Anyone following the public debate in Luxembourg might get the feeling that we have settled into a cosy, warm cave while the storm is brewing outside. In our idyllic setting, the world seems to be taking its usual, tranquil course, the international chaos seems distant, almost like a tale from the strange world "out there".
This article is provided to you free of charge. If you want to support our team, subscribe now.
J.R.R. Tolkien is known – in addition to his life's work The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit itself – for hating allegory. He tirelessly emphasised that the One Ring was not a metaphor for nuclear weapons, Sauron and the Orcs did not stand for Nazis and Gandalf was not a Jesus figure. Nevertheless, I can't help but sometimes wonder whether he took at least a little inspiration from us Luxembourgers when describing the most inconspicuous creatures of Middle-earth, the hobbits. In the secluded Shire, they like to drink, eat and party. Hobbits are notoriously uninterested in the events of the world of the "big folk", as they call humans. They much prefer to concern themselves with what is happening in their own neighbourhood, whether it concerns them or not. However, their favourite thing is when nothing happens at all. This is usually granted to them, as their little idyll does not catch the fiery eye of their enemies.
These weeks, the headlines in Luxembourg's newspapers are all about gender-neutral toilets in our schools and the pesticide ranking of Luxembourg apples. The obligatory comment under every article: "Hu mer da soss keng Problemer?" (which translates into "Don't we have any other problems?") Apparently not. At least none that are of interest.
Because the articles about the still-raging war in Ukraine, the drift of the USA into a fascist regime that can no longer be denied, rising right-wing extremism in our neighbouring countries (including proven corrupt politicians) or even old news such as climate change or – yawn – the de facto break-up of NATO don't really want to be part of the public discourse. Greenland, Iran, a – as unbelievable as it sounds – apparently actually existing global ring of paedophiles… boring.
Even specifically Shire, sorry, Luxembourgish topics such as the possibly forced adjustment of the minimum wage, which was artificially pushed down by creatively ignoring the high wages in the public sector, don't really resonate. Because, let's be honest, somehow the people this affects are still a bit far away. Not quite "big folk", as the hobbits would call them, but they are definitely far enough away that they don't really affect "us". The poverty rate is still creeping upwards by the way, secretly, quietly.
Continue reading for free
Get access to this article by subscribing to our newsletter that is sent twice a week. You also have to have a Journal account.
Already have an account?
Log in
