently makes my heart bleed. I have always felt so lucky that I belong to one of the generations that does not have to endure war and in fact go to war as a soldier. And I think we nowadays take peace and wealth far too much for granted. 

Europe gives us 4 freedoms, one of which is the freedom of movement. We can work and live wherever we want. And isn't it just perfect? I moved to the UK, and many of my British friends spend most of their summer holidays and major parts of the year in their homes in France and Spain and elsewhere. One of them moved to Frankfurt, others elsewhere. For me this is freedom. We are all one big European family where war with ourselves is no longer prevalent. 

But we need to fight for it daily, not just you and I, but also our national and regional governments and especially the EU government. The EU is by far not perfect, but it's good enough to maintain peace and wealth for all of us. We should rather than withdrawing from this institution, change it, make it better, in fact, make it close to perfect. And especially Britain as one of the big countries should lead this union and not just leave. This for me is the most disappointing thing. They don't fight for a better Europe, they just go (and still want to enjoy all the benefits). 

I am so sick and tired of this phrase about the EU being undemocratic and that the UK want her powers back. First, can't we all go and vote for the European Parliament? Don't we send our own governments to Brussels to represent us? For me this is democratic enough. If one doesn't want a United States of Europe, then I am not sure how more democratic one should set up this union.

Throughout this whole referendum campaign I only heard cost-benefit analyses, mainly in monetary terms. 350 million here and there, and all sorts of numbers were thrown around the table. Nobody from the Remain group ever started to dream the dream about Europe, to have a vision what it will be to be one Europe in the next century maybe. And when looking at the world map it is pretty clear we need to move closer to one another on our continent and prepare for the times to come. This will not and cannot ever be a way backwards to national states. The 19th century is over and the 20th century with all its atrocities of war and racism is thankfully over, too.


The ugly Face of Racism

When looking at what's happening right now with growing figures of racism, I feel very alarmed that the UK will go down the "Germany of the 1930ies" route and we must do all we can do to stop this from happening. When Hitler won the first elections to the Reichstag he didn't say he wanted to kill 6 million Jews, and he didn't reveal any of his plans to take over the world. I don't say the Tories are like the Nazis, but I see similarities in their approach - scapegoating (back then the Jews, nowadays immigrants), putting the nation state first (back then everything happened in the name of the German people, nowadays I hear the term "the British people" far too often), promising independence and control (back then the shackles from WW1, nowadays Brussels' beaurocrats), the government gathering intelligence over companies that employ foreigners (back then Jews), and the list goes on. The only thing I am waiting for is that us Europeans have to visibly wear a badge with the EU flag on it as opposed to the yellow star of David the Nazis imposed.

Racism is rising, the UK has turned into an international laughing stock (whereas I'd rather cry than laugh), our society is split in two, remainers and brexiters, and I think the situation is pretty severe. I'm worried about so many things, I spend many nights awake and keep on pondering about our future; and the fact that Theresa May doesn't seem to get it freaks me out. She is like a loose canon. Initially, I thought what a wonderful idea to put those 3 clowns in charge. As soon as they fail she will revert and re-join the remain camp (where she pre-referendum belonged to), but after last week's Tory conference I am afraid to say, I think she totally lost it. She now reminds me of Magda Goebbels who poisoned her own children before the Third Reich went down the drain. 

Today, I went to a wonderful lunch party where I was one of the few foreigners. Being surrounded by my British friends helped me to get over this feeling that I am not wanted in this country anymore. I am not sure if any Leave-Brit does understand that feeling that one isn't part of the gang and unwanted. It's a bad one. But then, they don't care and want us out. What feels terrible, in all those 20 years I never claimed benefits and I simply paid taxes, year in and year out and contributed to our society. And suddenly I am unwanted and part of a political gambling session where the government tries to play poker with the EU as to whether we can stay or not. 

So, back to my initial comment about dual citizenship, I must say, first time in many, many years I don't actually want a British passport. I want to be part of something bigger, something better, something kinder, and being a little Englander is something I don't really aspire to become. I won't leave this country though, unless I am actually being deported. I have been here half of my life, I invested so much, and I will do whatever it takes to help to get this country back to normal. Fingers crossed! 

PS: There is one positive thing I get out of this current situation; finally the EU and British membership is publicly being discussed. And in case we will stay in the EU, this underlying negativity should hopefully be over and dealt with. This public discussion was needed long time ago.  

   

The Ship called Britannia is Sinking

Not only that I haven't had a proper night's sleep since last Friday morning when I got the ‪#‎Brexit‬ news, I'm also starting to get traumatised by what's happening in the UK. I feel like being in a straightjacket looking at a whole country going down the drain committing harakiri:

- The Leave campaign was based on lies. The liars admit it and nobody seems to really care.
- The Leave people have absolutely no plan what to do now.
- The government is headless and has also no plan what to do.
- The opposition is busy with themselves getting rid of their leader.
- Xenophobia is on the rise, foreigners are being bullied on public transport, racist graffitis sprayed on walls, and a Polish community centre is being vandalised in London.
- GBP is on a historic low, prices are on the rise.
- The credit agency S&P downgraded the UK, other agencies will follow.
- There is a petition to get another referendum reaching 4 million signatures.
- Apparently, more than 1 million Leave voters regret their vote.
- It becomes also apparent that this was a protest vote.
- Demonstrations are happening, people raising their voices to remain.
- Society is deeply divided: rural Leave vs cities Remain, older people Leave vs younger people Remain, England/Wales Leave vs Scotland and Northern Ireland Remain.
- Scotland in particular but also Northern Ireland think about leaving the UK and stay in the EU, the UK as we know it might cease to exist soon.
- The Queen seeing her country fall apart is frantically travelling to NI and I'm sure it's not a normal routine visit.
- Brits abroad are scared of the unknown future ahead.
- Europeans in the UK (like me) feel likewise.
- Stock markets around the world are in turmoil, shares are falling freely.
- This inability to act makes the UK the new international laughing stock.
So may I ask in all politeness WHEN ON EARTH DOES OUR PARLIAMENT AND GOVERNMENT ACT AND GET US AND OUR COUNTRY OUT OF THIS DISASTER AND BACK TO NORMAL; WITHIN THE EU, THAT IS?

That was me on Saturday morning.... Let's hope for the best!!!

Why #piggate matters!

A scene from Midsomer Murder's Pudding Club episode, where "boy" possibly committed a criminal act at school:

Anthony Talbot: Boy comes in here to help, and what do you do? - Make a string of vile insinuations!

DCI Tom Barnaby: Making inquiries, Mr. Talbot, not insinuations.

Anthony Talbot: I hope you're not one of those chip on the soldier types who always takes the criminal's side, Barnaby.

DCI Tom Barnaby: No, I'm one of those 'let's do the job properly' types.

Recently, I watched this old episode on itv; it was about a posh school club, called the Pudding Club. The name of the club sounded as absurd as what went on in there; young dressed up upper classy school boys behaving like total twats performing bizarre rituals. It was like watching Brideshead Revisited; after a while I felt the same urge Sebastian Flyte must have felt when leaning into the window of Charles Ryder and, well, barfed it all out... Clearly, itv was overdoing it again, I thought. 

DCI Barnaby said "I'm one of those 'Let's do the job properly' types" and in that matter the copper is undoubtedly similar to our Prime Minister. The latter does his job so properly, that in last week's PMQs I nearly fell asleep whilst he answered every question properly and promptly. It was all a bit too slick. Our PM felt very safe and secure on his bench.

Politically, this whole summer was boring, and even though Europe is drowning in refugees and migrants, this didn't affect UK politics at all. Theresa May was concerned about building an even stronger fence around the Chunnel, but that was it. AND NOW THE DEAD PIG! This is even better than itv's Pudding Club episode, far better. There clearly is a God - "Thank you, Lord, I love you very much. Amen!" 

When I went to bed last Sunday night I looked at what Twitter and Instagram had to say. People were so creative around the topic "sex with pigs". I sat in my bed and laughed and laughed and laughed, for more than an hour, passing from tweet to tweet. At some stage my neighbours knocked asking if I were okay. "Of course I am okay, I said, Cameron face-f*cked a dead pig!"

What makes this whole incident so funny for us mere mortals? I am sure in some social circles people will shrug and retort "Yes, so what?". I guess it's not so much the fact that he actually performed this stupid and childish initiation rite for that Gaveston Club, it's the fact that he got caught and published. It's a mockery of the English class system. He, who is so slick and knows all the answers. He, who thinks can take on the whole of the EU. And he, who is so sure of himself, who won the last election. Yes he, he f*cked a dead pig's face. 

And please, whoever reads this, please do what I did, go to a butcher and look at a dead pig's head and think Cameron. And think procedure: Did he pull his trousers down or was he naked with simply a bow-tie on? Was he erect or maybe got aroused whilst at it? Did he just put his "private part" inside the mouth, or did he actually commit the sexual act of combined necrophilia and bestiality by moving in and out? How long did he do it? How many people were watching? Was it embarrassing for him? Did he have to "finish off"? The catalogue of questions is endless. 

What I was also thinking: I can't wait for Wednesday's PMQs (not knowing that there was a 3 week break. Bad planning, Lord Ashcroft!). What will the Queen say to him at his next audience with her? How will he react when someone in the House of Commons suddenly shouts "oink" when he appears? I imagined the next EU Summit, and colleagues of his suddenly stop talking when he arrives. When people smile at him, will he from now on always think they think swine? 

Animals, funny enough, stick with their associated humans. When I see Corgie I think Queen, when I see Rottweiler I think Camilla, and when I see pig I think Cameron. 

The BBC and Downing Street are giving us, the public, the silence treatment hoping it would all go away. The BBC commits some sort of an act of censorship, Downing Street is probably clueless and says nothing, hoping the public will forgive and forget. And what would one want to do anyway knowing that somewhere in this world is photographic evidence? Reality is, for us it's the gift that keeps on giving. Once someone is called a pig-f*cker, this someone will always be called a pig-f*cker. Nicknames also stick. 

If Downing Street banks on forgiveness, then they are probably right. Of course, we forgive him for doing it, it's a funny prank and he was a student after all. And we also forgive him for all his drug abuse because we wouldn't want to throw the first stone, would we?  We will forgive him for f*cking a dead pig's mouth as much as we forgave Prince Harry for playing a Nazi and having naked parties in Las Vegas. The UK is a liberal country with a sense of humour after all.

This whole #piggate affair is not about forgiveness, it is about forgetting, and that's the bummer the PM has to live with, because nobody on our planet Earth will ever forget. It is up to David Cameron now who needs to decide how much of a laughing stock he is and how much he is going to harm the dignity of his office with his past.

Only the future will tell what is going to happen. Let's wait and see. Having laughed so much, now it's time to get serious!

DCI Tom Barnaby: Smothered by a meat pudding, flattened by the roller and bashed about the head. Not necessarily in that order.

Sergeant Gavin Troy: Think it could be accidental, Sir?

DCI Tom Barnaby: No time for jokes, Troy.

Russian Roulette in the UK's political Landscape

"One must strive to have the majority of votes on one's side: So do not offend the idiots!"
Alexander S Puschkin, famous Russian author and poet in the early 19th century, said that once and I have the slight feeling not a lot has changed in the last 200 years. 

When looking at the current political landscape in the UK, this seems to be the leitmotif of many of our political leaders; or do they really believe in what they are saying? I don't think I'll ever find out. But what I want to do is, to have a look at those people who call themselves political leaders, the men and women who head up our parties in the UK. 

Sometimes I'm wondering if she can sleep or whether
 she secretly cries when thinking about her governments.

The Conservatives:
There is David Cameron, the Tory leader and current Prime Minister. I remember the last but one general election and prayed to God the LibDems would form a coalition government with Labour, but they didn't; they have chosen the Conservatives. I struggled. And I feared for the worst. Listening to Cameron back in the days gave me goose pimples, that kind one gets when thinking about Hitchcock's Norman Bates shortly before he pulls the shower curtain open. 

After so many years, one gets used to him, one's nerves are being numbed, I'd even say one feels like being captured by the Stockholm syndrome, that sometimes I feel I actually respect the PM for what he does. Till he opens his mouth and thinks in terms of "Rule Britannia". That always makes me cringe again, it overrules my Stockholm syndrome towards him.  

My deepest problem with Cameron is, deep inside I agree with him - one can't spend more than one has, hence after the heavy debt situation he inherited, I am all for austerity, and so is he, and his Chancellor. And it's all about strengthening the economy, because a strong economy means foreign and domestic demand, this means more jobs, higher taxes and less benefits; roughly said. As stupid as the notion of "northern power house" is, but an evenly spread out economy is of course better than a highly concentrated one in the southeast of England. So yes, go ahead, please!

And let's also face it, Cameron waved this whole gay rights issue through Parliament like no other (Conservative) party leader ever has. Wow, something no Labour leader has managed beforehand. That's impressive. But, and there is a big   B U T   looming in the air, and this is this whole ill-fated dealing with Europe and Scotland, privatising big chunks of the NHS, and basically his whole elitist Etonian personality which disturbs me beyond belief. If it weren't for the EU and Scotland, I'd probably be a fervent Tory, but I simply can't; not because of different point of views, but of this immense stupidity of risking the future of our country. He doesn't oppose the EU because of a deep inner conviction, but because back benchers forced him to and he thinks he needs to stand up against that political scum called UKIP. 

UKIP:
I don't want to write about them. They are scum, they remind me of Germany in the early 1930s, they use exactly the same techniques like the Nazis did - nationalism and fear, hatred and blaming minorities. They have no room in my blog. 

Labour:
Last week Jeremy Corbyn got elected with 60% of the Labour vote. His 3 other contestants had to share the remaining 40%. I would say this is a major triumph. Congratulations to him! 

Labour went through many changes in the last few decades. I still remember people like Neil Kinnock and the like, those that basically had to stand up against the Tories and Thatcher in particular, till Tony Blair appeared; and like Phoenix from the ashes, a New Labour rose to power. Well done him. I was a Blairite back then. And I have never ever thought I could be anything left of the centre. I then moved to England and in the late 90s I even joined. Well done me, I thought. But at a time when Blair started to go into bed with George Bush and play war lord, I gave up my Labour membership, as I felt I could not support a party and government that did such a thing. We now know it was the most stupid decision ever made by that former Labour government. Many lives were lost, for basically nothing. And the imbalance created back then was the breeding ground for the problems we are facing today, with ISIS and the lot. 

Tony Blair was the role reversal of Dorian Gray. Pictures of his young self were still there, but he grew ugly over the years; not necessarily physically but politically. After he finally gave up, Gordon Brown faced the same fate as John Major did - both were dwarfed by their omnipotent predecessors. Miliband didn't get Labour back to speed. Now let's see what Corbyn will be able to do.

What strikes me the most about Jeremy Corbyn, he is so adorably anti-establishment. For my taste, politically he is slightly too much on the left, but I love the fact that he has backbone enough to (hopefully) remain the way he is and not change and become too politically elitist. I hope he doesn't kneel before the Queen, I hope he doesn't sing the national anthem if he doesn't feel like it, and I hope he doesn't stop seeing his voters in favour of representative duties for which we clearly have the royal family; the latter have nothing else to do in their 'job description'. The press attacks him left, right and centre about the way he behaves, but let me make this public now: The more the press rattles against Jeremy Corbyn for being anti-establishment and the more he remains the way he is, the more trust and faith I will have in him. Jeremy Corbyn has deserved a chance for success, let's give it to him! 

SNP:
The SNP is a party that was founded years ago with only one purpose and target in mind - to break off the UK and gain Scottish independence. And the peak of it was last year's referendum which was also their biggest defeat so far - they lost the vote 45% vs 55%. And let me say this, I am truly glad they did, as I would not want to live in a dwarfed England. Scotland enriches the UK beyond belief. After the referendum was over I was so relieved not having to listen to Alex Salmond anymore. His more or less daily infiltrations were too much to bear. He handed over to Nicola Sturgeon. 

My first reaction to her was rather negative, as it seemed to me she only chewed on stuff Alex Salmond already spat out. With him gone, leaving her the position as First Minister, she probably freed herself and was able to create her own image she wanted to be portrayed of. And blimey, did she do well! What I like the most about her is her "what you see is what you get" attitude. She is straight forward, appears open and honest and calls things by their names. One doesn't get the "Westminster bla" from her. Very refreshing. 

And then they triumphantly conquered the House of Commons in the last general election. OMG! Wouldn't Nicola Sturgeon be the best Prime Minister ever? Well, she wouldn't, because we ought not to forget, deep inside the SNP want independence. She would basically be like a vampire from the Twilight Series - officially feeding from bottled blood, but there is always this intrinsic need for the proper stuff, independence in this matter!

LibDems:
I have always been liberal because I feel tolerance is a virtue, and this is something I subsume in liberalism - live and let live. This is also a very Christian and Humanitarian way of looking at life. Immanuel Kant's 'Categorical Imperative' is nothing else but Jesus Christ's 'Love thy neighbour'. I thought the LibDems under Nick Clegg came pretty much close to this. I was glad when the LibDems came into power in 2010. 

The LibDems in the UK appear every 50 years or so in government and have just come out of such a vital part of their existence. They have never been overly visible and de facto left the country as a two party state - Labour and Conservatives. In the last coalition government I think they did good work; they kept the Tories at bay and didn't allow them to go overboard with Europe and certain other issues. I always liked Nick Clegg, for me he was the most trustworthy of all cabinet ministers, the most straight forward. Similar to Nicola Sturgeon he seemed to be a "what you see is what you get" person, a trait I highly appreciate. 

Even though they managed to manage the Tories, in the end they were eaten alive by them. They had the chance of a lifetime to gain a profile and they wasted it utterly. Whatever the government did was recognised as Tory gain; publicly, the LibDems were just some junior partners that got to eat the left-overs the seniors threw at them. In other words, they were too busy with themselves and in their situation that they probably never looked forward to a time after the coalition. They got punished badly, extremely badly, and rightly so, as I am afraid to say. 

The biggest disaster then was when Nick Clegg resigned. The only figurehead left actually left the political scene. He got a successor, his name is Tim Farron, but other than him being an evangelical Christian I have not heard anything from the party ever since. Evangelicals and tolerance has always been a contradiction in terms. It would be similar to a Thatcherite being member of a trade union. That's it, nothing else can be said about the LibDems - they simply vanished. 

Choices over Choices:
So where does this leave me with my choice of party I should go for, maybe even join? Sometimes I am glad I am not yet a British citizen as I don't have to think too much about who to vote for at a general election. But still, who would I favour? 

I think currently the decision making process it is more like "who is the least evil of all of them?" and I'd have to make a decision based on negatives. That's not what I want. I want to make a choice grounded on positives - "who is the best?" I am afraid to say, I can't do this right now.

In the ideal world I would wish the following to happen:
- I wish the Tories would give up their stupid Rule Britannia Attitude and feel more European taking on a leading role in shaping the EU and be part of it rather than against it.
- I wish UKIP would eradicate itself.
- I wish Labour would give Corbyn a chance and stand closely behind him, and that Corbyn moves a bit more towards the centre without giving up his ideals.
- I wish the SNP would feel more British, accept the vote, and stop splitting Scotland into two camps of Yes and No. 
- I wish Nick Clegg would return to lead up the LibDems, take this whole experience as a 'lesson learned' exercise and get the party back into shape. 

There are a few more years till the next general election. Maybe by then I will be British and have a 'positive choice' from all the parties offering to make our lives better ones and lead us into a prosperous future! Of course only the future will tell. 

PS: This morning, after I have finished my Tory part, I read about #piggate. I must admit, I haven't laughed so hard for a very long time. One thing is for sure, politics in the UK is and will never be boring! I can't wait for PMQ tomorrow. 

Thoughts of an exiled German about the forthcoming EU referendum in the UK

I received an e-mail from the Parliamentary Outreach Service with an invitation to voice my views on the UK and its EU membership. It reads like this:

The Foreign Affairs Committee is holding an inquiry into the costs and benefits of EU membership for the UK's foreign policy.

Although foreign policy remains primarily a matter for national governments in the European Union, leaving the EU could have significant implications for the UK’s alliances and strategic partnerships, standing in other international organisations, soft power and national security.

This inquiry will help inform public debate in advance of the upcoming referendum on EU membership.

The Committee is interested in receiving evidence on topics including:

·         whether and in what ways EU membership helps or hinders the UK in achieving its foreign policy goals

·         how the UK's role on the global stage might change if it votes to leave the EU

There is not overly much one can do in a representative democracy other than voting and petitioning, so I think I need to voice my views, since as German, who has lived in the UK for nearly 20 years, I am not allowed to vote in the forthcoming referendum on EU membership. I believe this is questionable, because a negative vote would affect me as European citizen in this country and my right of residency under the EU Treaty. Strangely enough, if I had been Irish or Cypriot I’d have been able to vote. This seems unjust.

It is difficult to comment on topic 1 as it appears pretty unclear to me (and probably everyone who reads this) what the UK’s foreign policy goals are. One can try and think about the other topic, the what-ifs in case of the UK leaving the EU.

Apparently, it was Churchill, de Gaulle and Adenauer who sat together after WW2 and decided to start up with this European dream of never having war again; and the European Community was founded. A lot has happened after that and it seems, the UK has withdrawn its involvement from the EU and left it all to Germany and France, which I think is a real shame, as the UK could play such a pivotal role; it’s one of Europe’s strongest economies and biggest countries after all! 70 years after the end of WW2 the 3 forefathers of this modern Europe were right – we have had peace on EU grounds ever since.

I truly believe in the principle of subsidiarity – where each political institution decides what’s best for its citizens and where it has an expertise when it comes to decision-making. Say, why should Austria decide on fishing issues in the North Sea and why should Ireland have its say in the issue of Alpine erosion, etc. There are many cases where the EU probably decided too much; the cucumber springs to mind. But there are also many cases where I truly believe the EU should be “sticking together” far more as one big entity. This is particularly the case in a world that is dominated by big blocks of powers – the US, Russia, China, the Middle East – and emerging new powers, such as Brazil and India. And when looking at the map, Europe is right in the middle of all of them.

Sometimes I feel the UK never got over the fact that it lost the Empire; and its replacement - the Commonwealth - is more like a plaything for the Queen rather than a serious political institution. Having lost the Empire, Britain is where it was in Stuart dynasty times – a European island; politically powerful, culturally tenacious, economically strong, but otherwise, on the big scheme of world issues, of medium significance. The Victorian “Rule Britannia” doesn’t exist anymore.

Scotland recently voted to stay within the UK. It was a narrow result and with the SNP rising in influence (it currently has more or less ALL Scottish seats in Westminster) the scare of another Scottish independence vote is not over, just postponed. And I bet my left arm, with the UK leaving the EU (instigated by the majority English vote) Scotland’s SNP will rise up again to the occasion and leave the UK; and rightly so! England alone (Wales and NI are too unimportant) would be even more dwarfed than it already post-imperially is. It would be size of Tudor England.

What I am missing in the political debate in England (as much as I miss it abroad these days) is celebrating the advantages of being in the EU. The only thing one hears is negativity – red tape in Brussels (as if there were none in Westminster), the financial cost of membership (as if there weren’t any benefits), over-regulations (cucumbers and stuff), mass immigration (Romanians are all criminals), undemocratic legitimization of EU institutions (as if the UK with its voting system were any more democratic and egalitarian), and the rule of European bureaucrats over English lands. Sure, the EU needs reform, and I’d even say it needs big and deep reforms, but it’s not all bad what comes from there and I would wish a bit more of an objective public debate about it.

The question is also, in case the UK opts for leaving the EU, do we want to become like Norway or Switzerland? In the end, when wanting to trade with the EU, and everyone does, they have to adapt to any regulations coming from Brussels. That’s the price they pay for their “independence”. Is that really where the UK wants to head towards? I simply wish our country would be a stronger player in the EU, a decision maker; it should take on a more active role and actually celebrate being European AND British AND English OR Scottish OR Welsh OR Irish. The UK is so diverse in itself, what’s wrong with embracing one more identity, a European one, especially in times where the world goes more and more global?

In many European countries there are nationalistic movements away from Brussels and the EU – e. g. the AfD in Germany, Le Front National in France, and of course UKIP in our country, plus a few Tory backbenchers. Rather than going into defense mode by announcing a referendum, only to appease backbenchers and counter-attack UKIP, I would have wished for the government to demonstrate proper leadership, take on an active role in Europe and become the driving force to make the EU an institution that is more democratic, less bureaucratic and more visible to its citizens. It’s the 21^st century and in the UK and elsewhere we need to think globally which for us Europeans means Europe. It’s not such a bad thing after all, let’s dare!