Bodo Ramelow lets his feelings run free now and then - spontaneous participation in an app talk now falls on his feet.
Erfurt
- Thuringia's Prime Minister
Bodo Ramelow
has come under
fire for
a talk chat about the
Corona summit
with
Chancellor Angela Merkel *
(CDU).
The
left-wing politician
had reported in the format of the new
Clubhouse app
that he was relaxing during the hours-long video sessions between the prime ministers and Merkel with the smartphone game "Candy Crush".
With regard
to later claims that he had referred to the Chancellor as
"Merkelchen"
in the
panel discussion
, he told the dpa that set pieces had been taken out of context.
Ramelow after summit chat in the criticism: "Arrogance of power or official fatigue"
Thuringia's CDU leader Christian Hirte
accused Ramelow of disrespect and irresponsibility.
"Either it is an expression of arrogance of power or fatigue," wrote Hirte on Sunday on Twitter.
Fighting the
corona pandemic
is about life and death as well as the livelihoods and the future of a generation of students.
"Anyone who understands his office as prime minister in this way is losing the trust of the citizens," wrote Hirte.
The
Thuringian FDP parliamentary group
described Ramelow's actions in the corona pandemic as chaotic.
"Ramelow prefers to spend his time with daddling in the crucial deliberations," said the parliamentary manager of the Thuringian FDP parliamentary group, Robert-Martin Montag.
Ramelow defends himself after the clubhouse round: "If you talk about trash, it's trashy"
Die
Welt am Sonntag
had previously
reported
on
the 64-year-old's appearance in the clubhouse panel discussion
.
According to her, Ramelow said in the round on Saturday night that he could manage
up to
ten candy crush levels
at the
Prime Minister's meeting with Merkel
.
The dpa said Ramelow: "Some play Sudoku, others play chess or Scrabble on their cell phones, and I play Candy Crush." For him, this is a way of relaxing.
With the sometimes ten-hour long
marathon sessions
with frequent interruptions, this is not a problem.
It is not a secret either.
The topic of the clubhouse round was "trash and features".
"When you talk about trash, it's trashy," said Ramelow.
If you leave that out in a subsequent debate, he thinks it's funny.
"If you turn it into something deeply serious, that it shows how politicians think when they are private - I find that difficult," said Ramelow, who is very affine for new media and likes to use her different channels for his communication.
Corona summit suddenly a topic in clubhouse talk: Ramelow in the middle of "trash talk"
Clubhouse
is a social media app from the USA that is
currently experiencing a hype
in
Germany
.
You can use it to participate in roundtables, but there are also closed roundtables.
You cannot see yourself in the app because it is an audio format.
The group, which Ramelow joined, was organized by 19-year-old young SPD
hope Lilly Blaudszun
from Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, along with five friends.
It was about celebrities, gossip, as reported to the dpa.
"Then all of a sudden Bodo Ramelow came along, completely unplanned." When he and other politicians were there, it was said in principle that this was no space to discuss political issues.
It was called “trash talk” from the start and should have stayed on the same level.
With a view to Clubhouse, Ramelow expressed
privacy concerns
because users would be asked to allow access to their contacts.
The fact that the app is currently only available for iPhone users bothers him.
"And it mustn't stay that way, otherwise it won't become my medium if it remains so elitist."
Bodo Ramelow: Thuringian head of state provokes a scandal in the clubhouse app - and is thinking of participating again
Despite the criticism of his appearance on the audio app, Ramelow can
envision
participating in other such
discussion
rounds
.
"I also just accompanied two other numbers as a listener and found it really exciting to hear young people debating certain questions," he said.
Blaudszun wanted the discussion about Ramelow's contribution to be more factual.
Of course, his statements could be criticized, but at the same time one should also consider the role
journalism plays
on this platform.
It makes a difference whether a politician takes part in such a discussion or gives an interview to a journalist.
Everyone should think about what their own role is on the platform - as a moderator, they cannot take responsibility for it.
Ramelow in the criticism: Prime Minister tweets about the debate - and receives the next scolding
The
Thuringian Prime Minister
defended himself on
again on Sunday
- but again met with criticism.
"It would be nice if there were no more debates about pandemic response that lasted for hours.
Then I could use long car journeys or annoying party conferences again, ”he wrote in response to a solidarity tweet from his party colleague Stefan Liebich.
"Imagine the consequences under labor law of a" normal "employee who plays Candy Crush for hours during his working hours," was one of the responses.
Ramelow himself commented on the status of the corona pandemic via traditional channels over the weekend - and showed understanding for the impatience of the citizens.
"I would have liked to have been to my hairdresser's and my foot care long ago," said the left * of the
Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung
.
He even believed that the risk in the salons was low.
But that is not the argument: “A main factor why we come to these lockdowns is also the
reduction in mobility
.” (
Dpa / fn
) *
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.
