“He who cannot draw on three thousand years is living from hand to mouth.’
- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, born Frankfurt-am-Main 1749, died Weimar 1832. Considered the greatest and most influential writer in the German language.
There are federal elections in Germany next Sunday. Riding high in the polls is the hard-right AfD, Alternative for Germany. Its co-leader is Alice Weidel. In recent days a number of commentators have referred to how she rolls her eyes when asked the hard question. She certainly did much eye-rolling when she appeared as a guest on the Caren Miosga programme last Sunday week.
Weidel is expertly adept at using the media. In the cleverest of ways she gives that air of superiority, while never suggesting she is patronising.
Every German elector should think of Goethe’s words, but change the three thousand to 100/90/80 years. Not that long ago. Hitler and Goebbels knew so well how to manipulate the media.
It is an outrage that US vice president JD Vance spoke as he did in Munich on Friday. Elon Musk has advised the German people to vote AfD.
Do Musk and Vance realise they are living hand to mouth?
It so happens on this day, February 16, 1943 the Red Army re-entered Kharkiv. It was the third battle in the city during the war the Germans unleashed on the world. Hitler wanted to create the 'perfect German state for perfect Germans’.
And never forget the vast majority of Germans followed him, poets, teachers, lawyers, priests, engineers, philosophers, doctors, plumbers, unemployed.
Never forget.
No comments:
Post a Comment