Some words about my attempt to get on the EU Parliament ballot, and what next…
So, I didn’t make it onto the EU ballot with my wonderful LD party colleagues.
Before I say anything else, I’d like to thank everyone who helped in any way. Whether this is collecting signatures, giving your signature (even if you didn’t get around to it, the thought matters so much to me), attending stalls in town squares, being a shoulder to cry on, proof-reading my German, or simply cheering me on from afar. I’m so grateful to every single one of you and if you are willing and able I’d love to try and go for a coffee or walk with each of you over the coming months to at least try and repay a tiny bit of the time and energy you gave me.
Of course I’m disappointed, but like every good neurodivergent, I all-to-often fail to look back at the realistic goals I set myself in this election (and of course the realism I stated when I selected) and almost all of them were met. Progress over perfection, or something like that…
Getting on the ballot was always a tall order. 4000 signatures doesn’t sound like a lot until you consider that it all needs to be done on individual paper forms (digital not allowed, scanned signatures not allowed), that non-German EU citizens had to fill in another deeply intrusive form asking for passport details (to hand to a random clipboard-wielding party worker on the street), and that they all must be physically provided to the local election office of the signatory to be stamped before it is considered valid, it then becomes a mountainous task. The large parties do not need to test their enduring support by collecting signatures — they are guaranteed a spot on the ballot paper.
What needs to change
I hope my friends from other parties don’t mind the bluntness here, but this system is broken. The claim that it prevents extremists from entering parliaments is laughable when it now gives the AfD a free ticket onto the ballot. It serves only one purpose, and that is to insulate the larger parties and their electoral support. The fact that the Berlin SPD is so keen to amend the rules on referendums to be able to initiate them from the Berlin state parliament rather than having to collect signatures themselves speaks volumes — the larger parties know how high a bar this exercise is even for them with all the state funding and other resources they have at their disposal. Either we all should participate in this exercise, or it should be abolished.
Nevertheless let me also thank those in other parties who recognised the importance of democratic choice and signed our form, even some elected officials who took a risk with their own parties in doing so. These came from a range of the political spectrum, from die Linke to the CDU. I am immensely grateful to you all for your pluralism and your dedication to giving those in Germany more choice in the democratic process.
One of the best things about being a member of Liberale Demokraten is that you are not penalised for supporting other parties. It is practical and it is correct for us to have that policy, especially given we do not stand in every election, and even moreso now we are faced with a huge threat from the far-right. So to those who hoped to vote, support or campaign for us I ask this: find one of the democratic parties on the ballot closest to your views (even if there are some real icky points for you), and do whatever you can to help them, even if it is just voting for them. The luxury of abstention is not for a time when not voting translates into extra seats for fascists. The more votes the democratic parties get, the harder it is for the AfD to get more seats. If you must, see it less as a vote of confidence in the party you’re marking on the ballot paper, and more an active and tangible action against the rise of fascism.
It is impossible to name even a handful of the people who remained very close to me over this period without missing someone out. But please forgive me for singling out a few people.
Some (but not all) wonderful people…
Paul Vossiek, our unendingly talented party chair who has put up with me for a long time now. I will always be inspired by your dedication, your productivity and versatility of talent that sees you coding a website one day, designing the perfect leaflet or recording a flawless video the next, and somehow managing to keep us all going and effectively running a political party alongside your intensive studies.
Jan Bambach, who barely knew me last year when he came all the way to Berlin to help me film a last minute election video which was absolutely superb. Genuinely one of the nicest and kindest people I have ever met who always faces nastiness and intolerance with an air of objective resolve. It was a real joy visiting Darmstadt (beautiful town — visit it if you haven’t) and meeting the wonderful Vielbunt crew. Local Prides/CSDs always have something special about them, and the Darmstadt imprint was so visible on theirs. Jan, thank you for being one of the shoulders I regularly cried on, and for being the adult in the room whenever I failed to.
Felix Kleemann, who I have never seen say a bad word about anyone, and who became a member solely because I kept badgering him, yet turned up to CSDs, was a signature-collecting-machine (we’ll use that in future), and over the years has become a valued and close friend. Felix, I’m so grateful that no matter how difficult things are, you always have a smile on your face, an irreverent joke to tell, and a hug to give. And thank you for always being there to teach me the appalling German phrases, terms and idioms that nobody else will.
Jens Lünenstraß is a wonderful example of how standing in elections and losing is the best way to grow a party. We met him during the Aachen campaign, and not only did he make his way to Berlin and live on my couch for a good chunk of the repeat-election in 2023, but he collected the most signatures for the EU election. Once again, someone who is unfailingly objective and kind, and who goes far beyond the call of duty for the causes and the people he cares about. Jens, there are great things lying ahead of you and I can’t wait to help you achieve them.
Sophia Tamaro, one of the most talented writers and directors I know who I probably would never have met if I didn’t stand in the 2021 elections (proof of benefits even when you lose). You’ve been a joy to get to know and I’m so sorry that during this period I’ve spent less time with you than I liked. I’m so grateful for your personal support and for the times you went out of your comfort zone to advocate for something political regarding me and my ambitions.
I’m grateful to my colleagues in LD Berlin, Moritz Weck and Niklas Schulte, who deal with my quirks more often than most. Thank you for everything you do. Moritz, thanks for nudging me when I needed nudging.
Finally my husband Josh, who along with my cat Sulu will be pleased to have some of my time back now, who never once complained about the time, energy (and money) I spent on impossible political goals. Thank you for everything and I love you loads.
To the rest of you, thank you, and if I’ve forgotten to name you personally, throw some abuse my way and I’ll make up for it somehow.
And what now…?
In 2003, when I was a spritely teenager at university, people asked why I didn’t join a party and do politics and I said because I wanted to fix problems rather than talk about them, and I didn’t even vote in the elections that year. (Also, coming from a poor background, the stuffy privileged world of politics was not the most endearing). I joined a political party in 2004, and people then asked why I didn’t stand for election, to which I said that activism was cool but office really wasn’t for me. In 2007 I was one of the youngest people in the UK elected to my district council, and I immediately succeeded in fixing a huge safety issue that had plagued my patch of the town for two decades. Democracy has its faults, but it is possible to engage in the process without becoming a career politician with more regard for oneself than the people one represents. In the space of four years, I went from a disinterested non-voter to an elected represented, and I achieved stuff.
My commitment in politics has always been that no matter how distant the office (and Brussels is quite far), there’s nothing more important than making the lives of those who have less a little better. Whether you manage to change a law, or if you simply fix the potholes in the pavement outside so your infirm next door neighbour doesn’t experience agony as she navigates her way to the shop with her walking stick, these things all make a difference and there is simply no better feeling than knowing you were the reason someone’s quality of life has increased. There’s a lot of hate in politics at the moment, and that’s tough, but if you start from the point of wanting to make things better, then please, join my party, become a candidate, make a difference in your community and show everybody that hope, care, and a sense of togetherness is still far more potent than hate or division.
So, if you’ve even just for a second thought “maybe”, please get in touch and we’ll go on one of those Tempelhof walks (or a lunchtime coffee if you’re not a morning person) and have a no-commitment chat, or at the very least gaze in wonder at my crow-based mid-life-crisis…
