6 Comments

This is a great idea and to help I just checked BBC News.com/Germany for their full and unbiased reporting of these events and there is full coverage. Just kidding, nothing, nada, zilch. Great job as usual from the State erm, I mean fully independent UK national broadcaster. Carry on everybody, all is fine.

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Thanks for mentioning UK media's reporting (sort of).

The revolution will not be televised, that is, not until--unless--the 'right' side 'wins'.

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In the German pandemic winter of discontent 2021/22, I spoke many times (mostly with like-minded acquaintances) about the potential of a general strike as a tool against the prevailing apartheid laws excluding non-("fully")vaccinated from much of daily life and the looming vaccine mandates, which were ultimately voted down at parliamentary level.

On the one hand, I am heartened that German farmers have taken inspiration from the Canadian Truckers and Dutch Farmer's protests, on the other I am disappointed that the trigger is economic distress and not outrage at the trampling of civil rights.

My favourite placard from the local protests here in pre-alpine Bavaria (from local newspaper reporting):

"Bei der Rüstung seid ihr fix,

für die Bauern macht ihr nix."

Translation:

"You're quick to finance armaments,

You've got nothing for the farmers."

Another:

"Wer Bier trinkt, hilft der Landwirtschaft"

Translation: "Drinking beer supports farming"

Am sorry I wasn't on the streets today to give a first-hand report, hadn't realised it was more than a tractor action and was busy with work stuff..

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Thanks for these notions…check out my most recent take: the problem is that civil rights will always be trumped (no pun intended) by economic issues.

I'm pessimistic about the protests, and I'm saying this not because I don't sympathise with them--but because the gov't will sit this out for lack of alternatives/and because of the 'wrong' incentives:

https://fackel.substack.com/p/a-first-brief-consideration-of-germanys

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Thanks for reporting.

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Thank you for reading!

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