The Federal Republic is a representative democracy and a party state – and that’s a good thing. In Germany, not a few contemporaries tend to despise the parties and with them the parliament. Only those who lie to themselves, hypocrite or do not think can claim that democracy is possible without political parties. In other words, democracy is necessarily and inevitably a party state.
In turn, we are all the state. The parties are only there to bundle the forces of society and to bring them together to form units that are capable of acting. They are nothing more than that. Unfortunately, all parties see this differently. For decades they have nested in almost every field of society, regardless of whether their representatives are sufficiently qualified. The most important crisis elements of the German party state have been known for a long time: the expansion of power of the parties with simultaneous isolation from the outside world.
Their transformation into a largely closed society that is just as impregnated against impulses from the population as it is against outsiders and lateral entrants – with the result of a frightening impoverishment of personnel. Finally, the greedy inclination to help oneself generously from the state budget. Why do the parties need their own foundations that also maintain embassy-like facilities all over the world? They cost the taxpayer 590 million euros every year.
Are not Goethe-Instituts and better equipped cultural departments in the diplomatic missions enough? Does the amount of government grant to all parties have to be 205,050,704 euros? Certain restrictions could also be considered here. They could help to change the nature of parties as power machines and advertising agencies, forcing them to give back to society the areas of autonomy they have enforced.
As I said: Parties are only there to bundle the forces of society and to combine them into units that are capable of acting.
