Wow, I could starting to write a book or organise the coming years around the ideas gathered during the three days of the re:publica 10 conference.
It'll need some days until I'm at the point where all these ideas are ordered: Data protection and data creation, data planting and data harvesting, organising campaigns and analysing them, hyperlocal and pan-European, online and offline, down-to-earth and extremely technical, crisis and normality, culture and anti-culture, young and old, freedom and control.
Trust me, many of those younger and older people who have gathered here in Berlin for the last three days pretty much know what they are doing. And while many are just doing old things in new ways, many more are thinking about new things in new ways.
My fear is that those holding crucial political, social or economic positions in our local, regional, national, European, international societies have no clue about many of the possibilities and dangers, about the technical opportunities and social needs behind many of the things we have discussed here.
But we don't care and we will do these things anyway, and we will win and fail as generations have won and failed before us.
PS: Most importantly thanks for the organisers and the many people I could meet, talk to and discuss with - hope to see you again very soon!
Showing posts with label Berlin. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Berlin. Show all posts
Friday, 16 April 2010
Tuesday, 13 April 2010
re:publica 10
As you may have noticed, the conference has kind of started already for me and my fellow Bloggingportal.eu editors with our collective translation experiment last week.
The little experiment was part of the preparations for a workshop eurosocialiste, Jon, Martin and I are organising under the modest title "How to reach one million Europeans" (which is a reference to the European Citizens' Initiative) at the conference on Thursday.
Today, I'll still have to do some organisational stuff in Berlin - my old home - and then tomorrow morning at 10 o'clock the conference will kick off. The organisers say that we will be 2,500 people which sounds pretty big. So hopefully I will find the time to write one or another blog post, sending live impressions from this crowd of "social mediatics".
I also hope to meet some of you who I just know virtually so far or who are interested in the eurosphere - so just comment on this post, send me an email or contact me on Twitter if you'd like to meet, even if it's at the sidelines of the conference in case you're not attending.
PS: You can also talk to me directly when you see me on the conference venue: I am young, male, white, and I use a laptop.
Sunday, 14 February 2010
Saturday night. Berlin. Europe.
Starting the evening with Russian vodka cocktails in a Georgian restaurant in the western part of Berlin.
Continuing the night with British cider in the eastern part of the city.
Talking with a Polish about marriage.
Listening a German talk about his ex-girlfriend working in Spain for several months every year.
Discussing with an Italian who lives in Berlin about democracy in Italy, the changes the Lisbon treaty will bring to the EU (and why the death penalty will not come back), and the difficulties to find academic work.
Passing a large group of French on the way back home.
Saturday, 18 April 2009
European Parliament elections 2009 (84): Getting the tourist vote
I was walking around in central Berlin yesterday - heading towards the representation of the European Commission and the European Parliament in Berlin (more on this soon) - and seeing the groups of international tourist passing by I was thinking to myself:
"Wouldn't it be perfect if European parties (and/or their national member parties) would campaign at major tourist places all over the European Union, addressing EU tourists to vote for the European party's member party (or parties) in the country they come from?"
This would be a real chance for the European parties to put forward the European issues instead of leaving the campaign in the (nationally focused) hands of their members.
The campaigners would just need a list of all national member parties of their European party and they would need European campaign materials in as many languages as possible (at least in some major European languages), as well as some language skills to address possible voters from different countries.
That is a rather demanding campaign element, but I think this could result in very fruitful discussions, especially since EU citizens going to another EU country (even as tourists) might be rather interested in and open for European topics. This would also add to the European profile of the respective party and of the elections, because possible voters would see that there is a true European dimension in the campaign.
The parties could even use campaign exchanges to form these "Get the tourist vote" teams. A combined national and European campaign team would then be able to address national and international voters, and I suppose the dynamics following such projects would be very positive and more creative than a standard nationalised campaign.
Is any of the parties planning to do this?
------------------------------
Under the category "European parliament elections 2009" I am following up national and European activities on the path to the European Parliament elections 2009.
For an overview over all articles in this category have a look at the overview article.
For the five newest post see also the sidebar.
"Wouldn't it be perfect if European parties (and/or their national member parties) would campaign at major tourist places all over the European Union, addressing EU tourists to vote for the European party's member party (or parties) in the country they come from?"
This would be a real chance for the European parties to put forward the European issues instead of leaving the campaign in the (nationally focused) hands of their members.
The campaigners would just need a list of all national member parties of their European party and they would need European campaign materials in as many languages as possible (at least in some major European languages), as well as some language skills to address possible voters from different countries.
That is a rather demanding campaign element, but I think this could result in very fruitful discussions, especially since EU citizens going to another EU country (even as tourists) might be rather interested in and open for European topics. This would also add to the European profile of the respective party and of the elections, because possible voters would see that there is a true European dimension in the campaign.
The parties could even use campaign exchanges to form these "Get the tourist vote" teams. A combined national and European campaign team would then be able to address national and international voters, and I suppose the dynamics following such projects would be very positive and more creative than a standard nationalised campaign.
Is any of the parties planning to do this?
------------------------------
Under the category "European parliament elections 2009" I am following up national and European activities on the path to the European Parliament elections 2009.
For an overview over all articles in this category have a look at the overview article.
For the five newest post see also the sidebar.
Thursday, 24 July 2008
No, Barack Obama couldn't!
Sorry, but this was kind of weak. This was a political speech, but not a historic one.
Okay, Obama presented some nice rhetoric, he got his applause, he made his compliments, he has his visions, but you could hear with every word that he tried to avoid every possible political mine, here in Germany and Europe, at home in the US, and elsewhere in the world.
In some phrases, his writers could construct his vision, but the visionary force he develops in domestic speeches was not in his eyes. He spoke out of calculation, not so much out of deep conviction. His personal story that works domestically does not really work on the international scene. This makes his message much weaker here than it is in the USA.
And he did not address some very concrete and important issues: No word about Guantanamo, no word about a wrong war in Irak, no real promise that an America under his leadership would join binding global agreements e.g. to tackle global climate and energy problems. And while he talked about a world without nuclear weapons, no word about global superpowers like the US also abandoning these disgusting weapons.
So, Obama got his European backdrop, he had his audience, and now let's see what he can make out of it.
Okay, Obama presented some nice rhetoric, he got his applause, he made his compliments, he has his visions, but you could hear with every word that he tried to avoid every possible political mine, here in Germany and Europe, at home in the US, and elsewhere in the world.
In some phrases, his writers could construct his vision, but the visionary force he develops in domestic speeches was not in his eyes. He spoke out of calculation, not so much out of deep conviction. His personal story that works domestically does not really work on the international scene. This makes his message much weaker here than it is in the USA.
And he did not address some very concrete and important issues: No word about Guantanamo, no word about a wrong war in Irak, no real promise that an America under his leadership would join binding global agreements e.g. to tackle global climate and energy problems. And while he talked about a world without nuclear weapons, no word about global superpowers like the US also abandoning these disgusting weapons.
So, Obama got his European backdrop, he had his audience, and now let's see what he can make out of it.
Yes I could!
If I left now, I still could be in time for Senator Obama's speech here in Berlin. YES, I COULD! This man knows how to deliver a speech. And I love listening to him - not for everything he is saying, but for saying some excellent things in his positively prepossessing manner.
Yet, this kind of cheer-and-applause events for just one single person always make me hesitate. It doesn't count that this is the "Yes we can"-man Barack Obama. It doesn't count that he might become the Democratic candidate for the post of US president. It just counts that he as so many charismatic leaders wants the masses to follow.
But cheering within the masses means being a sheep in a herd following the shepherd, for the good and for the bad. And having German ancestors makes me quite reluctant being such a sheep.
I think I have a more active vision of political involvement, a more discursive one. So I will watch and listen to Obama at home. If he inspires me, you will hear about it. If he disappoints me, you will hear about. And if he remains irrelevant for me or for Europe, I will find other interesting topics to blog about. And you will definitely here about these!
Yet, this kind of cheer-and-applause events for just one single person always make me hesitate. It doesn't count that this is the "Yes we can"-man Barack Obama. It doesn't count that he might become the Democratic candidate for the post of US president. It just counts that he as so many charismatic leaders wants the masses to follow.
But cheering within the masses means being a sheep in a herd following the shepherd, for the good and for the bad. And having German ancestors makes me quite reluctant being such a sheep.
I think I have a more active vision of political involvement, a more discursive one. So I will watch and listen to Obama at home. If he inspires me, you will hear about it. If he disappoints me, you will hear about. And if he remains irrelevant for me or for Europe, I will find other interesting topics to blog about. And you will definitely here about these!
Wednesday, 9 July 2008
Obama at the Brandenburg Gate?
Barack Obama, the presumptive nominee as US presidential candidate of the Democratic Party, wants to speak in front of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin on 24 July 2008.
Since the Brandenburg Gate is an important historical monument and political speeches in front of this backdrop have always had historical importance, German politicians are now debating whether Obama as a candidate should be allowed to campaign there (that is, before he has been elected president).
Chancellor Angela Merkel (Christian Democrats, centre-right) feels "alienated" by this idea while Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier (Social Democrats, centre-left) has nothing against. However, the one to decide about this question is Berlin mayor Klaus Wowereit (Social Democrats), famous for his inauguration speech "I am gay, and it's okay that way!". He seems to favour an Obama speech at the Brandenburg Gate, but has not yet decided officially.
The story on other blogs:
O'Connal Street
Tizona's Weblog
Since the Brandenburg Gate is an important historical monument and political speeches in front of this backdrop have always had historical importance, German politicians are now debating whether Obama as a candidate should be allowed to campaign there (that is, before he has been elected president).
Chancellor Angela Merkel (Christian Democrats, centre-right) feels "alienated" by this idea while Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier (Social Democrats, centre-left) has nothing against. However, the one to decide about this question is Berlin mayor Klaus Wowereit (Social Democrats), famous for his inauguration speech "I am gay, and it's okay that way!". He seems to favour an Obama speech at the Brandenburg Gate, but has not yet decided officially.
The story on other blogs:
O'Connal Street
Tizona's Weblog
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