Last week I was on holiday in Germany. My wife’s late father served as an officer in the British Army of the Rhine, and she was keen to return to some of the places she had visited as a teenager. We stayed in Goslar, a charming small town on the edge of the Hartz Mountains, and visited Quedlinburg, a magical place of cobbled streets and half-timbered houses, overlooked by a brooding baroque castle. It was a very welcome break after the rigours of the local elections.
While we were away, I spent some time reflecting on the differences and similarities between Germany and Britain. I felt, as most tourists do, a fuller appreciation of the things I take for granted in my own country, but also an awareness that some of what I had thought of as distinctive about Britain was not so distinctive after all.
No visit to Germany can avoid some reminder of its dark past. Modern Germany is a liberal democracy, committed to defending human rights, with a constitution opposed to any form of authoritarianism. Even so, it’s difficult not to worry about the recent rise of the extreme right in Germany, which is winning support particularly in what used to be Communist East Germany, where many people have not experienced the economic prosperity of the west and feel disillusioned with mainstream parties.
This is not a uniquely German development, of course. In Italy, France, Spain, and countless other European countries, not to mention the United States, movements of the authoritarian right are gaining traction. They all seek to win support by scapegoating minorities. They are all contemptuous of liberal constitutional safeguards against misrule and loss of liberty.
We in Britain can no longer feel that we are immune from this trend. For most of my adult life, I have regarded Britain as a beacon of moderation and decency, which has resisted the siren voices of extremism and rejected the politics of division, even when other, less fortunate countries, succumbed.
Recent scenes of rioting in our cities, and the shocking sight of young men in this country giving Nazi-style salutes, come as a timely reminder that our famed moderation and avoidance of extremes, for which we were rightly admired across the world, is no longer to be taken for granted.
I have returned from abroad more convinced than ever that our traditional British values – liberty, tolerance, inclusivity, civility, and an appreciation of the need for checks and balances on all political power – must be promoted and defended.
In our own small way, the borough council tries to embody those values. Our overall aim is to make Wokingham a place where everyone, regardless of who they are, can lead a happy and fulfilling life.
We will continue to do all we can to provide calm, stable, and evidence-based leadership in these difficult and tumultuous times. We will do all we can to bring people together and not allow others to drive them apart. And we will continue to give opportunities for all councillors to hold the ruling executive to account and avoid the errors that can all too easily come when too much power is concentrated in too few hands.
By Cllr Stephen Conway
