Die unterste Schublade: 05/01/21
- racheljherring
- Feb 21, 2021
- 2 min read
Updated: Feb 22, 2021
As one of the first caricatures published in the 'Stuttgarter Zeitung' in 2021, this image draws on two of the most significant themes in German current affairs: coronavirus and the upcoming national elections. The sketch is titled 'The Bottom Drawer', and representatives of the SPD and FDP can be seen examining the contents of a drawer labelled 'Party policies election campaign', commenting: 'there'll be something in here about a vaccine campaign!'
Here, the caricaturist seems to be portraying coronavirus vaccination policy as a potential election campaign tool. This is a cynical view of vaccination policy, as it evidently has come to serve a political purpose, rather than being viewed purely as a scientific, social and moral issue. It becomes apparent that it is impossible to separate coronavirus from ulterior political motives. The large, grasping hands of the politicians, and the fact that the subject is hidden away in 'the bottom drawer', visually affirm this sense that the coronavirus crisis is being manipulated and exploited by those in power.
The vaccination programme has become a topic of fierce debate in Germany, as many feel that the country has not progressed as much as it should have in rolling out the vaccine. Although German policy so far in the pandemic has proved relatively successful in comparison to other European countries, the country is now lagging behind: by January 20th, around 1.3 million people in Germany had received their first dose of the vaccine, compared to around 4 million in the UK. The demand for Germany to make up this difference and accelerate its vaccination programme will thus inevitably play an important role in election discourse in the coming months.
The details of the respective policies concerning coronavirus and vaccination will undoubtedly be the subject of further caricatures in the lead-up to the election.
Visit https://www.bpb.de/mediathek/312290/wahlen-und-parteien-der-corona-check for a short video on some of the impacts of coronavirus on German elections and policies.
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