The new extremism lurks in the middle

The new extremism lurks in the middle

CHRISTIAN HOFFMANN

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The center is a booming business. But pragmatism is not a political virtue, it is a form of mental laziness and lack of principle.

The center has flourishing economy, mid-parties. Experienced politicians like dew it consistently forced into the golden mean. Was in a Swiss daily newspaper to read at all, the success of the center parties could now "move even moderate politicians in other parties to resolutely stand up for pragmatic beliefs."

Moderate politicians who enter resolutely pragmatic beliefs? Here the misery of the political center in a contradictory sentence is forced. The Bible was still: "But let your speech be: Yea, yea; no, no. Anything more than that is bad. "The" moderate "politicians on the other hand hardly ever refers uniquely position. His position is a permanent-tormented "one hand-the other hand." Beliefs, the "resolute" no pragmatist naturally - he focuses on what is feasible. He analyzed or not justified, he acts.

The "responsible" is the type of pragmatic careerists and functionaries. He carries with the system that carries it. Miss favorable opinion he looks at joyous colleagues who actually have a profile or representing a clear stance. He likes to revile them as ideological hardliners.

The smooth pragmatist is about finding a "good" compromise - it is a tax-increase, a new process or bid, a "temporary" extension of the debt or a 'provisional' softening of the currency. The center has become so entangled in the status quo of perpetual muddling through, the obsessive preservation of outdated structures that thinking in terms of alternatives, exploring possible solutions as well as angular unseemly faux pas is indeed perceived as a kind of political attack madness.

A politician, who since the beginning of her remarkable career enjoys a reputation as a pragmatist and moderates, is Angela Merkel. As chancellor her leadership style is characterized by a consistent waiting, which serves the most comprehensive exploration of conflicting interests, so as to leave at the end a compromise solution. Although this solution does not really hurt well, but also anyone seriously. So perfected the pragmatist, the principle of unprincipled.

What is the consequence? The Merkel government - together with other EU governments - has developed a great skill is to violate fundamental legal principles. So Germany is involved in receiving stolen goods stolen bank customer data on regular and extensive fracture in European treaties or in the illegal spying on own citizens Internet. In addition, the squandering of tax money comes in a hundred-billion dollar, failed to rescue the European single currency.

Can an Angela Merkel, however, accused them legally questionable and politically disastrous regulatory policies? Probably not, because as a "pragmatist" the middle it has to do not have a moral compass, not about principles or beliefs, but only through a sense of what is politically achievable. The state has always to provide supporting only those compromise that perpetuates the status quo in the future.

Well, pragmatism is not a political virtue, it is a form of mental laziness and lack of principle. The extremists of the mid-shine, or rather blinded by without profile. But behind the gesture of responsibility and reason hides a contempt of necessary rules. What we need today are not even more state-supporting compromisers a baseless "middle", but resolute defender of our civil rights - against the onslaught of dumb pragmatist.

This article was published in the "Swiss monthly" (issue 992).