Lanz takes the FDP General Secretary in the pliers - Sascha Lobo shows understanding: "That was below the belt!"

Created: 05/27/2022, 10:28 am

Markus Lanz in conversation with FDP General Secretary Bijan Djir-Sarai.

© Markus Hertrich/ZDF

The FDP is not doing well at the moment, struggling with severe election losses.

FDP General Bijan Djir-Sarai is supposed to provide explanations and is having a hard time - especially when it comes to speed limits.

Hamburg – What the "liberal middle class" had to look for at the board meetings of the FDP, moderator Markus Lanz on ZDF wants from the newly elected Secretary General of the FDP Bijan

Djir Sarai know.

He squirms and speaks of a "preliminary organization of the FDP" that addresses "certain topics".

"Another word for lobby?!" Lanz remarks, putting the vice-chairman of the liberal middle class, Axel Graf Bülow, in context.

He was a lobbyist for gas stations and mineral oil dealers for years.

Lanz wants to know whether there might be a "connection" to the state subsidization of the petrol price of 30 cents per liter enforced by the FDP.

Djir-Sarai begins to blink, looks uncomfortable and resists the attacks: "This is adventurous!"

In his show, Markus Lanz has decided to grill FDP General Bijan Djir-Sarai.

With the usual charming, friendly tone, he announces the FPD man in his group and smacks his party's failure in the last state elections in the face: "You could also say a man with three problems: Saarland, Schleswig-Holstein and North Rhine-Westphalia “.

The results of the FDP are sort of "underground". 

"Markus Lanz" - these guests discussed with:

• Bijan Djir-Sarai (FDP)

  - General Secretary

• Ulrike Herrmann -

  taz

  editor

• Prof. Mojib Latif -

  President of the "German Society Club of Rome"

• Sasha Lobo -

  Author

Djir-Sarai, who reveals that he knew that "the evening will be tough", does not want to be provoked and usually stoically lets the attacks roll off him.

Hardly any objections when Markus Lanz exclaims: "One sometimes has the feeling that the FDP - or parts of the FDP - are in the opposition!" Even when the

journalist Ulrike Herrmann gives Tinder and finds that the crisis of the FDP has "structural causes". .

Djir-Sarai gently smiles the guess away.

But Herrmann remains stubborn and explains that there is only "one group that votes for the FDP": "Young men who earn well".

Half of them had already migrated to the Greens in the last elections.

Herrmann: "It's dangerous if, in the end, the Greens are actually the liberal party and they have nothing left to offer."

"Markus Lanz": Djir-Sarai counters comparison between FDP and CSU - "knew that the evening would be tough"

Only when journalist and author Sascha Lobo compares the FDP role with the CSU of the previous federal government coalition, which would always have taken on the role of “poker” within the cabinet, does the FDP man counter humorously: “I knew that the evening would be tough , but that he gets so tough that the FDP is compared to the CSU…” Lobo apologizes ironically, laughing out loud: “That was below the belt!

I would like to expressly apologize!” And adds that the FDP has not been able to “pierce positively” since the government began.

Only the spokeswoman for defense policy, Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, who actually “belongs in the front row”, is convincing.

When Lanz raises the subject of "speed limit" to the tableau, the debate that has gotten under way is slowed down significantly: the pros and cons are small and tedious for the viewers.

Djir-Sarai finds it difficult to explain why the FDP is against a prescribed top speed on German roads and speaks of a "complex issue".

Lanz drills: "Why is the FDP struggling so much with a speed limit?

After all, that would save 1.5 billion tons of oil!” Climate expert Prof. Mojib Latif also calculates that 130 km/h saves 400 euros a year per driver over 20,000 kilometers driven.

"Markus Lanz": journalist comments on sticking to the speed limit - "holy cow of the FDP"

Journalist Herrmann, who speaks of a "holy cow of the FDP", has a nasty explanation: "The interesting thing is that the majority of Germans are in favor of introducing a speed limit!" But the introduction is "blocked" by the FDP.

Herrmann turned back to her FDP seat neighbor: "They only do that because they have no other issues!" And adds, visibly upset: "It's a huge symbolic issue for the FDP!" But when Djir-Sarai then suggests that everyone but is free to drive more slowly, Lanz's collar bursts: "Mr. Djir-Sarai, then we could also simply leave tax rates and say: Just pay like that!"

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At the end, Sascha Lobo grotesquely exclaims enthusiastically: "That's

solution!

We make a speed limit for combustion engines!

And electric cars can continue to drive at unlimited speeds!” According to Lobo, “all FDP voters would have enough money anyway to buy an electric Porsche the day after tomorrow.”

"Markus Lanz"-Talk: Conclusion of the show

Not an easy position for the FDP Secretary General.

He held his ground but not very convincingly.

The FDP bashing took up a lot of space on the show.

The more important topic of how a transformation from a capitalist economic world to a circular economy could succeed so that the global energy transition succeeds was actually more exciting.

But there was hardly any time for that.

Lanz saw it the same way and promised: "We'll get back together about that!"