During the political chaos of 2016, I naively assumed Germany could weather the storm of right-wing populism. With the AfD rising in the polls, I was clearly wrong, but might there still be room for optimism?
All tagged Donald Trump
Face of the Nation
Can you judge a country by its leaders? It’s tempting, after all for many Germans Boris Johnson is the epitome of Britishness, while for the British, the robotic Olaf Scholz could only come from Germany. What do our elected leaders say about us and why might we wish they didn’t?
Woke, Voke and Cancelling the Muppets
Are the Muppets racist, are radical students taking over, should we be worried by the arrival of wokeness to Germany? Reading the German media recently has been a journey in borrowed language and arguments from across the Atlantic, but what could this mean for Germany going into September’s election?
Everybody loves Angela
Angela Merkel is often praised as a progressive leader, usually from those outside the country. The ‘Merkel is a progressive’ meme is powerful in the English speaking world, but does that mean it’s true? How progressive is the German chancellor, and if so, shouldn’t there be more progress?
Vanguard of the Culture-War
Germany is no stranger to English loan words, they’re everywhere. However, the recent surge in the use of the term ‘Culture-War’ suggests that not all borrowed language is as benign as ‘Beamer’ or ‘Handy’. What has sparked the increase in use of the term and why might it be so damaging in a German election year?
More than just a Hamburger
The economic influence of the US on Europe is well known, but often the Germans I speak to dismiss the cultural importance of the US. How much impact does US culture have on Germany and why might some choose to ignore it?
Fuck Trump, Fuck the Far-Right and Fuck You If You Think It's OK
I think the title says it all.
Who's afraid of the AfD?
There is trouble in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. The AfD are on the rise, with parallels on both sides of the Atlantic, but will Germany suffer the same problems?