Is Germany becoming authoritarian? Here, too, one should not call Excellencies "idiots."

This is a message to my presumed regular reader, Maha Vajiralongkorn Phra Vajiraklaochaoyuhua in Bangkok. As King Rama X, he is leading the Thai people in a stern but also military-backed way. Your Majesty, may I make a presentation?

You certainly haven't missed what the Berlin Foreign Office announced about your empire on August 7, 2024: "Today's ban on the largest opposition party, the MFP, is a severe setback for democracy." It is important, they stated, "that all democratic parties can freely exercise their electoral mandate." Your Constitutional Court had dissolved the Progressive Party. The MFP sought to undermine a foundation of the state: the crime of lèse majesté. Furthermore, those who blasphemously contradict your decrees and decrees face up to 15 years in prison.

The aforementioned dispatch isn't the only thing that insinuates a distance between our countries. The organization "Kingdom of Germany" has just been banned here. Our new ruler won't become emperor, even though his name is Frederick. All this makes it seem as if authoritarian tendencies and German democratic practices are incompatible. Your Highness, let us not allow misunderstandings to create rifts. Let our Democracy® be a bridge.

Here, too, every rabble-rouser must hold their tongues before the rulers. Your Highness's special protection of dignity falls under "delegitimizing the state." Here, too, one may not call Excellencies "idiots." Paragraph 188 of the Criminal Code outlaws "insults directed against public figures." Our Minister of the Interior once illegally banned a magazine. A journalist caricatured it. He, not she, received seven months' probation. He was also ordered to humbly beg his victim for forgiveness. Yes, Your Highness, the threat of imprisonment seems silly. But you like the Canossa procession, don't you?

In a democracy, state organs are obligated to neutrality. Old-school kings find this annoying. Not a problem for our Democracy® . Here, completely independent non-governmental organizations are paid by the government to deal with government opponents. Our domestic intelligence agency, subordinate to the government but completely autonomous, just recommended that the strongest opposition party should not exercise its mandate from the electorate. The basis for the ban is – as far as is known – a collection of critical, sometimes disgusting, but mostly – at least for now – protected by freedom of expression quotes. The statement of a former state politician helps to understand the process: the politicians have "brought in some pretty good people" to "the Attorney General's Office and also to the Office for the Protection of the Constitution" and "I very much hope that this will be noticeable in the future."

What might also inspire you and your entourage, Your Majesty: Here, alpha journalists are appealing to their colleagues not to even mention the bad party, unless with a warning. Those who just recently found the secret service dubious now recognize its assessment as a judgment from God. Here, soldiers don't maintain order; TV inquisitor Böhmermann takes care of harmful elements. Rama X., feel encouraged to give our Democracy® a try. It offers every opportunity to those who take bold action.