Rigid fear and agony
In this election campaign, the SPD wanted to
do everything differently
than in
Martin Schulz's
election campaign
four years ago.
Olaf Scholz
, who has always considered himself the better candidate and anyway the most gifted professional, has consistently followed this plan so far.
So he meticulously made sure that there was
not even a hint of hype about his candidacy
.
A Scholz train nowhere rolls through the country.
There's not even a locomotive in sight.
Under the conditions of our media attention economy, it may be difficult to present a man who has been well known for 20 years as a fresh, modern force.
In any case, the comrades would like a little more curiosity about their candidates.
Tomorrow, Sunday, the
SPD election party
conference
offers a chance
, even if it can only take place digitally and the big coronation fair of the candidate has to be a bit more discreet than usual.
Ex-Chancellor candidate Schulz, new "Chancellor candidate" Scholz
Photo: Wolfgang Kumm / DPA
Scholz is certainly not a Gaga candidate. Most Germans appreciate him. And when asked who they would vote for in direct comparison to the Chancellor, many citizens even give him
preference over Annalena Baerbock and Robert Habeck,
according to ARD Germany
. But they don't seem to want to vote for the SPD straight away.
My colleagues from the capital city office took a look behind the scenes of social democracy and came across "a mixture of paralysis and agony."
A comrade confessed that he saw no way of catching up.
For the first time in the history of the Federal Republic of Germany, a race for chancellorship is emerging in which the Social Democrats play no role.
The
FDP is
already sitting
behind
the Social Democrats in the
battle for third place
.
The
specter of single-mindedness haunts
the first comrades
.
Social Democrats criticize their candidate for Chancellor: "It won't work with Scholz alone"
Höcke in the Bundestag?
Today the
Thuringian AFD will
nominate
its
candidates for the Bundestag
in
Ruhla
.
Yesterday rumors circulated that the most extreme prominent AfD representative
Björn Höcke
might also compete.
The party held back what was true of the rumors.
When asked by SPIEGEL, Höcke's office only said that they did
not want to comment
on it
until Saturday
.
That is not a denial.
MPs from Thuringia were at a loss.
You are not involved in the decision-making process.
Enlarge image
AFD politician Höcke
Photo: Christoph Soeder / dpa
The step would be logical for Höcke.
Already at the last AfD federal party conference, he showed an astonishingly high presence, although he otherwise held back at such federal party meetings.
"Höcke has achieved everything in Thuringia," says my colleague Timo Lehmann.
"With the election of Kemmerich, the AfD brought about the maximum provocation there."
New maximum provocations could of course be achieved in the German Bundestag.
And the
neglect of the political discourse
in Germany would take another step forward.
AfD election manifesto: Openly radical
The suffering of others
Eva Frank
is a
psychotherapist for children and adolescents
in Grünheide near Berlin.
What she experiences every day is the other balance sheet of the corona pandemic.
Her story is not about the dead and overcrowded intensive care units.
But from
injured children
.
The 56-year-old has been working in her profession for 20 years and reports that the number of boys and girls requesting a therapy place in her practice has continued to rise since the beginning of the pandemic.
The German Psychotherapists Association speaks of
60 percent more inquiries nationwide
.
Enlarge image
Primary school children in Munich
Photo: Sven Hoppe / picture alliance / dpa
A third of her patients are currently coming because of a
mental crisis
that was triggered by the pandemic, says Frank.
These crises manifested themselves in
eating disorders, aggression, depressive symptoms or compulsions
.
»The young people miss the meetings with their peer group, initial experiences with partnership, physical attraction and sexuality.
The fact that they currently hardly see themselves in the mirror of others is not age-appropriate.
Intimacy and autonomy have become more complicated.
It's difficult to separate yourself from your parents when you're always at home. ”She also complains
about
the
constant presence of illness and death
.
"Many boys understand for the first time how fragile people are."
In addition, the situation at home is a burden for many boys and girls.
»Even in families without economic or health concerns, mothers and fathers reach their limits.
The children feel the consequences, arguments, screaming and beatings. "
Frank criticizes that politicians did not keep an eye on the children during the pandemic.
»Families are neglected in pandemic management.
There is a structural problem behind this: Children's concerns are not sufficiently taken into account when making political decisions. "
She advocates responding now.
You have to use the opportunity
to close structural gaps
, she says.
Among other things, there is an urgent need in Germany for additional offers for children, young people and families.
And in the direction of parents: »The pandemic has shown how difficult it is for many fathers and mothers to keep their children close and to deal with them when the distractions and appointments are gone.
If we now think about what kind of upbringing strengthens the quality of relationships in families, that would be a protective factor for future crises. "
The cover story in the new issue of SPIEGEL is dedicated to the situation of children in the corona crisis:
Generation Corona: What we have to do now for our children
Winner of the day ...
... is
outdoor catering
.
In some parts of the country, restaurants will be allowed to open their outdoor areas again this week.
Expected temperatures of up to 30 degrees
accompany these reopenings.
Enlarge image
Outdoor catering in Berlin
Photo: Christophe Gateau / DPA
I give it to every restaurant operator from the bottom of my heart.
For my taste they could have opened much earlier.
People just want to meet.
And they have also done it in the past few months, secretly, indoors, under precarious pandemic conditions.
If, instead, it had been possible to have safe meetings in the fresh air in front of the restaurants, the number of infections would probably have long since been at a lower level.
The latest news from the night
Almost 170 injured in clashes in East Jerusalem:
Clashes between Palestinians and the Israeli police broke out on the Temple Mount in eastern Jerusalem.
Dozens of people were injured
EU countries have reservations about the release of patents for corona vaccines:
in poorer countries only a few people are vaccinated against corona.
US President Biden is therefore calling for patent protection to be suspended.
The EU states react skeptically - and play the ball back to Washington
45,000 Americans apply to hunt bison in the Grand Canyon:
More than 400 bison live in the Grand Canyon - too many for the national park.
The park administration is therefore looking for volunteers to help with the hunt.
The rush is enormous
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I wish you a happy weekend
Your Markus Feldenkirchen
