Don't mention...Britain, Germany and the debate about Europe
by Kathrin Haimerl
All Europe loves Angela Merkel. Queen for a day. Merkel kisses her way through Europe. This is how German tabloid Bild covered the 50th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome. The pictures show our Chancellor hand kissed by charming Jacques Chirac and kissed on the cheeks by Tony Blair. Additionally, the newspaper published an interview with Tony Blair about his plans to reduce carbon emissions.
I spent the day of the 50th anniversary in three European countries: At lunch-time I left the UK, arrived in Austria in the afternoon and then drove back home to Bavaria - in the south of Germany. In London I got an update on the latest scandal about a drunken Prince Harry thanks to exclusive pictures on the front pages of 'News of the World'. Back in Germany I took a look at the front pages of our German equivalent 'Bild am Sonntag' and was surprised to find that they dedicated the pages to the European anniversary.
The reason for my trip to London: I am a student of 'International Business and Cultural studies' focussing on Anglo-American countries. As part of my studies I needed to pick a certain aspect for a specific project. Here, again, the press comes in: A German quality newspaper covered the work of Simon Duffin, press officer in the UK office of the European Parliament, whilst also mentioning the fear of The Sun that Britain might get wiped off the map during the German Presidency and the general scare that the pint might get abolished by EU legislation.
Great Britain and its Eurosceptic press and public - it is a topic that fascinates the German press as well as it fascinates me. A wonderful aspect to do my paper on.
From 14th to 23rd March I accompanied Caroline Boyle, Head of Outreach at the EP Office in London and - as she used to put it - shadowed her doing her work. Caroline could not have picked a better time for my stay: In London, the days leading up to the anniversary were filled with conferences, debates and events concerning the history and the future of the European Union.
I met academics, students, Commissioners, politicians, people from various European countries living in London. I found a vibrant debate going on about Europe - while most of the British press would either avoid the topic or report on more possible plots from Brussels.
I also learnt that there is something genuinely British about the debate. For Germans, here is a set of rules to follow:
Don't mention the constitution: the British seem to have an innate dislike for a written constitution. On the other hand, it is very difficult for us Germans not to talk about the constitution in combination with Europe because in our belief it is the only way to make the European Union more efficient. It is possible to discuss regulations and rules. Just try and avoid calling them the constitution. Our Chancellor did so by talking about the "declaration of Berlin". Unfortunately, this has meanwhile become synonymous with the debate about the constitution.
Don't mention the French: it is Britain that has to take over a leading role in the future process of Europe. This is a phrase that appears in almost all debates about Europe. A current example is Tony Blair's ambitious plan that Britain should be the leading European nation in reducing carbon emissions.
Don't mention the superstate: forget about the United States of Europe, but don't forget to mention the United States of America. One of the most frequent questions I heard during the debates I attended was: 'And what about the United States?' The questioner would always point out the UK's special relationship with the US. This would also serve to stress the preceding rule: Britains leading role in Europe.
Do mention football: This is still the best way to talk about Europe in Britain. Just the day before I arrived, a European All Star Team met Manchester United in a friendly. Although Britain (i.e. ManU) beat Europe in this match it could be put down to what the Independent newspaper included at number 39 in its EU@50 front page anniversary article "50 reasons to love Europe": "The single market has brought the world's best footballers to Britain."
I learnt a lot during my trip. The debates and the receptions I attended gave me a chance of getting to know many British people who are enthusiastic about the European idea. I learnt that there is a growing debate among London's multicultural youth about Europe. I got to know the organisers of the London Festival of Europe (see left) and was impressed by the number and variety of events - both cultural and political - they managed to set up.
I revised some of the stereotypes I had concerning the British press: on the one hand, not all newspapers are Eurosceptic and on the other, most of the Eurosceptic newspapers are mainly viewed as entertainment rather than serious news by the British public.
And I also learnt what the debate about Europe would be like if we left out all our stereotypes: very, very boring indeed.
And from my own cultural and personal perspective what can I offer you as the very best from my own country?
I recommend....
[FOOD]: Brezen (pretzels) with butter and a nice cup of coffee for breakfast. For any Bavarian, this is essential for a good start of the day. [FILM]: Das Leben der Anderen (The Life of the Others). And the Oscar goes to... We all celebrated with Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck when his movie won an Academy Award in the category of best foreign film. After all the light-hearted German TV-shows about the former GDR this movie now offers a true view on the practices of the Stasi. Cleverly written. Well directed. Well acted. [BOOKS]: Any of Robert Gernhardt's - the most important German contemporary poet, who died in 2006. His lively cross-genre publishing activities developed from so-called nonsense-poetry to a multifaceted work. [MUSIC]: 'Wir sind Helden', who released their first album 'Die Reklamation' in 2003 and have done much to make German language music fashionable again.
© Kathrin Haimerl. All views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to the European Commission.
Kathrin Haimerl is a student of 'International Cultural and Business Studies' at Passau University, Germany. During her semester holidays she works on a trainee-programme in journalism. She spent a semester in London doing an internship at the 'Bild-Group', the office of the correspondents of German tabloid 'Bild'. Since then she has developed a fascination for the British press in general and especially its coverage of Europe.