Factions take to the stage
Carnival is a role model for the foolish council
Traditionally, the city prince and his entourage take over the political events on Ringing Tuesday and lead the foolish council meeting. It was quite something: carnival speeches, singing and dancing alternated in rapid succession in the auditorium of the Antonius School - the hall was boiling and there wasn't a dry eye in the house.
Prince Bernd I and his court marshal Christoph Lehrke opened the special carnival session with the Prince's Song, which not only warmed everyone's spirits, but also got the room going with their interactive programme.
Mayor Michael Gerdhenrich kicked things off by invoking the love of three as Cupid, the god of love: CDU, FDP and FWG are a "great threesome" that has sworn eternal fidelity to each other. Things were heating up in the city finance working group. His rhyming advice: "Beckum will be better off if the council and administration stand together."
District Administrator Dr Olaf Gericke took a humorous look back at the past year. The 50th anniversary of the district had shown how much BE and WAF had grown together. The BE licence plate is very popular - even with bank robbers. With a twinkle in his eye, he visualised all the things that could be done with the stolen treasure in Beckum: from the chocolate fountain in every daycare centre to the WLE Münster-Beckum line. He had a special gift for Prince Bernd (Eßer): the BE BE 2026 licence plate.
In his last speech before the Carnival Council, Carnival President Wolfgang Krogmeier once again presented his wish list: a town hall, a roundabout on the upper Nordstraße, revellers who neither bring their own drinks nor leave rubbish behind - and he thanked everyone for a great Rose Monday that was carried by many shoulders. The audience thanked him with a standing ovation for his decades of commitment to the Beckum carnival.
The royalty joined in and thanked him for "unforgettable days". He emphasised that his heart beats especially for inclusion.
Groups with humour and self-irony
Not all that glitters is gold, Nicolas van Kevelaer (CDU) made clear in his glittering suit. He criticised the fact that his political opponents were constantly complaining that the financial burden should be borne by the federal or state governments. Sometimes it was the loss carryforward, sometimes the global reduction in expenditure, for which different standards applied. But he also invokes the power of carnival: "Humour helps against doggedness". And he would like to see as much friendliness and charm in the committee as in the Beckum citizens' office.
One for all, all for Beckum: the four musketeers appeared in the parade on behalf of the SPD, wishing for more carnival in the council and wanting to save Beckum from a "lack of political movement". A compass is of little help if, in the end, one's own will determines the course. Beckum needs people who don't just talk, but do. Her ideas for increasing revenue ranged from a deposit on council documents ("whoever really reads them gets their money back") to Kreisumlagen-Bingo.de.
The Greens took the song "Zehn kleine Jägermeister" and rewrote it: What used to be seven seats became four - and five mayoral candidates eventually became one: "One stayed on Instagram, then there were only two left. Two candidates, one of whom nobody knew. The other one did well, so there was only one left," they sang with a wink.
The FWG and FDP relied on dancing support and generated a lot of enthusiasm. Markus Schiewe (FWG) presented the Fanatics and made his debut in the Bütt. Niklas Gesigora (Linke) compared his role on the council to that of a BUFDI in an old people's home. He called for more women in the council and administration - and a carnival princess. "The Left Party also has a sense of tradition," he emphasised.
Timo Przybylak (FDP) dissected the mayoral election in his speech: Elisabeth Eickmeier (FWG) would probably prefer to become an influencer. The CDU candidate wanted to save the Hellbach pond, but initially failed to rally his party behind him. And for his FDP, he was pleased about the addition of Thomas Lorant to the "family faction". He then accompanied the dance group "Here we go" onto the stage.
Despite all the teasing jibes - often garnished with self-irony - everyone agreed in the end: carnival is the unifying element in Beckum.
