A very German problem

Today I am going to take a break from Brexit to address a really serious problem faced by anyone who lives in Germany: Why are so many Germans unfriendly and what can be done to improve their (and our) lives?

I really hate stereotypes and generalisations about nationalities, but after over 10 years (with a two-year gap in London in between) of living in Germany (Mainz, Weinheim, Saarbrücken, Berlin), I am still confronted with this problem on an almost daily basis.

Example 1) I've landed at Tegel or Schönefeld airport. I've barely got off the plane when I hear some angry person shouting in German about something trivial, such as, other travellers blocking the way or causing some other minor disruption. You've just got back from holiday for goodness' sake, you should be R E L A X E D!

Example 2) I've just got onto a shaky tram with Leo and we manage to find seats opposite an elderly couple. While the tram starts moving, I help Leo to his seat and his little foot inadvertently brushes against the knee of the old man sitting opposite. Most people would simile, but this man pulls a disgusted face and makes some unintelligible remark. The only possible reaction other than yelling at him: "Cheer up, you miserable old man" is to get up and change seats.

Example 3) There are roadworks and the cycle lane is blocked. The road is narrow and dangerous, while the pavement is wide, spacious and almost empty. So I cycle slowly on the pavement keeping out of the way of pedestrians, but a woman waiting at the tram stop shouts at me because I'm not on the cycle lane (which is inaccessible, by the way). Woman, R E L A X!

Example 4) I'm crossing a pedestrian bridge and I am pushing my bike with little Leo sitting behind in the trailer. At the beginning of the bridge, there is a sign telling cyclists to dismount. There are parents with pushchairs walking towards me and the narrow bridge is rather crowded. What does the guy on the racing bike behind me do? He shouts because I'm too slow! Er hello, do you realise we are on a pedestrian bridge and this is not the Tour de France?

Example 5) At the airport again, this time at the gate waiting to board our Brian Air flight. The Brian Air employee is rushing around checking everyone's bags and putting stickers on the larger ones. Suddenly the over-stressed and frustrated employee starts shouting and threatening a young petite lady in the queue, just because she has kindly asked him to talk to her politely. The non-German passengers are aghast and some of us go up to the lady to offer our sympathy.

These are just five examples, but I could go and and on and on...

So what can be done? 

We could start wearing t-shirts with slogans and carrying signs, such as, "Smile, relax and enjoy life", or "Life is too short to be miserable".

We could send all unfriendly Germans away for a year to Jamaica or somewhere similar to learn to relax and be friendly.

We could make relaxation and "How to be polite to people around you" courses compulsory.

Any other suggestions?

Of course, I'm not suggesting that everyone in Germany is like this. There are lots of friendly and smiley people in Germany. Unfortunately though, there are too many unfriendly ones and something clearly has to be done.

To Brexit or not to Brexit - that is the question

Last Friday I was wondering who would be the next politician to quit.
I didn't have to wait long to find out. As I turned on the BBC World Service at lunch time today, I was greeted with the breaking news that Andrea Leadsom was pulling out of the Tory leadership race.
Officially this is in the interest of the country: to speed up the process and in view of Theresa May's greater support amongst the parliamentary party. However, there are suggestions that the media coverage of the weekend may have been too much to handle. In case you missed it, in an interview to The Times, Mrs Leadsom basically said that being a mum gave her an advantage over Theresa May, who doesn't have children. Needless to say the statement did not go down well.
Or perhaps she was put off by yesterday's booing during Andy Murray's victory speech. When Andy highlighted David Cameron's presence on Centre Court and commented on the difficulties of being a PM, the Wimbledon crowd booed.
So now everything is in place for Theresa May to become the next Prime Minister. Bearing in mind what has happened so far, anything could happen between now and Wednesday, when David Cameron is set to step down.
Of course, the main question remains: to Brexit or not to Brexit?
In the words of Theresa May this morning: "Brexit means Brexit and we're going to make a success of it."
However, many in the UK and in the EU are praying and hoping that Brexit can still be avoided.
At the weekend the UK government turned down a petition signed by 4 million people for a second referendum.
The latest initiative is a letter signed by over 1,000 British barristers urging the prime minister to allow parliament to decide whether the UK should leave the EU. They argue that the referendum result is advisory, as it did not set a threshold necessary to leave the EU. The barristers propose that "the government establishes a royal commission or an equivalent independent body to receive evidence and report on the benefits, costs and risks of triggering article 50 to the UK as a whole, and to all of its constituent populations. The parliamentary vote should not take place until the commission has reported.”
Given that this latest recommendation is extremely reasonable and responsible, we can conclude that the politicians in Westminster will almost certainly ignore it.

Who will quit next? The Brexit soap opera continues.

For those of us watching the Brexit saga unfold, one thing has become clear:  the main Brexit campaigners are not only clueless. They are irresponsible. Instead of trying to solve the problems they created, all they do is abandon ship and thus continue to behave irresponsibly.

1) Calling the referendum was in itself irresponsible.

2) The campaign leading to the referendum was irresponsible and based on lies, scaremongering and racist claims.

3) Once the politicians realised that the damage was done (and more damage will be done once/if article 50 is triggered), they made the very irresponsible decision to quit.

Shortly after the final results became known, David Cameron resigned as PM and Tory leader. Then Boris Johnson announced that he would not take part in the Tory leadership race and thus would not become the new PM. This was followed by another shocking announcement, this time by Nigel Farage himself, of his resignation as UKIP (UK Independence Party) leader. Mr Farage said he wanted his life back, while the Remain voters want the EU back. I will not repeat the tweet by British singer Charlotte Church because it is rather rude, but you can look it up yourselves.
  
I was wrong  in my last post, however. Nigel Farage did not speak for the last time in the European Parliament. He still intends to "comment from time to time". Although he no longer wants to lead UKIP, Mr Farage will remain an MEP, or Member of the European Parliament, and of course keep his salary until the UK officially leaves the EU.  
Still, you never know, Nigel Farage may change his mind. He'd already announced his resignation in May 2015, only to backtrack a few days later. 

The three quitters have quite rightly been described as "rats fleeing a sinking ship" by a former Belgian Prime Minister.

Meanwhile, thousands of people marched through London last weekend to protest against the referendum decision to leave the EU. With the majority of young people in Britain extremely disappointed, if not devastated, by the results of the referendum, some EU countries are considering offering dual nationality to young British citizens living in Germany, Italy or France. However, that does not solve the problem for those remaining in Britain or those who are still too young to leave. Not to mention the EU nationals currently living, studying and/or working in the UK.

This week, a motion in the House of Commons calling on the government to guarantee the rights of EU nationals living in the UK was passed, but it it is not binding. The UK government claims it would be a mistake to give guarantees to EU nationals in the UK without similar concessions for UK nationals living elsewhere in the EU.

And just in case you were wondering whether things might be improving in the business world, the Pound sterling this week fell to a new 31-year low against the dollar. 

Amongst all the uncertainty of recent weeks, clarity is emerging as to who will be the next British Prime Minister. It will be a woman and will either be Theresa May or Andrea Leadsom. 

Please join me again soon in "To Brexit or not to Brexit - that is the question".