Blat (term)
As Cologne clique, coterie, or simply Kölscher clique is in Cologne, and now also known in common parlance, a reciprocity system BASED assistance and favors. The hidden interaction in barely controllable non-public relation networks can lead to the mixing of social, political and corporate interests and thus easily exceed the boundaries of corruption. In every day use cliques is however a positive connotation in the Cologne area, in the sense of " one hand washes the other " (Latin "manus manum lavat "), " Everybody knows each other, help each other ," " have relations " or networks or be " networked ". .
Word origin
The term clique is derived from " clungilin " as a diminutive of " clunga " = ball and therefore means " little ball ". The word stands for an entity, " in and pass through each other, so you can not see through from the outside, how everything hangs together " in the hundreds of threads. For the same root word also grew the English to cling ( cling, clinging ).
The earliest evidence of the word with the meaning of " fraudulent activity " dates from 1782 and is in the context of urban lottery.
Importance
In Kölschen is the meaning of " clique " more complex than what it was incorporated into the everyday German. In his dictionary by Cologne New vocabulary of the linguist Adam Wrede wrote almost a whole page about the meanings of the words from this word field. Of particular interest is that an inaccurate, sloppy work performed is considered " klüngelich ", as well as some other words not only include a slovenly or sloppy handling of the rules of propriety, but also the care. A clique is simply a set of interconnected people who do not necessarily have to lead evil design. Since " coterie land " but no regular public monitoring are subjected, there is always the risk of unbalanced and not all legitimate interests taken into account decision-making processes.
In German, on the other hand, only the under-the -hand action, the collusion, and possibly the illegitimate advantage taking and granting is associated with the clique. Outside of Cologne nepotism is used almost interchangeably for this purpose the term. A positive evaluative designation of building a network of relationships is " Networking" ( construction and use of networks ). Members of a network, it is usually only on generating mutual benefits for the involved in the network, but not on a benefit for third parties (eg, customers, companies, company, or government).
The author Frank Everywhere other hand, sees three stages of the concept: situational cooperation, networks and corruption. He argues that clique is not to be reduced to corruptive actions, but - especially in the area of politics - having also democracy -promoting elements. Compare also the words of Henry Lützeler: Everyone talks here with everyone, this is the Rhenish form of democracy.
A sharp critic of the clique, however, is the author Werner Rügemer, who describes in his book Colonia corrupta coterie as a "national relief cliché " and debunked by numerous examples from Adenauer to the collapse of the Cologne Historical Archive of the illegal activities as a serious corruption.
Historical development
Early examples of the clique can be related to the enormous veneration of saints in Cologne, in the Middle Ages, one of the most important pilgrimage sites in Germany, see (see also the Cologne coat of arms and the legend of Saint Ursula and the 11,000 virgins and their subsequent formation ).
After the battle of Worringen 1288 took over 15 patrician families by the Archbishop city government and the policies of their city drew to their own taste. 1396 forced the strengthened merchants and artisans in the " composite letter " with their political gaffs a (democratic in the first approaches) and participation in politics. However, mayors and council members from the same families are always an indication that only partially something had changed. This system lasted until the time of the French Revolution and ended with the occupation of Cologne by French revolutionary troops in 1794.
After 1815, Cologne belonged to Prussia, which the Cologne city council came under Prussian supervision, which commanded some of clique curb excesses. For example, the rule was never that father and son were allowed to hold office in the Council at the same time. Political dignitaries should be wealthy and thus insensitive to illegitimate money income in office.
One side of the famous former mayor of Cologne and later the first Chancellor of the Federal Republic Konrad Adenauer 's history be backed up, but hardly noticed in public: his weakness for the personal use of economic benefits by taking advantage of his office. So he acquired on January 27, 1923 new shares of the Rhine Braun AG, to be able to without paying the equivalent of 613,000 marks. The city treasury helped out, got their money from Adenauer three months later without interest back. An insider tip - had not yet punishable - helped the speculative Mayor in February 1928 shares of Glanzstoff AG with a value of 2.8 million Reichsmarks, but of which he could muster only 1.8 million. Adenauer - the Supervisory Board of Deutsche Bank - received from this the missing million as a loan. The stock market crash in New York Glanzstoff courses of 99 plummeted to 25 U.S. dollars, so a friend " on loan " to the loan repayment was helping him. It never came to return because the lawyer Adenauer was of the opinion that he " needed to return " nothing in this loan.
Konrad Adenauer, mayor of Cologne during the Weimar Republic, the slogan " Mer knows, mer to help " attributed. After the Second World War, the principle was still apply. Promotion lists were circulating in the city administration and the ruling party were changed at will. Unqualified " weakened " occupied highly doped items in the peri-urban societies. A psychiatrist was chairman of the Cologne / Bonn Airport, a former administrative assistant whose Technical Director.
An example of a set flown criminal clique of the scandal was to the construction of the Cologne Trade Fair Company (see Josef Esch), not too long ago the scandal surrounding the construction of an incinerator together with the Cologne donations scandal. The political majorities were manipulated by thank-you donations, consulting contracts and highly doped items. The Cologne Regional Court estimated the damage caused by the payment of bribes to the Cologne incinerator, to 20.4 million euros. The case against the garbage entrepreneur Hellmut Trienekens was closed in 2005 upon payment of 5 million euros. Esch tried at the expense of the ailing company Arcandor to make the ' deal of a lifetime '. Arcandor (formerly Karstadt Quelle AG ) went bankrupt in 2009; Esch some of the richest Germans and the private bank Sal Oppenheim plunged into financial ruin.
On a lower level of the clique still occurs in the bourgeois societies of Cologne, such as in the big carnival societies. There, the carnival is not only organized, they are also an important forum for contacts and business relationships.
By Kurt Rossa, Cologne city manager 1977-1989, is the definition come from: " Kölscher clique is, clarify official problems private. " Sure occupied the citation is from 1977, when he joined the Council of the City of Cologne introduced himself with the words "Take me in your clique! " Not only the Council, but the whole town was excited. The reigning from 1980 to 1999, Mayor Norbert Burger, the definition attributed to Cologne clique was " cleaning out difficulties before making decisions ."
Media
"Corruption is cliques without character " wrote Bennack and Uhlenbruch in her 2003 published book humor as kölsche philosophy.
In his dissertation Frank described everywhere ( see literature), among others, the crux to Mayor Fritz Schramma, had the effort requirements of the office - after the abolition of " double peak " from politically - repräsentierendem Mayor on the one hand and city manager as head of administration on the other hand - as a representative and simultaneous head of the administration to deal with. In southern Germany, this form of political Communal Constitution, however, is established for decades. Everywhere drew as a conclusion: "Without (positive) clique democracy would not be feasible ".
In contrast, Werner Rügemer criticized in his book Colonia corrupta this attitude of Frank everywhere and unmasks the trivializing term coterie as illegal corruption.
Another focus is the media concentration in Cologne. The publishing house M. DuMont has participations in the daily newspapers Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger, Cologne Rundschau, Express, Cologne Illustrated, the local radio program Radio Cologne and the local television Center.tv. Stockholders of M. DuMont are involved in the largest apartment in Cologne corporate GAG Immobilien. Supervisory Alfred Neven DuMont was president of the Cologne Chamber of Commerce and is an honorary citizen since 2001.