Neue Debatte - Special Edition - Long Essay on Left Strategy #002 - 04/2017 | Page 48

8 Changing EU-politics and peoples’ governments
8.2 On “the most significant democracy in Europe”
Having been fobbed off with slogans on democracy I tried to find out,
what you, Yanis, hold to be democratic. If I have grasped you correct-
ly the EU “is no democracy, where decisions are being made there by
people you have never heard of, that you never elected”. 32 At the
same time you called Germany “the most significant democracy in
Europe”. 33 Do you think the Germans to have a significant democracy
because they get to know the names and parties of the decision
makers who are elected and appointed? 34 Do you intimate people’s
rule in Germany? Would Europe be well off democratically if it fol-
lowed the significant German model? Supposed the Brussels top poli-
ticians and central bankers in Frankfurt, the Commission members,
the Eurozone group, the troika, etc. were democratically elected rep-
resentatives, known to the public. Would they finally care for the real
needs and interests of the European peoples? What about your op-
ponent Schäuble? He is an elected and appointed representative of
“the most significant democracy in Europe”. How comes that you and
the Greek people were brought down mercilessly by such elected
democrats?
You have written a book on the Integration of Europe in the last 75
years. You have portrayed the European political leaders (de Gaulle,
Thatcher, Kohl, Schröder, and whatever their names) having pursued
their national policies towards Europe for the sake of their finance
capitalist home elites. They used to pull each other over the barrel.
Every single one a democratically elected person! Something seems
basically wrong in what you think democracy to be and what you tell
us about it.
8.3 . . . and on real people’s governments
Democracy or people’s rule is not an end in itself. Only a peoples’
government will have the spine and determination to push forward
the burning topics for the common man. It will assume office on be-
half of underprivileged waged employees and people’s movements
32
Yanis Varoufakis (DIEM25.org) visits Germany: We have to transform the European Union (Weltnetz TV), (youtube,
19.02.2015, 50:35).
33
“This is why we have begun this process [DIEM25] a few days ago in the heart of the most significant democracy in
Europe, in Berlin.” (ibid. 50:40).
34
The chancellor by vote of elected parliamentarians, the ministers by nomination of this chancellor and all appointed by
the Federal President.
42