What needs to be read

Günter Grass has unleashed a royal shitstorm*. The Nobel Prize-winning poet published a poem harshly criticizing Israel – as well as the German government’s military support. Now, the idea of a left-wing academic writing a poem critical of Israel would hardly be newsworthy in most parts of the world.

But this is Germany. The poem (a translation of which is at the end of this post) brought on an unholy wave of outrage in both Israel and Germany – with allegations of anti-Semitism and ‘Nazi language’. Grass is now persona non grata in Israel.

Alas, little of the coverage has made direct reference to the poem itself. The conflict in the Middle East is not within the scope of this blog (thankfully), so I don’t want to get dragged into the rights or wrongs of the conflict(s). I do, however, think it’s important that people read the poem and make their own mind up.

* I try to avoid profanity in this blog, but as shitstorm is Germany's 'Anglicism of the year', I feel justified in its use.

What needs to be said (English translation)
By Günter Grass

Why have I stayed silent, silent too long,
about something so clear, something played out
in war games and – at its conclusion – we, as survivors,
are footnotes at best. 

It is the right to strike first,
asserted against those driven to organised exaltation
and subjugated by a braggart,
a strike that could wipe out the Iranian people,
because within the land controlled by this regime,
the preparation of an atomic bomb is supposed. 

But why do I refuse
to refer to this other country by name,
one which has long built – while secretly –
a growing nuclear potential,
but without scrutiny, as no inspection
was possible. 

The universal silence surrounding this situation,
which had kept me silent,
I feel is a burdensome lie,
a lie forced upon us, and as soon as it is defied
the penalty reveals itself;
the verdict is “Anti-Semitism”. 

But now, because my country,
a country responsible for crimes
without comparison,
crimes mentioned time and time again – and confronted,
would deliver another submarine to Israel
in a business-like manner,
albeit declared as reparation in some nimble language,
a submarine that is capable of directing all-powerful weapons,
to where the existence of a single atom bomb is unproven,
and as fear becomes evidence,
I’ll say what needs to be said. 

But why did I stay silent until now?
Because I thought that my background,
tarnished by a mark that can never be removed,
forbade this to be spoken out to and accepted by the country of Israel,
a country that I am obliged to – and I wish to remain so. 

But why do I only speak now,
aged and with my last ink:
An Israel with nuclear weapons threatens
this brittle world peace?
Because it needs to be said,
and tomorrow could be too late;
and because we – as Germans encumbered enough –
could become accomplices to a crime,
a crime that is foreseeable, and our complicity
would not be erased
with the usual excuses. 

And granted: I am silent no more,
Because I’m tired of the hypocrisy
of the West; and one could hope,
that this will free many from silence,
and demand those responsible for this danger
step back from violence
and also insist
that unrestricted and permanent inspections
of the Israeli atomic potential
and the Iranian nuclear plants
through an international body
is approved by the governments of both countries. 

This is the only way to help the Israelis and Palestinians,
to help all people in this region
consumed by madness, living side by side with their enemies,
and ultimately, to help ourselves.

Undiplomatic language

Yesterday, former SNP politician and academic Christopher Harvie received the German Order of Merit in Edinburgh. I popped along, primarily because the consulate was holding a competition to win some Lufthansa-branded beach towels.

It was a predictably staid affair, the great and the good giving speeches, musical interludes and the like. The final speech came from Stephan Mayer, CSU MP for Altötting in Bavaria. It was standard fare – not exactly gripping, but nothing scandalous.

What followed next, however, was odd – Wolfgang Mössinger, the Consul General, thanked Stephan Mayer for giving his speech in English and said this:

“I can’t imagine a Westminster politician going to Germany and making a speech in German”.

Ok. Wait a second.

There are two huge problems with that. First: Gisela Stuart, MP for Birmingham Edgbaston. She is German, a genuine German who grew up in Germany, has German parents and – despite coming from Bavaria – speaks German.

Second: Statements like this do nothing for the relationship between our two countries – it merely cements the antipathy held by certain groups on both sides by playing on cheap stereotypes*. The reality is that Germany and Britain get along pretty well. There are nearly 100,000 British people living in Germany and 3 times as many Germans live in the UK – all without much of a problem.  We all watch the same (American) films and TV shows. British people use T-Mobile, Germans use Vodafone. We have even elected a German to parliament – and Germany has a state prime minister with British heritage.

Of course, our language skills are subpar and we have plenty of xenophobes – the name of this very website is testament to one of our hang-ups – but Germany is hardly perfect in either of those regards. Herr Mössinger: If you judge us by what’s in The Sun, we’ll judge you by the contents of Bild. You really don’t want that – so be more careful in future.

As you can probably guess, I didn’t win anything.

*The stereotypes about Bavarians are all true.

Hanging on...

Wulff seems to have dug his nails in and might well survive. Angela Merkel has backed him and polls indicate that his soul-bearing TV interview on Wednesday - though not a runaway success - was enough to tip the balance of public opinion.


The reaction to Wulff's refusal to let Bild (Germany's best selling daily tabloid) release the recording of the angry voicemail he left left to its editor - where, it is alleged, he tried to suppress a story - has yet to fully play out. However, as long as he obstinately refuses to go, senior politicians of all hues do not seem to have the inclination to expend much political capital on arguing over what is effectively a ceremonial position.


The euro is, after all, still in intensive care...

A tale of two presidents

How two presidential scandals reveal the complicated relationship Germany has with its highest office.

Christian Wulff – the incumbent German president – is engulfed in a scandal that may cost him his political life. In a situation that bears a striking resemblance to the transgressions that led to Peter Mandelson’s 1998 resignation, (after which he would later re-join, resign and again re-join the British government) he:

• borrowed €500,000 – nominally from Edith Geerkins – to buy a house in 2008. She is the wife of Egon Geerkins, a wealthy businessman.
• neglected to mention this arrangement in 2010 when asked a question in the Lower Saxony state parliament regarding his relationship with Egon after it was revealed that he treated Wulff to a free stay in his Florida villa.
• arranged a loan with a bank to replace this arrangement at very favourable rates in questionable circumstances – without the normal management oversight.

Add to that the likelihood that the money was Egon’s rather than Edith’s in the first place and Wulff’s eagerness to cover up the arrangements, this affair has all the ingredients of a major political scandal. However, as there was no direct evidence that Wulff abused his position either to obtain these favours or to repay the generosity shown to him, it lacked the killer blow needed to end a career – despite the innuendo and intrigue. It didn’t seem too likely that Wulff would succumb to the pressure until it was revealed yesterday that he made personal phone calls to a number of senior media figures before Christmas to try and supress the then new revelations about the suspicious bank loan he obtained.

Wulff’s desire to hang on to his position comes in sharp contrast to his predecessor, Horst Köhler. He got into hot water in May 2010 after suggesting Germany might use their military to protect economic interests abroad. His – as far as German sensibilities were concerned – overly aggressive stance made him few friends (to put it mildly), but his position was never in real danger; the president does not normally have any power over foreign policy. In a fit of pique, however, he resigned claiming the critics lacked “the necessary respect” for his office. The relatively mild criticism turned into condemnation and ridicule – Köhler had nonchalantly walked away from his job and plunged the country into an unnecessary political crisis.

The political storm that enveloped Köhler for resigning, compared to the likelihood that – according to polls – Wulff would have hung on despite (nearly) being caught in a lie, strikes at the heart of what the Germans want out of their president. While it is the highest office of the land, and the holder is supposed to be the pre-eminent representative of Germany and the German Way of Doing Things, the German people and political establishment mostly look towards the president for a sense of stability. He is a figurehead for the government machine, even if he himself doesn’t control it. Past impropriety may be tolerated but disrupting good order won’t be.

Of course – Germans, like the population of most western countries, don’t tolerate obvious attempts to abuse power. So the new revelations that Wulff tried to twist the arms of editors and publishers will likely be his undoing.