IMHO, the main problem with ‘simplification’ isn’t only the ‘shortcuts’ (fast tracks, no evidence/impact assessments, reduced democratic oversight…). It’s that the Overton window has shifted.
We’ve reached a point where changing laws that are there to protect fundamental rights feels acceptable. Even reasonable.
Once you treat fundamental rights as negotiable, every next reform starts from a weaker place. Honestly, I’m not sure how we come back from this, or if we can do it intact.
@cweickhmann Thanks! The current shifts aren’t happening after a rupture but within democratic institutions that still claim to uphold those rights. That makes the erosion quieter, but also more dangerous. When dismantling happens from inside the framework of legality, rebuilding isn’t a given.