Boadicea's Chariot

The date of the German federal election is quickly approaching. Read more…

Oh, what an honour, what a blessing! Angela Merkel and Martin Schulz have deemed the great, filthy, unwashed masses of Trier to be worthy of basking in their glory. Both have scheduled rallies in front of the Porta Nigra. As you will know, the 19th Bundestag will be elected 24 September. Why anyone would choose to have a rally in Trier is beyond me. The seat, Wahlkreis Trier, is safe CDU. Trier itself might only be marginally CDU, but the surrounding cities have heavy concentrations of centre-right voters. Will I go to either rally? Oh, heavens no! I only hope it doesn’t interfere with my weekly shopping trip.

I’ve made up my mind to cast my two votes for Howling Laud Hope and the Official Monster Raving Loony Party. This means that I’ll spoil my ballot, but will at least have the quiet satisfaction of having given myself a chuckle. Anything else would give me a deflated feeling.

Politics have become like espresso. That is, unpalatable and something I can simply no longer stomach. I have been busy this week ensuring that political sites no longer show up on my profiles and I refuse to read anything but the weather forecast and currency exchange rates. I will go to the UK, Denmark and Sweden soon, after all. For lack of anything else to say, here is a video that is just as a-political.

Many of my fellow Charioteers are or have been expatriates. Some have settled permanently, some have repatriated, some have moved to third countries. However distinct a person’s experience, there are some experiences which many share. Read more…

When I was a toddler I was terrified of St Gangolf’s, the second oldest church in Trier. Its altar is a masterpiece of late Gothic art. As an adult I’ve grown to appreciate the quality of the artwork, including that of the near-life-size crucifix. As a toddler, I wasn’t quite so keen. For years the mere mention of the name “Gangolf” could provoke a cold chill in the spine. The emaciated, tortured sculpture of Christ towering over me with a bleeding wound on its side was more than I could manage. Yet, I generally got over my fear of death at a relatively early age. Read more…

One of the quaintest notions that I am frequently subjected to is that Germany is a country utterly transformed. The Federal Republic, apparently, is an entirely new Germany — a Germany that has broken with the its imperial legacies, both monarchic and republican. Parenthetically, the post-First World War German republics were still legally considered empires. That is one of the quirks of translation. If one looks deeper, takes a spade and shovels a few inches beneath the surface a different, deeply troubling truth emerges. Read more…

The Obama years were terrible. Obama was a weak, vacillating president who grew increasingly discredited over his eight years in power. The USA’s image and the perception of its might declined dramatically. It was, like Britain in 1926, a leading world power but it lost its air of invincibility. Rather than being able to dictate terms with a minimal amount of negotiation as it could have a mere 20-30 years earlier, it could merely lead negotiations and use its leverage to persuade smaller countries to come around to its view. Read more…

For obvious reasons I am very concerned about any post-Brexit legal settlement for EEA nationals in the United Kingdom. Whatever my loyalties, my silly little burgundy booklet still carries the legend “Bundesrepublik Deutschland” just under “Europäische Union”. For Britons living on the Continent and Europeans living in Britain, a just settlement is a necessity. Read more…

Some months ago the female-type parent announced her intention to relocate to Texas. She had been considering moving house for some time. She, like many others, has become disillusioned with life in California. Her decision is not a surprise. She has, however, done me no favours by moving up the date from late 2019 to late 2018.

Within the next year I will have to find a way to transport a number of items to the United Kingdom. There really is no practical way for me to go next year as I have commitments elsewhere. How should I manage this?

Those of us who have followed the EU for years will only be all too familiar with a certain pattern. The EU makes proposals — and takes initial steps to formalise them — that are so astoundingly tin-eared and untenable that national governments and electorates scream in protest. Read more…