Sticking Point: Voices from Germany's Climate Movement - Part 1

Berlin has welcomed 30,000 new residents as Ukrainian refugees fill the city. We meet Mimi, a volunteer from Wir Packens An. They send boxes to refugees - not just from Ukraine, but those forgotten in other parts of Europe too. You can help by volunteering to fill boxes for a day: www.wir-packens-an.info How is the war affecting Berlin, a city that runs mostly on Russian fossil fuels? Our energy bills are going up, we're getting cheaper public transport, and may soon live under an iron dome missile shield. As coronavirus rules disappear, are Berliners ready to give up their masks? So far many are opting to keep covered up in shops. Right to the City for All, the English speaking arm of the DW Enteignen campaign for an update on what has happened since the referendum. www.dwenteignen.de Email: right2thecity@dwenteignen.de We meet Paul Hanford, who has written a book on the clubbing culture in Berlin since the 90s. We ask what it means when one of the world's richest men is now hanging out in Berlin's basement bars. His book here: https://velocitypress.uk/product/coming-to-berlin-book/ Support us with a donation! Go to: https://www.radiospaetkauf.com/donate/

4 Huhti 20221h 19min

The BVG has reinvented the concept of time. Ticket checkers emerge from undercover. Tempelhof art show boycott explained. A huge art exhibition inside Tempelhof airport has gained millions in public funding. But Berlin artists say it's suspicious. The so-called Kunsthalle Berlin is sponsored by big property investors, won public money without an open process, and doesn't include Berlin artists. We talk to Zoe Claire Miller about the controversy behind the exhibition. Dog owners in Berlin are terrified of a possible poisoner after at least one dog died in suspicious circumstances. Jöran is among the worried. There's not one but two apps for people to report possible poisonings - Dogorama and GiftkoderRadar. A climate change protest group called Letzte Generation has been causing traffic chaos in recent weeks by occupying autobahns. Some glued their hands to the asphalt. Angry drivers and BSR rubbish collectors attacked the protesters, then police arrived and charged them with crimes. They're campaigning for food security, pointing out the risk to humans of climate change. The BVG has altered the concept of time. Instead of displaying 'mins' to the next train on digital signs, it's using the prime symbol: ′ (not an apostrophe). The BVG said it needed to make space for a wheelchair symbol. But does everyone recognize the prime as a sign of the time? Also, BVG ticket inspectors will no longer work undercover, but will wear blue vests to be clearly identified. It's the end of an era for Berliners trained to spot suspiciously dressed passengers with large pouches. How reliable is your COVID-19 test? Possibly zero percent, according to a website to compare Schnelltests. Matilde and Dan spent the past weeks analysing their analysers: www.schnelltesttest.de Gym members who were charged during the pandemic could get some of their money back. A group lawsuit is suing fitness centres for failing to offer refunds. Join in at: https://www.fitnessstudio-erstattung.de This episode was presented by Izzy Choksey, Matilde Keizer, Joel Dullroy, Jöran Mandik and Daniel Stern.

15 Helmi 20221h 1min

Would premium class service encourage more rich people to take public transport? Housing activists score a temporary victory trying to squat an empty building. Why do the moving sidewalks at BER airport not move? New Year's Eve is effectively cancelled with limits of 200 people for indoor events and a ban on dancing in clubs. Much like last year, fireworks have been restricted but not banned outright. Sales are highly restricted and around 50 areas have been declared fireworks free. Jöran would prefer an outright ban as he now has a dog who will be terrified by the noise. Berlin's new double-decker buses have gone into service. They have wifi and USB ports, which the BVG says helps reduce vandalism because "The youth are so busy with their phones, that they hardly get any other ideas." Unfortunately the new buses are diesel powered, an anachronistic choice. A recent study published by the World Economic Forum, the Boston Consulting Group and Switzerland's University of St Gallen suggests the implementation of a "first class" option for Berlin's public transportation system. According to their models wealthy Berliners currently commuting from low density outlying areas via car would switch to public transportation by €10 bookable seats featuring such luxuries as comfortable seats and reliable internet. We have our doubts. The SPD's Fraziska Giffey has become Berlin's first elected woman mayor, but not the first woman to run the city. Louise Schroeder ran the city from 1947 to 48, though she was appointed rather than elected. And East Berlin also had a woman leader, Ingrid Pankraz, for a few days in 1990. These women have been ignored by most media covering Giffey's election. More than half of BER airport's travelators (aka moving sidewalks) are out of action. ​​The reason? Most of the travelators and escalators were installed in 2011 and sat unused for almost a decade. The hardware deteriorated, making them unusable. Now they have to be replaced. Thank you to everyone who listens. We appreciate the audience and the community. If you would like to help keep this project viable we appreciate financial support. Become a monthly supporter or make a one time donation at radiospaetkauf.com.

29 Joulu 202141min

Confusion in the club queues as new 2G+ rules start. Does the plus mean mask, test or both? The short answer is always check ahead. We're back to the bad old days of finding vaccine appointments by word of mouth. The website wirhelfenberlin.de can help you find an available vaccination center. Christmas markets are open for now. Izzy recommends the Nollendorfplatz Christmas Avenue LGBTIQ* Weihnachtsmarkt, with performances at 19:30 each night. We meet Berlin's most prolific Twitter curator, James Jackson. He explains his annoyance at Germany's obsession with homeopathy and plant-based medicine. Follow him here: https://twitter.com/derJamesJackson How do you steal an entire apartment block in Berlin? You can fake paperwork, like a group of fraudsters did, or you can use the courts to kill off the government's Vorkaufsrecht, or right of first purchase, as some greedy investors have just done. Both cases show how Germany's property market is thoroughly corrupted. Berlin's new Red-Green-Red coalition has presented some of their planned policies for the next five years. They plan to reduce Berlin's fossil fuel use - but not fast enough, says Izzy. The new federal government plans to legalize marijuana. Will it take away income from people who can't get working permits? This episode presented by Izzy Choksey, Matilde Keizer, Joran Mandik, Joel Dullroy and Daniel Stern. Thanks to all our supporters! You can donate to keep us going here: http://www.radiospaetkauf.com/donate

29 Marras 202159min

BER turned to chaos over the October holidays, with huge queues and many missed flights. Airlines advised travellers to come four hours early. The airport is only handling half the pre-pandemic passenger numbers. Who saw this coming? Should we use Gorillas or boycott? We meet three members of the Gorillas Riders Collective, who are suing the 10-minute-delivery company, and being sued, as they fight for on-time pay, non-faulty bikes, lighter loads and real contracts. They say users should think before ordering butter in bad weather, and at least give a tip. Gorillas is supposedly worth almost €3 billion, but they aren't spending that money on maintaining bikes. Swapping is the new shopping. Hundreds of Berliners have joined a movement to trade their clothes instead of buying unsustainably produced fashion. They get together for meet-ups to exchange their items. Founder of Berlin Clothing swap Jenna Stein joins us. How does it feel to win the battle, but maybe lose the war? Wouter from Deutsche Wohnen und Co Enteignung tells us what the housing activists plan to do to force politicians to respect the referendum result. Berlin is on track to get a red-green-red coalition after local SPD branches rebelled against Franziska Giffey's attempts to partner with conservative parties. Was it a tactical ploy, or a sign of weak leadership? This episode was presented by Izzy Choksey, Matilde Keizer, Joran Mandik and Joel Dullroy. It was recorded live at Podfest Berlin, an event supported by Patreon and organized by our own Dan Stern.

25 Loka 202156min

Berliner voters want more left-green politics and a radical state take-over of property - but the new mayor may ignore those demands. At Sunday's city-state elections, a majority (54.3%) voted for the R2G parties, showing the citizens want the current coalition to continue. Another majority (56.7%) voted 'yes' in the Deutsche Wohnung & Co. Enteignen referendum, instructing the city to forcibly buy houses from big corporate property investors. However it will be up to the SPD to decide if those things happen. The SPD won the most votes (21.4%) and can pick who to team up with - and they don't like Die Linke, and have clashed with the Greens. The referendum result is non-binding, and the SPD's lead candidate (and likely mayor) Franziska Giffey is opposed to it (although many members support it). Will Giffey's SPD really ignore the wishes of a majority of Berliners? Join us for this quick take on Berlin's 2021 election results. With Izzy Choksey, Joel Dullroy, Jöran Mandik and Daniel Stern.

28 Syys 202133min

The Berlin election results could deliver a shock result: instead of the current green-left coalition, we could end up with conservatives who want to build on Tempelhof, expand highways and stop rental reforms. We'll terrify you with the worst-case scenario. Instead of finishing the A100 autobahn, let's turn it into a giant urban farm. That's the latest mad idea from Paper Planes e.V., the dream team behind the Radbahn project. We talk to Perttu Ratilainen about how we could grow veggies on the highway. More at: https://www.morgenfarm.berlin Not vaccinated yet? Now you can't eat at many restaurants or go to events. The 3G rule has been tightened to 2G - only immunized people can enter many places. Tests are fast becoming obsolete. The Humboldt Forum is about to open a new exhibition of artefacts stolen by German explorers and colonialists. We meet Virgil Taylor from the Coalition of Cultural Workers Against the Humboldt Forum (CCWAH). He explains what's wrong with the reconstructed city palace, outside and in. More at: https://ccwah.info The Berlin Podfest is on October 23-25, organized by our own Daniel Stern. Attend, participate or just listen: https://www.sterndaniel.com/podfestberlin This episode was hosted by Matilde Keizer, Jöran Mandik, Joel Dullroy and Daniel Stern.

20 Syys 20211h

Berlin is weeks away from its state election and a referendum on housing. We analyse the campaign posters with Konrad Werner, columnist for Exberliner, and host of the weekly German news show Megan's Megacan: https://anchor.fm/megans-megacan The AFD has moved from anti-migrant to anti-Green issues, declaring "Your car would vote for us". The CDU are trying to convince Berliners they'd do a better job than the R2G coalition. The SPD is sticking with mayoral candidate Franziska Giffey, despite more plagiarism problems. She's also effectively ruled out a new coalition with Die Linke and possibly the Greens, meaning a return to a conservative coalition in Berlin. And there's lots of small parties with interesting ideas and terrible graphic design. Izzy's volunteering to campaign for Klimaliste, who have a detailed plan on how to mitigate climate change, and say the Greens aren't doing enough. What happens if you paint the city streets with DIY safety markings and bike lanes? We meet a group who are being prosecuted for taking traffic control into their own hands. Jon from the group Vineta Kiezblock tells us how his group painted road safety marks. The Ordnungsamt painted them black. Follow here: https://twitter.com/VKiezblock No more free coronavirus tests. Germany has decided to stop paying for your tests as of October 11. Expect a lot of empty shops and second-hand lab coats for sale online. The end of the tests means the end of income for some small shops. The BVG is rolling out its new station announcement audio to more U-Bahn lines. The five-tone marimba alert is very tropical, but not very Berlin. Mail from Maisie! She's in Brighton, or "Kotti Am See". She misses affordable bio food, rubbish recycling and Brandenburg lakes. But at least it's multicultural, and free of scooters on sidewalks. Guest host Izzy Choksey from the podcast @Sistrionics joins Joel and Dan for a live recording in front of a small safe audience at the Comedy Cafe Berlin. Dan's got a show coming up on August 28 at CCB. Come! Tickets here: https://www.comedycafeberlin.com/event/toby-dan-3/ Thanks to all our supporters! You can donate to keep us going here: http://www.radiospaetkauf.com/donate

23 Elo 20211h 13min