The Economist: “Why bullshit rules in Brussels”
Das ist doch mal eine klare Aussage: “Why bullshit rules in Brussels”, titelt der Economist. Ja, die Briten sind aus der Union ausgetreten, aber der Economist war sicherlich nicht dafür. Umso bedenklicher muss die Tatsache stimmen, dass die sehr angesehene Zeitschrift es so deutlich auf den Punkt bringt. Und wer würde schon widersprechen wollen?
Die Highlights:
- “To see bullshit in practice, head to Brussels. Consider the EU’s Global Gateway initiative, launched on December 1st. It is a sprawling scheme that will supposedly result in €300bn ($340bn) of investment in infrastructure across the developing world by 2027. Diplomats compare it to the ‘Belt and Road Initiative’, which China uses to expand its influence. Beneath the spin lurks bullshit. It is not just the language (the scheme is based on ‘a Team Europe approach’) but the content. The €300bn is mainly a mixture of existing commitments, loan guarantees and heroic assumptions about the ability of the club to ‘crowd in’ private investment, rather than actual new spending. (…) It is a perfectly good idea; but it is simply caked in bullshit.” – bto: Aufgrund mangelnder echter Performance tun die Bürokraten so, als würden sie etwas leisten. Ist es da nicht schön, dass die neue Bundesregierung dieser Truppe noch mehr Macht und Geld geben will?
- “(…) the EU’s de facto capital is especially prone to it. It is a city of great power but little scrutiny. Media attention is still focused on national capitals. (…) bullshit is “unavoidable whenever circumstances require someone to talk without knowing what he is talking about”. In Brussels this happens every day. (…) A deep knowledge of the domestic politics of 27 countries and an encyclopedic understanding of how the EU’s institutions work (in theory and in practice) is both necessary and impossible. Some bullshitting is inevitable.” – bto: Das klingt wie eine Rechtfertigung. Ich denke, es ist anders. Die Machtanmaßung stößt an die Machbarkeitsgrenze und das gilt es anzuerkennen.
- “Brussels is a cosy place. The same people attend the same events, making the same points about topics that would be unintelligible to a passer-by who sneaked in for the free sandwiches. Disagreements on panels are rare. A soporific consensus is the norm. Admitting that the EU’s policy in the Indo-Pacific barely matters would send its authors, and the assembled wonks who pored over it, into an existential tailspin. Ignoring how things really are, is the essence of bullshit.” – bto: Na, dann können wir uns auf noch viel mehr Bullshit einstellen.
- Fazit des Economist: “(…) sad souls who are overpaid and underworked reveal themselves. The perks, which range from fat pensions to an expat allowance that cancels out any tax due, are simply too good to give up. (…) Each day is a scramble to justify a sorry existence. The result? More bullshit shovelled into a system already overflowing with it.” – bto: Noch mal: Diesen Bullshit will unsere Regierung weiter aufwerten und füttern.
→ economist.com (Anmeldung erforderlich): „Why bullshit rules in Brussels”, 1. Dezember 2021
