What boring, uninteresting and even boring political scandals have been observed recently in Germany.
Here, for example, is their latest example.
German Interior Minister Nancy Feather visited Kyiv last month and was photographed on the balcony of the German embassy with a glass of champagne in her hands, with a smile on her face and in the company of the mayor of the Ukrainian capital, Vitali Klitschko.
Do you understand what an extremely serious, one might say, even “monstrous violation of ethical standards” was committed by the head of the German Ministry of Internal Affairs?
I, being a sharp critic of official Berlin's policy towards Ukraine, do not really understand.
But this is very well understood in Germany itself.
Minister Feather apologizes right and left, while her critics from the ranks of the opposition parties gleefully rub salt into her wounds and make grandiloquent statements.
Like, we're not like that!
Everything is fine with our ethical standards - we don’t take pictures with a glass of champagne in our hands in controversial situations, we only drink it on the sly!
A disclaimer just in case: “drinking champagne on the sly” is, of course, my artistic speculation of the speeches of German accusers Nancy Feather.
They themselves, being cautious people, say nothing of the kind openly.
What exactly are they saying then?
Here you go, enjoy.
Secretary General of the Christian Democratic Union (this is the party of Angela Merkel, if anyone has forgotten) Mario Chaya: "Pictures have an effect - and the effect of this picture says a lot."
And what, interestingly, is this fact from the biography of Mario Chai talking about?
In 1997, the future general secretary of one of the main parties in Germany was put on trial for desertion from the ranks of the Bundeswehr.
At first, they wanted to sentence the future “defender of high moral standards and exposer of vices” to four months in prison, but then the court showed humanity and limited itself to a fine of 2,000 German marks.
Unexpectedly for myself, I found myself in the role of defender of the good political name of the Minister of the Interior of Germany, Nancy Feather?
I didn’t have such an intention - I didn’t have it and still don’t.
But I had and still have the intention to get to the bottom of the scandal "because of the photo with Klitschko and champagne."
I am absolutely sure that on this day we will find a lot of interesting things.
Anton Chekhov famously said: “If a person doesn’t smoke and doesn’t drink, you involuntarily wonder if he’s a bastard?”
Again I have to immediately roll out a disclaimer: our dear Anton Pavlovich joked like that, he joked.
I will not waste time on proving this, in my opinion, quite self-evident thesis.
But in this statement by Anton Chekhov, according to my feelings, there is much less of a joke: “There are people who always say only smart and good words, but you feel that they are stupid people.”
Not necessarily stupid, Anton Pavlovich!
The word "insincere" is also suitable here.
And there is also such an expression - "slave of the lamp."
And if so, then we can talk about the existence of "slaves of the picture."
However, why is it only possible to speak?
We need to talk about it!
After all, the slaves of the picture actually exist.
These are, for example, Mario Chaya and Nancy Feather.
Yes Yes exactly!
I am resigning from the unofficial position of the Russian public defender of the German Minister of the Interior.
This post has no right to exist!
Since Nancy Feather refused to defend herself, why should others protect her?
Our conversation has entered some strange and not very clear where the leading phase?
I agree, there is.
Trying to get to the bottom of the champagne scandal, we swim through a huge mass of muddy water.
But the bottom, I'm sure, is already very close.
Once upon a time, a wise man told me: “It is easy to love a beautiful girl in a picture.
But living with her is another matter!”
Agree, agree and agree again!
Real life does not always resemble the ideal (or idealized) images in the picture.
Real life (both in the family and life in general) is always full of problems, contradictions and surprises.
But she has one advantage over the picture, which negates all the trump cards of the picture: the picture is not life.
The picture is just a reflection of life.
Why do I repeat these elementary truths?
Because in relation to Ukraine they have been completely forgotten by German (and not only German) politicians.
And the main problem here, as you might guess, is not at all the photo of a joyful Nancy Feather with a glass of champagne in her hands on the balcony of the German Embassy in Kyiv.
The main problem is this: the West has come up with a beautiful (at least, in its subjective opinion) and “the only correct” (same remark) picture of Ukraine and is trying to drive the surrounding reality into the framework of this picture.
However, the surrounding reality does not want to be a picture, and cannot.
As a result, an abscess formed in the center of Europe, which grew for a very long time, and finally exploded in 2022.
But the slaves of the picture will never raise their hand against their "master", right?
Unfortunately, 100% correct.
Thinking about something truly important in the context of the Ukrainian crisis is difficult, hard, unpleasant, and even painful.
It is much easier to talk about what a "terrible political blunder" Minister Feather made when she drank champagne in Kyiv.
The point of view of the author may not coincide with the position of the editors.