S21 remains in all the headlines. In Nuremberg, they even had the first external solidarity demonstration.
S21 is no longer just about a new railway station. One which is hard to justify rationally and not much easier emotionally. Rather, it seems like the people (citizens) have developed some considerable resentment against the “new self-concept” of politics during the last few years.
After all, it is quite simple, isn’t it? The state and the economy, together with politics, have to be there for the people. That is what democracy and social market economy are based on. It also says so in the excellent Bavarian Constitution, according to which all economic and entrepreneurial activities are to serve the common good (see my article). You will even find a clause on bank transactions.
The majority of people living in Germany apparently get the unjustified impression that this is slowly changing. Humans are sacrificed as a disposable quantity on the altar of the trio state, economy and politics. The needs of the people are put aside for the interests of a shareholder value society. And more and more of the political decisions no longer represent the majority opinion.
Perhaps S21 will now cause the dams to break. And unless politicians remember their original role (serving the people of our country), a conflagration might erupt. More and more people will rise against many unfortunate projects, such as nuclear disposal zones and the extension of operational life-spans of nuclear power plants, third landing runways and the like. Or at least they will react by not voting next time at all or else giving their votes to splinter parties.
Consequently, S21 is no longer just about a railway station. It is about the kind of democracy we would like to live in.
Here are the options:
- an oligarchy of parties, business and interest groups that pocketed the state and use it for their own interests,
or - a democracy that returns to putting the people in the centre and where it is the people who decide.
The political world in Germany will change after S21 – either way.
RMD
(Translated by EG)
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