Berlin – capital of ideologues? Or masochists?

The strange relationship between government and the governed

The great and decisive advantage of democracy is that it is based on the principle of competition: unlike in a monarchy or in an autocracy, a ruler must expect to be held accountable if he governs wrong in the eyes of the citizens or fails with the consequence to become deselected. Or even has to face a legal review of his mistakes. At least that's what the theory says.

Berlin has been providing evidence to the contrary for many years. Because it is part of the functioning of democracy and the principle of competition that the citizens prove themselves to be mature democrats and that those in government who fail actually get voted out of office. Not so in the German capital. There, the sovereign, the people, have been sending out the message for years: Red-red-green can screw up whatever they want – they will still be re-elected. The list of political failures in the capital is so long that it is beyond the scope of this article.

Just a few examples: The citizens' registration offices in the capital work so badly that you often have to wait months for an appointment - whether for re-registration after moving house, for which the law only gives you two weeks, or for a new passport. "Rotgrün" has been promising a remedy for years. And it has been absent for years. Another example is the elections. Berlin thoroughly messed that up. Which is why Berliners now have to go to the polls again. In all probability even twice. Responsible for it? None! Senator Andreas Geisel, formerly SED, now SPD, apparently does not even think about resigning. And neither does his party.

What for? Everything goes wrong everywhere, not just at Geisel!

The conditions in the schools are desolate - structurally and educationally. Students have to bring their own toilet paper. The bike-obsessed city government creates congestion on purpose and with fervour. The public service is only record-breaking in terms of sick leave – civil servants and employees flee from the bitter reality by taking sick leave. Those who can afford it no longer use public transport in the evening – because it is no longer safe. Even during the day, many people find the conditions on the bus and subway unreasonable.

Even the emergency services in the capital are chronically overloaded. The failure of the red-red-green Senate not only costs time and nerves - it can also affect your health and, in the worst case, cost lives.

And how do the voters in the capital react? According to current opinion polls, a majority will re-elect those responsible for the long-term disaster.

How can that be? I ask myself the same thing. Democracy immaturity would be one possible answer. Because of deep-seated ideology. Because it can hardly be masochism. Or is it? Readers wrote to me that I had forgotten stupidity as a possible cause - which is why it is added here.

Olli Kalk, a Berliner by choice, provides an interesting explanation on his podcast: “Unfortunately, it is like this: due to the milieu, very many in the city could no longer look at themselves in the mirror if they voted for something other than left, SPD or green. It would be betrayal for them, leaving their context of life, running away from the family, divorce, sleepless nights, mortal sin, the whole program.

Armies of officials

Kalk, who used to write for "Zeit-Magazin" and "SZ-Magazin", also sees a kind of bribery at work - which he politely describes: "One thing, after all, also works: the Senate serves its clientele well, indulges with hands full – although they are actually empty – of redistribution at state level, subsidized on credit, alimented, promotes any number of NGOs and associations and takes expensive advice from them in political-planning sandbox games and cloud cuckoo homes for cash, employs armies of agents. Anyone who shouts ‘climate’ or ‘gender’ loud enough already has a contract.”

The practical thing about it: Thanks to the financial equalization of the federal states, citizens in other, functioning federal states have to pay for the theatre. Especially the Bavarians. The result: In the Free State, parents have to pay for kindergarten care, for example, which parents in Berlin receive free of charge thanks to tax money from Bavaria.

So Berlin lives at the expense of others. Maybe this is the subliminal deal between voters and elected? Just don't grow up, just don't take responsibility - and let others pay for your own infantility?