Musings on the misuse of language - it's a matter of scale

I was on my way to Potsdam this evening, when I was shaken from my gaze out of the window by the announcement of our next halt, Wannsee.

It's quite a pretty place, on the bank of a largish lake, but is perhaps famous for being the location for what is probably the most infamous planning and administrative meeting in history. For those who have not studied history, it was at Wannsee that the 'Final Solution' to the Nazis' 'Jewish problem' was agreed, leading to the deaths of millions of people whose sole mistake was to be deemed to be of a religion determined to be a threat to the German race.

In our political discourse, we often see the word 'evil' used in an almost throwaway manner - the Guardian's comments sections are riddled with it, usually aimed as an individual politician, or a political party, or a specific policy, as though it is intended to cause pain and suffering, perhaps death, to those affected. And, of course, it isn't. We simply don't live in a country like that, and even those perceived to be on the lunatic fringe of British politics wouldn't publicly call for such consequences.

Most, if not all, mainstream politicians understand that, especially when money is tight, there will be those who lose out because of the impact of a policy decision. Sometimes, they are so blinded by ideology that they fail to consider, or do not want to consider, the negative impact of their legislative and administrative acts. But it is seldom deliberate, or made where they know that there is a less damaging option.

And yet we continue to bandy around the 'E' word because it seems improbable at best that our opponents do what they do because they think it best, because their solution fits within a philosophical underpinning that is broadly consistent.

So, if I might be so bold to ask, the next time you look to cast accusations of evilness, remember this - there is real evil in this world, where almost unimaginable cruelty is inflicted on people because they happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, and have done nothing to merit it. That, my friends, is evil and we shouldn't belittle it by lumping it together with the politics of austerity.

From station to station...

Travelling across Europe by train, I am always reminded of Kraftwerk's "Trans Europe Express", a tribute to the notion of international travel well before the emergence of low-cost airlines that allow you to travel across Europe at a price our parents could not have imagined. I have to admit though, that I still cling to the notion of a means of travel less banal than Ryanair and less inconvenient than having to beat my way out of the city, check in an hour or more before my departure time, wait for my luggage at the other end, and then beat my way back into the city again.

And so, yesterday morning, I checked out of my hotel in Brussels and, forty minutes later, was in my comfortable first class seat as my ICE train to Köln pulled out of platform 4 at Gare du Midi. It is, it must be said, a very pleasant experience, with a steward to bring you drinks and snacks at your seat at reasonable prices. And, if you sit in the 'quiet zone' in the front carriage, you can see through the driver's cabin as the train dashes through the countryside.

At Köln, the staff at the Deutsche Bahn lounge will even bring you free beer and soup to sustain you between trains. It is all very civilised.

Köln to Berlin's Hauptbahnhof is just four hours and thirty minutes without ever really getting up to high speed, but a mid-afternoon ice cream meets the need for a sugar hit, and you get to see places like Wolfsburg, which you would never see if you flew instead. Admittedly, Wolfsburg appears to be an enormous Volkswagen factory with a town (with a decent football team) attached, but you can't have everything.

And, at the end of it all, Berlin, a city with so much to see and do. I'm here to visit the zoo, take in a concert at the Potsdam Sanssouci Festival, eat pork and drink beer. The sun is shining, and I can see an okapi, so if you'll excuse me...

What is it about Germans and fashion?

I've always wondered why a country as wealthy as Germany has such a curious relationship with fashion. And, walking back towards my hotel after dinner, I was reminded of an interesting contradiction. Hamburg is not a city of poverty, as evidenced by the glitzy stores on Neuer Wall, and yet Germans do casual in a way which makes you wonder who actually shops in them.

Now, you may be thinking, where does Mark get off, having a go at our German friends in such a way, after all, I'm not exactly an advert for haute couture either. It is a puzzle though.

The Italians and the Spanish seem to dress better than the Northern Europeans, although the Dutch do formal pretty well, so it can't be that simple. The British have a reputation for men's fashion, which we've exported quite successfully. But the German contribution to fashion? That's a bit harder to find.

Oh yes, there is Adidas, but that's sportswear, which doesn't really help much, and there are some interesting jackets which Ros wouldn't let me wear outside the house - or in it, for that matter - but why is it that such a wealthy, populous country, capable of building a thing of beauty like a Porsche, seem to make so little impression on the fashion scene?

Ah well, perhaps someone out there can explain it to me...

In search of something so very German

Ah Germany, the home of beer and wurst and people in leather shorts with braces. And so, naturlich, I am in a bar. With beer. And weisswurst mit sweet mustard. Fortunately, there appears to be nobody in leather shorts, although an accordion player would be tolerable. Nobody has smuggled in a flugelhorn, nor are beer drinking songs being sung... yet (the night is still young though).

I freely admit that it didn't take very much to tempt be from my hotel, very nice though it is. When you have an entirely new city to explore, U-bahn to ride and things to see - the Rathaus looks as though it might repay a visit in daylight - it seems like a terrible pity to stay in a sanitised, could be anywhere really, chain hotel and eat in an 'international' restaurant devoid of atmosphere.

Here at the Brauhaus Joh. Albrecht, there are four regular beers on tap plus a seasonal special. I am fortunate enough to have caught the Winterbier, dark and cloudy, and really rather good. I've even got a nice table for people watching, which is good, although the wooden bar stools are a mite uncomfortable (some upholstery and a little cushioning would be nice, guys!).

Hamburg appears to have a lot of water if the number of bridges is anything to go by, and I'm looking forward to having a wander around tomorrow - there may be more beer involved - before I catch an afternoon train tomorrow.

But first, pork. I've ordered my schnitzel, a second beer is due any moment, and it's looking like a very nice evening...