Maybe it's time to look to Germany

The chances are that by the time you read this, the results from the German general election will be in, and barring something completely unforeseen, Angela Merkel will have claimed the crown once again. But this article is not about the German elections, important as they are, but about two key characteristics of the German political system and what we can learn from them.

 

German politics practices consensus and coalition, two things that I think the UK should take a long look at adopting itself. Let’s look at what they mean, and what they could mean for us.

 

Firstly, consensus: because Germany has long since embraced proportional representation as its electoral system, German governments rely more than most governments on working with a variety of small parties, such as the Greens or Die Linke (The Left). This means there is very little room for party posturing.  Unless one specific party, such as Mrs Merkels CDU, has a very strong hold over a coalition, the chances of it forcing through policies that are strongly disliked are extremely small.

 

From a UK perspective, this would mean that under a consensus system – which I must point out did exist until it was blown apart by Mrs Thatcher – divisive policies such as the Bedroom Tax, or immigration policies that are a blatant attempt to appeal to the fringe right, would never even be considered, much less become serious government policy. Under a consensus system we would be a much less polarised nation.

 

Secondly, coalition: as mentioned earlier, proportional representation, and the coalition nature of German politics that results from it, creates room for smaller parties to flourish. For example, The Left, which I mentioned above, is a small party made up of a variety of left wing political groups with some past links to Communism. In the UK a party like this would have a hard time getting council seats. In Germany, they hold 76 parliamentary seats.

 

Now the advantage of smaller parties having a genuine chance of getting elected is that they then have to think about more than appealing to their own core supporters. If you actually have a chance of being elected you can’t just be seen as the crazy guys yelling from the side-lines. You actually have to think about how you appear to the electorate in general and what’s in your manifesto for the population at large. Imagine how much soul searching UKIP would have to do if they thought there was a chance they might actually gain seats in parliament.

 

Of course under a coalition system, it can be harder to get things down, as you are always at the mercy of your partners. But it certainly hasn’t done Mrs Merkel any harm, given that she is on track to beat Mrs Thatcher as the longest serving female head of government in EU history. And unlike with Mrs Thatcher, there doesn’t seem to be any desire in Germany to be rid of Mrs Merkel.

 

The British system of parliamentary democracy is respected the world over. But in this modern age, where people won’t just accept the concept of a two party dynamic, where people’s political opinions don’t just fit into left or right boxes, maybe the time has come to take some lessons from our friends in Germany.

An Open Letter to University Freshers.

Dear University Fresher’s

With a load of you moving in at the University of Gloucestershire today, I started thinking about when I moved to university, and what my life has been like since then.

I was terrified when I started university. A new life, in a new town which I had only visited once before. This was my first step on the road to an independent life, trying to figure out who I was and what I wanted to do. It was like standing on the edge of a massive ocean, waiting to dive in. But now as I start my third year, I look back and I know it has been one of the best experiences of my life.

I have grown more than I ever thought possible, both intellectually and emotionally. I have a fair idea of what I want to do with my life, even if I don’t have a five point plan. My faith is stronger than ever and I’ve met some of the best friends I’ve ever made and I met my girlfriend. There have been some rough patches, but, all in all, I’ve had a great time.

I know that those moving in today have a lot to worry about, not least, on top of all the stress of going to university, having to pay £9000 in tuition fees. I still maintain allowing that level of tuition fees was one of the biggest mistakes of the current government, and a decision that may well be the death knell of the Liberal Democrats. I know that university isn’t for everyone and the government should be seeking to invest either in employment or in other means of education and training for young people. But if people want to go to uni, they shouldn’t have to risk racking up massive debts in order to do it.

University is a great experience. Whether you end up at a big one like Oxford or Cambridge, or at a smaller one UOG or UWE, it doesn’t matter. University is what you make of it. Everyone’s experiences are unique to them, and help you figure out what you can do. Don’t ignore any open doors. You will be offered lots of opportunities, and even if you don’t think you can do them, give them a try. You never know what’ll happen. That’s how I got this writing gig after all.

Ignore all the stereotypes that you may have heard. Don’t go in with any preconceptions. Set out with an open mind, and a willingness to try anything – except mixing drinks- and you will be fine. Join societies; make friends, part ways with decent sleep. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll get homesick, and you’ll forget what home was like, all at the same time. Don’t be afraid. People will be there to look after you.

As I stare down the barrel of my third year, with graduation at the end of it, I’m almost jealous of you, and the brilliant three years you have ahead of you. Make the most of it.

Welcome to University. You’re going to love it.

William Davie.

The Dream Not Yet Fulfilled

“I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed - we hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal...I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the colour of their skin but by the content of their character.”

It was fifty years ago this week that Dr Martin Luther King gave his famous, “I have a dream” speech, a speech that looked forward to a day when equality would reign, when it was what you did, not what you looked like, that mattered.

Some would argue that Dr King’s dream has been fulfilled. They would say that black people in America are no longer looked down upon as second class citizens. The laws that discriminated against them have been abolished. They are more and more – with certain exceptions of course – considered equal. After all, the US has just re-elected its first black president. Surely the dream has indeed become a reality?

However, we know that this isn’t true. While legalised segregation is no longer a problem, there is evidence that black people are still looked down upon by significant sections of white American society. You only have to look at the case of Travyon Martin – shot dead for the crime of being black in a white neighbourhood – or the mad ‘birther ‘movement that has grown up around the Obama presidency, precipitated by small minded people who simply can’t accept the idea of a black presidency and who therefore argue that Mr Obama was not born in the United States and is the President only by fraud.

It is also worth noting that, while Dr King’s dream centred on the United States, it was also a dream for the world, and there is abundant evidence that even here in the United Kingdom there is still inequality based on race and a deep rooted distrust of anyone who isn’t seen as “white” or British. While the English far right may have fallen into disarray in recent years with the decline of the National Front and the British National Party, it has been replaced by the “respectable face” of English nationalism, in the form of UKIP, whose rapid rise in popularity has highlighted the fact that large sections of the British electorate still distrust foreigners. After all, people very rarely vote for UKIP because of its polices over the NHS.

But it’s not only UKIP. Recently the Coalition sent vans out into areas of London with a high proportion of residents from ethnic minorities with signs urging illegal immigrants to “go home,” an action that has recently been decried as “racist” and “shameful” by Scottish MSPs and the Scottish charity Positive Action in Housing. And this wasn’t the work of a bunch of fringe racists. This was a Home Office policy.

I long for the day when Dr King’s dream will be fulfilled. When it won’t matter where you come from, or what you look like, or what language you speak. When the only thing that will matter about you is how you behave. When we will not think it odd to see a black or Asian MP on the front benches of Parliament. When colour will be irrelevant. But I suspect that that day is long off, and we have a lot of work to do, before we can truly cry, “Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty we are free at last!”