Berlin

I grew up in a family who constantly struggled with money. Mostly, I am grateful for how my parents managed to get by. One thing that, as a teenager, bothered me was that we had never been abroad on holiday. Every summer, kids would come in with stories of their travels to warmer climates and I would have to share my summer stories which were not quite so exciting. Upon arriving at university, the divide between those who had travelled and I became even more annoying. Everyone had amazing stories about trips they had been on with friends and family. But still, I could not afford to get a passport let alone pay for a holiday. Then adult life started and I got myself one of those job things which pay (very poorly) so I recently took my first trip abroad to Berlin.

I loved Berlin. As a graduate of History, it really was the best place for me to go. Berlin is a city that is very aware of its history and clearly wants to remain at peace. In my time there, I walked past 2 peace talks happening in the streets about Israel. I also saw a sign urging Putin to leave Ukraine alone. It seems that there are people in Berlin who are actively advocating peace which is amazing to see considering the amount of cities across the world full of hate and war.

Another wonderful thing about Berlin is how clean it is. Rarely did we come across rubbish in the streets. More importantly, recycling is a huge thing there. When you buy drinks in plastic bottles, you will often notice that they have already been recycled. People are encouraged to recycle and they get to see that recycling is actually happening. It left me wondering why we do not have that in Britain at all…

The Judisches Museum in Berlin was one of the highlights of the trip for me. It was so great to learn about Jewish history outside of the holocaust, to learn about positive Jewish messages and people. There was a part of the museum dedicated to 17th/18th century businesswomen Gluckel of Hamlen which was so interesting. On top of this, the architecture of the building by Daniel Libeskind was amazing. It seems to have been designed to be slightly unsettling and uncomfortable, perhaps to portray the feelings of many Jewish people living in Germany. The same can be said of the Holocaust Memorial. It felt strange to me to see people taking smiling selfies in the middle of it. The paths in between the 7,211 grey blocks are not straight to walk on giving you an unsettling feeling. Germany has made great efforts to remember their history.

I was in awe of the architecture in West Berlin – the Reichstag, the museums on Museum Island, Berliner Dom, and Brandenburg Gate. It was all incredible to see. There are also a lot of gorgeous water fountatins throughout the city. These make the city feel less like a city, along with the large green spaces throughout. The Lust Garten was my favourite of these, it has a view of the Berliner Dom and Altes Museum as well as a lovely water fountain. Sitting there and reading was absolute bliss!

The Berlin Wall was really interesting to see. I had learnt so much about it throughout education and particularly at university. It was something that I had always wanted to visit. The longest standing part of the Berlin Wall really gives a sense of the desperation and negativity that many Germans faced from its beginning to end. Walking along it and seeing how high it is and knowing about the struggles so many people faced was actually quite moving. Upon arriving at Checkpoint Charlie, I noticed a McDonalds built right next to it. It seemed rather apt considering the continuing American influence in the West. Even taking the train through East Berlin to West, the contrast is stark. The East still looks like part of a struggling country which feels damaged. Whereas, the West has made a much quicker recovery and looks more modern and generally better cared for.

There are decorated bears throughout Berlin which are so lovely to see. This began with an artistic event in 2001. The bears are all unique, often brightly coloured and attract lots of attention. There has also been the emergence of united buddy bears which are intended to promote peace and love around the world.

If I had to pick a few things for people to see/do in Berlin, it would be:

·         - Visit the Berlin Wall, walk along it, remember the history

·        -  If you are unaware of the history, visit the DDR museum. It’s interactive and not as dull as the German Historical Museum (which was a total yawn fest, I felt like I was just reading a book and having to walk around whilst doing it…)

·         - Eat currywurst (seriously, it might sound gross to you but it is a Berlin favourite. I absolutely loved it. Sausage in curry sauce, it does not get much better!)

·        -  Jewish Museum

·         - See the Reichstag Building, Brandenburg Gate and Holocaust memorial. They are all really close together and very impressive.

Next stop: well, I’m currently trying to decide between Copenhagen, Bruges and Budapest. Any other suggestions?

GE 2015: we have every right to be angry!

Over a week ago, the general election results came in and showed that the Conservative party would be in power for the next 5 years. It has taken me some time to get over initial rage/despair and be able to articulate my feelings about this and what it means for Britain. There are a lot of people who seem confused at the anger being shown. A common saying has been ‘the people who are upset should have voted.’ Well, we did vote and that is exactly why we are angry.

Britain is supposed to be a democracy. We have the right to vote and that is wonderful however, our votes are not used in a fair system:

This essentially shows that the proportions of voters do not match up to the representation of parties in parliament. So conservatives get 37% of the votes but 51% of the seats in parliament. This diagram shows exactly what is wrong with the voting system we have.

It is known as ‘First Past the Post’. Yet another political term which very few people understand, it’s almost as though they don’t want us to understand. Anyway, FPTP means that whichever party get the most votes wins the election. This leads to elections being a competition between two parties, Labour and Conservative in the UK.  

The current system often results in tactical voting which a lot of people will own up to. This is voting for a party to make sure another party does not get into power i.e. voting Labour to avoid a Conservative government. So there is something wrong here, isn’t there? People are not voting for the policies they agree with, they are simply voting against parties that they do not agree with because the system calls for this. 

This is where the talk about ‘wasted’ votes comes in, not wanting to vote for a smaller party because it will not make a difference. You’re probably right. In the current system, it will not make a difference so that is why people are calling for a complete change of the system. In the 2015 general election, it appears that more people voted for smaller parties and this took away votes from Labour leading to a Conservative victory.

It all just sounds a bit unjust, doesn’t it? Why should we continue with a system which benefits bigger parties but ignores smaller parties successes?

“This is how it works here, just deal with it.” I have heard this so many times in response to complaints about the UK voting system. And no, I will not just deal with it. I imagine that when women were fighting for the right to vote, they had similar responses. Do not let anyone make you think that change is not possible, that we will always be in an unfair system. This is what politicians and the media want you to think. It is much easier and nicer for everyone if we all sit back and accept the bullshit that they are forcing down our throats. Well, I would like to think that I would rather have a long and difficult process of making things better than sitting back and letting the country continue to decline.

So what are our options?

Proportional representation is one that many people are asking for. This would mean that a party which received 37% of the votes would then get 37% of the seats in parliament. Proportional representation seems like a good answer. It means that we would have a fairer system whereby parliament would more closely reflect the wishes of the voters. This system would be a lot more fair for smaller parties. Whatever your opinion on UKIP, for example, they received a lot of votes in this election and it is only right that they should therefore be represented in this proportion. The current system is only beneficial for the bigger parties. That is not okay!

The UK had an Alternative Vote referendum back in 2010. The voters rejected this way of voting which sees voters ranking candidates by preference. Again, people are pointing to this and saying “you had a chance to change it and nobody wanted it.” There was a chance to change it, yes. However, that was 5 years ago. There are now people eligible to vote who were not back then. There have been huge changes in the country and people’s lives. There are other options; it does not have to be AV. Having a complete overhaul of a political system takes a long time, a lot of work and one referendum 5 years ago cannot tell us that people do not want change now.

Why are people so fiercely anti-conservative?

A vote for the conservatives can be seen as a vote against women, the LGBTQ community, people of colour, anyone with a disability, the poor and the vulnerable. If you are rich, heterosexual, white British and have no disabilities then the conservative government probably will not damage your life much.

However, we live in a very diverse country. Here are some conservative policies which would have horrible consequences for so many members of the public:

•  Repeal of the Human Rights Act – this is to be replaced with a British bill of rights. There are several ways this could be done and we are waiting to see what the Tories go for. The impact will vary but overall, is set to be negative for Britain.
•  Welfare cuts - specifically £12bn worth of cuts. We are yet to find out where these will come from. You might not rely on welfare; you might think that those who do are just lazy. But, the majority of those on benefits need them to survive. The conservative government is fine for working people. Those who cannot due to mental illness, disabilities or any other reason are set to suffer a great deal in the next 5 years. This could lead to starving families, an increase in rates of depression/suicide and a whole lot of other problems. If you are wealthy then please think for a second. Is a reduction in your tax at the end of the 5 years really worth the suffering of millions who rely on our welfare system? (N.B. this is the austerity stuff you keep hearing about. Essentially, the government will be trying to better the economy by taking money from the poor and vulnerable.)

This all sounds awful, what can we do to change it?

Do not give up. Do not let anyone make you think that protests and petitions and campaigns are pointless and will never work. Yes, it will take time but change is inevitable. Stay passionate about changing things. Remember all the potential repercussions of conservative policies and a continuation of FPTP. Be as active in politics as you can. Show the politicians that they should be scared. They cannot stop the people from getting what they want/need/deserve – a fair and just system that represents the whole of society and not just the rich.

Check out facebook,twitter, tumblr, local groups and find ways to be active in politics.

(To those complaining about the protests based on one person spraying graffiti onto a war memorial – I understand that it is incredibly disrespectful. But, paint can be removed. The damage that this government and subsequent ones under FPTP cause could be irreparable.)