WIR Rolling up our sleeves.
For Germany and Europe.
DEEN

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Position paper

Why it takes all of us

Four young people standing side by side, laughing, on an autumn day.
Foto: Vitaly Gariev · Unsplash
People sitting and waiting in an office building.
Foto: Vitaly Gariev · Unsplash

Where we stand

Sound familiar?

Germany has a lot of good things. But a lot no longer works the way it should. You notice it in everyday life:

  • Your application sits at the public office for months – and nobody can tell you why.
  • The electricity bill is high. And businesses wonder whether to keep investing here.
  • You fill in a form on the computer, print it out – and then hand it in in person anyway.
  • Businesses urgently need skilled workers. Fewer and fewer people in work carry more and more.
  • You've been looking for an affordable flat for months. Or you dream of a home of your own – and it stays a dream.
  • Politics announces a lot. But little reaches everyday life.

This isn't doom-mongering. If you want to fix something, you first have to look honestly. And then: get to work.

A lot in Germany has to change. No government, no party and no association can do that alone. It only works if many people take part. There are six reasons for this.

  1. Reason 1

    The problems run deep

    What doesn't work is not a scratch in the paintwork. The causes run deep. No individual and no single party can fix this alone.

  2. Reason 2

    Thinking in camps won't get us anywhere

    If everyone only looks out for their own group, nothing moves. Not everyone has to do the same thing. But everyone has to pull in the same direction.

  3. Reason 3

    Everything is connected

    School, work, public offices, security: if things get stuck in one place, everyone else feels it. Anyone who only repairs one corner won't get far. That's why it takes a view from many sides.

  4. Reason 4

    Your experience counts

    Democracy regains trust when it involves people audibly and delivers visibly. Where things get stuck in everyday life, you are often the first to notice. That's why we need you: you know the problem from your own experience.

  5. Reason 5

    It's all our money

    Public money is not money without a sender. It comes from neighbours, friends and families – from all of us. That's why what it is spent on concerns all of us.

  6. Reason 6

    The future is a task

    The future is not a promise that others redeem for us. It is a task. And it will only succeed if we carry it together.

And that's why WIR exists

At WIR it all comes together. You report what doesn't work. Others check it with you. Together we take it to where decisions are made. That's how those affected become those involved.

If we all pitch in together, we can fix this.

Seven ways to get involvedOur direction