Focus on culture of debate: Bruck-Polit discusses political dialogue!

Focus on culture of debate: Bruck-Polit discusses political dialogue!

An exciting non-partisan debate format called “Bruck-Polit” will take place in Fürstenfeldbruck on October 8th, which was launched by the district association of the Greens. Under the motto “Dispute, but fair – how do we save the political dialogue” the aim is to work on a central point of political culture. The event begins at 7 p.m. in the Gröbenzell leisure center, Wildmoosstraße 36, and is aimed at all interested citizens. Questions from the audience are expressly welcome in order to promote a lively conversation. The Süddeutsche Zeitung reports on this initiative, which seems all the more important in times of political polarization and increasing disenchantment with politics.

The chairman of the Fürstenfeldbruck district association, Rainer Husmann, emphasizes how crucial it is to rebuild trust. Particularly at a time when people are often at odds with each other because of different political views, respectful dialogue can make a big difference. For this purpose, five political experts were invited to contribute their perspectives on the current situation.

Voices of the debate

Among others, Christian Ude, the former mayor of Munich, will be on stage. He criticizes the current development of the culture of debate and the associated dismantling of the democratic culture of discussion. His experiences from political practice could help to point out possible approaches to improving the culture of discussion.

Maria Hörtrich from the Young Free Voters encourages the use of dialogue as an important tool for conflict resolution. She believes that different perspectives should be listened to rather than vaguely dismissed. Eva Lettenbauer, the chairwoman of the Bavarian Green Party, also sees society at risk from right-wing populist movements and draws attention to the need to enter into dialogue in order not to become further divided. Deutschlandfunk culture adds that, especially in times of crisis such as during the corona pandemic or the war in Ukraine, there is a clear separation between different camps, which leads to distortions in friendships and society.

A framework for respectful discussions

The exchange on the podium is also enriched by Britta Jacob and Andreas Rosenfelder. Jacob, co-founder of the “Democratic Strategy Initiative”, advocates for openness in dialogue, while Rosenfelder, head of the “Welt” freedom of expression department, emphasized freedom of expression. In this context A strategy to overcome polarization is also considered necessary. The sociolinguist Friedemann Vogel points out that institutional frameworks for cultivated debates are of enormous importance in order to protect the political system from the dangers of mutual disintegration.

At the end of the debate, trust in the political dialogue could perhaps be regained to some extent - we will be curious to see how the discussion develops. We can only hope that the exchange between those present can at some point again take on ovation-like proportions and that people can meet each other in a respectful manner.