‘konkret’: Poland silenced, Turkey out, Germany reigns supreme
by classless, 11 August 2007
This month’s issue of the Anti-German monthly ‘konkret‘ displays on its title page the end of its hopes that the European Union might limit or domesticate Germany.
‘Germany in the borders of 2017′
‘konkret’ is referring to Germany’s success in establishing a new European constitution that gives Germany double the amount of votes of any other nation, thus allowing it to form practicable majorities by only allying with two other big nations.
Previously, Polish attempts to promote another voting mechanism that would have spread the votes more evenly and prevent German domination, faced overt outrage in both German media and public opinion. Even though Poland declared repeatedly that their aim was to preserve the European Union as a federation of equitable states, Germans accused Poland for damaging the European unification process and advocate nationalist solos.
But Germany not only succeeded in turning the rightful Polish invective against Poland, also, by establishing the position of a European foreign minister, any disagreement in matters of foreign policy can now only be expressed but not put into reality by forming tactical alliances with the US.
With Poland overruled and isolated, Turkey obviously kept in a waiting state for ever, Germany can perpetrate its more aggressive approach to global politics, posing as the ‘nice imperialist from next door’ for the Middle Eastern region, and more thoroughly threatening the global competitors.
Saturday 11 August 2007 at 18:15
This interpretation of the EU reform treaty is a fantasy.
The reality is that voting will in future be tied more to population levels. Poland’s loss will rectify an anomaly in which it currently has just two fewer votes than Germany, despite having only half its population.
Double majority voting will also allow for a smoother running of the EU, simplifying and enabling the legislative process. Open Europe, which is sharply critical of the federalist agenda, says that the chances of Germany blocking votes will remain roughly the same as it is now, while the UK’s chance of doing the same will be reduced by 30%. On the other hand, the UK’s chance of getting its initiatives passed will be increased.
You can argue with some of the details, but this Konkret stuff is nonsense, and the cover worthy of the Daily Mail. Combating nationalism in Germany or elsewhere is one thing, but the denunciation of the EU reform treaty is entirely misplaced.
As for Turkey, pfui! Maybe we can consider Turkish membership of the EU following resolution of the ‘Kurdish problem’, and when the country becomes a stable democracy.
I would rather the EU be a political and economic confederation of regions, but this is a minority ideological view, and the sad reality is a more centralist, federalist, statist mode of thinking that looks to the US as both a role model and competitor. The continued dominance of the EU by the larger states troubles me, but I do not see any special threat from Germany.
Saturday 11 August 2007 at 19:07
It’s not a fantasy - the Polish proposition was not the same thing as the status quo, smoother running is not a value in itlsef, and the thing about Turkey perhaps needs more explanation.
Trying to make it short: It is by constitution a secular Muslim state that _wants_ to join a Western federation. It is totally right to impose conditions on them, but it’s wrong to eternalize their ’special status’ to keep the own dominating position.
Saturday 11 August 2007 at 20:13
Poland’s proposal was not to perpetuate the current arrangement, but it’s still one nationalism battling against others, all of them playing realpolitik to further their narrow and sometimes imperial interests.
The Polish government says it deserves more votes on the grounds that Poland lost territory in World War II. Poor, poor Poland, and bad, bad Germany, but the war ended over three score years ago.
So we have reactionaries against reactionaries, and Konkret takes sides in this? A pox on both states!
Those who oppose nationalism in Europe would better direct their energies to furthering euro-regionalism against nation-states and their imperial designs. The regions are after all based on geographical realities with more legitimacy than nation-states whose borders are delineated with human blood.
In Germany you could start by encouraging the citizens of Schleswig to work more closely with their cousins north of the German-Danish state border. This is an EU-sponsored reality, and it’s called the Sønderjylland-Schleswig transnational euro-region.
Anti-German? Yes. And anti-Poland, anti-England and anti-all-the-bloody-rest-of-them.
Saturday 11 August 2007 at 22:59
I suspect you got a couple of things wrong here. The ‘konkret’ position is entirely not about defending Polish nationalism or even supporting it against Germany or something like that. The reasons for the current Polish campaign are rather irrelevant either.
It’s about how Germany deals with opposition within the EU and how it manages to turn the EU into a wider economic influence sphere.
Anti-German doesn’t mean opposition to this particular state right now, it’s the opposition to a certain social constellation, the ‘Volksgemeinschaft’, that once made Germany the mass murdering collective inciting a global war whose economic and political legacy is in many places still present.
Whether or not this social constellation becomes hegemonial in Germany again, whether or not this hegemony will influence the rest of Europe, whether or not this social constellation comes to or stays in power in other parts of the world - those are the issues of Anti-German critique.
Sunday 12 August 2007 at 0:10
I don’t know the detail of the konkret ‘position’. I’m basing my reaction on what little there is on the website, and your presentation here.
You may not be in favour of Polish nationalism, but the way you present the argument over the EU reform treaty makes me a little uncomfortable. Poland’s position on this is a joke, and I’m not surprised it met with such a negative reaction in Germany.
I understand well enough the antideutsch movement, and as cultural criticism I believe it has at least something going for it. But at the same time I cannot help thinking that the antideutsch Weltanschauung is a little dystopian.
As for the Volksgemeinschaft, some see echoes of this in recent manifestations of German-ness such as World Cup flag waving. Personally, I think that’s just being silly. Shallow brand nationalism is not fascism.
I’ve lived in Germany, and would happily live in Germany again (but please, not Darmstadt!). My impression of the country is that it is one of the most liberal on the continent. Just don’t hang your washing out on a Sunday, and don’t, whatever you do, watch German TV. It turns brains to mush.
Sunday 12 August 2007 at 2:40
The country is obviously capable of presenting itself as nice or whatever you consider to be ‘liberal’. I’m not washing away your personal experience here but I think it’s a pretty weak argument. I had wonderful times in Turkey, alright? Doesn’t mean a thing.
Plus: I’m not ‘konkret’, I was merely blogging about them.
I think I have to explain far more than I can right now. Sorry.
Sunday 12 August 2007 at 3:54
It’s not a case of the country presenting itself to me as anything. I lived there with my Swiss wife, was part of a local community, and could appreciate German society warts and all. Like anywhere else Germany is pretty warty, but it also has a lot going for it. And this translates into economic and political strength within Europe.
I wasn’t living in Darmstadt as a British ex-pat, detached from German society and mixing only with Anglophones. I am in fact part-German, though my German language is closer to Schwiiitzerdütsch than Hochdeutsch.
You are right to be wary of the dark side of Germany, but I honestly don’t see modern Germany as being a significant threat to anyone, itself included. Based on my personal experience and perception I could say that England is fast going to hell in a handcart. But this would be hyperbole, and so I wouldn’t dare make such a claim. ;-)
Sunday 12 August 2007 at 8:59
We won’t agree on the whole thing, I guess. Reminds me of (a lot of) conversations last summmer with people who tried to convince me that Germany was all different now.
Will’s obviously been right about the need for more Anti-German texts in English so I could refer to them now.
All coming up.
Sunday 12 August 2007 at 9:11
When did you live in Germany? And what does ‘warty’ mean?
Monday 13 August 2007 at 8:17
Reminds me of (a lot of) conversations last summmer with people who tried to convince me that Germany was all different now.
Germany may once have sought power but it has learnt its lesson and because of this it is the nation best qualified to lead Europe.
Do you see?
Monday 13 August 2007 at 10:04
Yeah, that’s pretty much the sound I was talking about - and it’s completely crap.