Thomas Kretzschmar is a German teacher who lives in Darlington’s twin town Mulheim and studied at Durham University. According to him, some Germans are jealous of the UK’s referendum plans

THE initial German reaction to Cameron’s announcement of the upcoming referendum was one of unanimous astonishment: was he losing the plot?

The possibility that the British could decide to leave the European Union (EU) was considered to be an impossibility by Germany’s political class – that is, up until a few weeks ago. As the referendum is drawing closer this attitude has evaporated as a victory for the Leave campaign has become a real possibility and Germany’s reaction has turned frantic.

In my view, German comments and statements are spurred by the most typical of all German virtues – angst.

German angst is the offspring of Germany’s war-tarnished and guilt-ridden national identity. Whereas British attitude towards Europe has always been pragmatic (What will we get? What will we have to pay?), “being European” instead of “being German” has become the surrogate national identity of too many Germans. Criticism of Europe and the EU is considered a kind of crime.

The latest German angst-driven reaction is pleading; “Please, don’t go” is the most recent cover of Der Spiegel, one of Germany’s leading mainstream political magazines. This coaxing message functions obviously as a kind of self-reassurance within the German political class which pictures itself as caring for the EU and the British. However many of those who suddenly seem to care for the UK, have been regarding the British as an obstacle on the path to the “United States of Europe” – which ultimately would mean more rights for the Union and fewer for national parliaments. And an EU army, as laid down in Article 42 of the “Treaty on European Union”.

The other angst-driven German reaction now seems to be the use of threats. Germany’s political heavyweight, finance minister Wolfgang Schauble, said the other day that “out” would mean “out”. Whatever that means. I wonder if German companies would abandon the British market of 60 million consumers because of Herr Schauble’s broken identity?

On the other hand, not a few German voters envy the British their right to make their own decision on EU membership. In Germany we don’t even have the right to hold a referendum at national level.

Not only have many British voters become weary and disillusioned with the EU, there are also more and more German voters who are no longer willing to stay dependent on a political class that seems to have locked itself into an ivory tower of empty words– solidarity, peace and economic growth – words that have become meaningless for many Germans in the face of the migration crisis (sexual harassment and the rapes on New Year’s Eve in Cologne), cuts in public services and a disastrous Euro interest rate development which serves as an impoverishment programme for millions of ordinary Germans.

The EU seems for many – in Britain and in Germany – to have become part of the problem, not part of the solution. My impression is that the opinion of the political class in Britain resembles that of the political class in Germany and that the distrust and frustration that British voters feel towards the anonymous EU bureaucracy resembles the distrust and frustration of German voters. The political class in both of our countries seems to be out of touch with the common people. Instead of listening to the electorate there are many politicians in Britain and Germany who have come to the misguided conclusion that their job is to re-educate the people to share a political vision that they, the political class, favour.

In my opinion there is not so much a difference in attitude of the common man in Britain and in Germany towards the EU, as there is a difference in attitude between the political class and the voters in both countries.

Whether you are going to vote for Brexit or for Bremain, I am sure that the longstanding friendship of our two towns, Darlington and Mulheim – that started way before the existence of the EU – will remain strong and robust and will continue to prosper, as friendship is not based on faceless institutions but on the warm hearts of the common people.