Crisis of democracy | "New generation" calls for revolution

A successful comeback needs a big bang. Or a loud statement. "It's time for a peaceful democratic revolution," says Emma Durow of Neue Generation, a successor organization to the climate protection group Letzte Generation . "We no longer have any demands on an overwhelmed democracy."

If the group has its way, the foundation for the new order will be laid this weekend in Berlin. Following the model of a randomly elected citizens' council, the New Generation has randomly selected 60 people to spend three days pondering the future of democracy in a domed tent in front of the Reichstag building. The goal of this "parliament of the people" is to develop principles for a new generation of democracy, according to Durow. "By democratic revolution, we mean that, alongside the Bundestag and the Bundesrat, there will be a randomly selected social council with real power to shape things."

The group also sees the inability to respond adequately to the multiple crises of our time as a crisis of the Western form of government. A crisis that can no longer be resolved within the existing system. "This system will collapse like a house of cards," Durov predicts. "And then we will be faced with a choice: Either we have a peaceful democratic revolution (...) or fascism."

The New Generation is receiving support in implementing the "People's Parliament" from Jascha Rohr. The philosopher, social entrepreneur, and consultant has already participated in the government-commissioned Citizens' Council on Nutrition. Regarding the state of democracy here, Rohr says: "We're actually working with an operating system that's 60 years old, (...) it needs an update, because the world is changing."

The title of this weekend's meeting is fitting: "Embarking on a New World: How Do We Reduce the Influence of Money on Our Democracy and Society?" Participants will discuss questions such as "How would you like to influence the development or amendment of laws?" or "How would you like to monitor the work of parliamentarians?"

The latter is a central concern of Marco Bülow. The former member of the Bundestag (SPD, Die Partei) is committed to curbing the power of "profit lobbyists." Apart from the introduction of some transparency rules, nothing has been achieved in this area. On the contrary: "Profit lobbying has gotten out of hand." Bülow also criticizes other parliamentary practices, such as party discipline or the habit of governments categorically rejecting motions from the opposition.

Marlene Engelhorn is a role model for the New Generation's project. The descendant of a BASF founder and multimillionaire heiress convened a randomly selected citizens' council to "redistribute" almost her entire fortune of €25 million as fairly as possible, as she puts it.

According to its own statements, the "Good Council for Redistribution" differed only slightly in its composition from that of Austrian society as a whole. "Parliamentary work must be representative. This is not the case in Germany, and therefore the interests of a large part of the population cannot be taken into account," Engelhorn said. "The 'People's Parliament' is an excellent approach to strengthening people's trust in democracy and shaping politics."

The activists of the New Generation also want to have drawn people who are "as diverse as the German population," as Durow explains. "For this purpose, 60 people who are representative of German society in terms of age, migration background, educational qualifications, and gender were drawn from a pool of 300 interested individuals," says a statement from the New Generation.

When asked by "nd," the group clarified that this original pool largely consists of Last Generation supporters, although everyone had the opportunity to register for the lottery. Accordingly, Lars Werner of the New Generation admits: "This is not a representative council for all of Germany." However, there are plans to expand the pool, as the "People's Parliament" is to meet regularly in the future and be drawn anew each time.

First, however, a "wave of resistance" is scheduled for next week in Berlin. There, the New Generation plans to use civil disobedience—that is, the deliberate and peaceful violation of laws—to target, among others, the Springer Corporation. According to Werner, "this world, which will lead us into a truly dark, inhumane, and cruel future, is being written into existence there every day." The corporation is pitting people against each other, stoking fears, and spreading misinformation. " Protest is necessary to make the results of the 'Parliament of the People' heard," he says, justifying the actions.