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Political and philosophical appraisal

         

         The citizens of Calais by Rodin 

 

 

Introduction

Appraisals are very often linked to moments in time during which something becomes visible but which can disappear as quickly as it came to the surface, and even to the attention of the world press. Hence the memory which links these different moments can alter not only the understanding we have of events, or as to what Europe is going through since 1945, but also deepen insights into the complexity of things while still linked to some simple things like the wish to come home finally. It is a metaphor linked to the writings by Simon Mundy.

Sometimes the future seems so far away, at other times there is a lack of simultaneity. It is more than a mere coincidence when certain fa tors come together at the same time and alter the disposition towards history, or what was the prevailing condition in the recent past. Simultaneity is something which Hölderlin strived for when he tried to call upon everyone in Germany to do something similar as to what took place in France when the revolution broke out and Hegel denounced as people who construct institutions, if only to tear them down again as if the Bastille was worthwhile to be left standing. Hölderlin tried in vain since he sent out his message by mail, and naturally his letters reached their destinations not all at one and the same time. It might explain a failure to bring together minds which think alike and feel the time has come to bring about a revolution like in France. Naturally one reason for people in Germany to hold back was that they were aghast by the outburst of violence in the form of the guilottine and which caught up finally as well with Danton. However, in the age of the Internet Europe and the European Union, simultaneous moments are more easily created at the push of just one botton: send. Out goes the mail electronically. Still, there prevail so many different attitudes towards reading or not messages on the Internet, and even Twitter has not altered this, that at times it seems the revolution is far off. Nevertheless Europe as much as the Arab world since 2011 is undergoing tremendous changes. The virtual world does seek to correspond to the realities being shaped in the streets.

As attested by the latest events in Istanbul and throughout Turkey, the formidable power coming to the fore once people do go out into the streets to raise their voices, and to demonstrate in central places declared as being public, there is something genuine coming into existence. It is something power cannot ignore anymore. It means also the voices of the 'people' does not stay silent all the time as is so often declared. Still, many more people are systematically disenfranchised and far from what the EU has declared in 2013 to be the year of citizen participation. Of course, the European Union is worried about how the democratic gap will play out. Jürgen Habermas has critized that. Whether or not it suffices to initiate some exemplatory actions, remains to be seen, but judging from the usual outcomes of European projects, it does not even scratch the surface of the much deeper problem having to do with the lack of democratic transparency and legitimacy of EU institutions.

In Denmark some prefer to follow the inclinations of the artists who think about Europe not in project terms, but as a living process and connections made by people who begin to understand and appreciate each other. Hence they have called their manifesto 'Flash Back' both as reminder of their origin but also what it means to continue traveling along the European road with many flash backs as to what existed there prior to the European Union funding highways, bridges etc. and supporting business ventures as if Europe is a market place with many opportunities for making business work as it seems fit.

Hatto Fischer Athens

9.6.2013 (updated 5.8.2013)

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