Kubicki causes outrage with the "Bagger" confession - and rejects allegations of the "flirted on" ex-politician

Created: 10/14/2022 15:14

Sexism in the FDP?

Party Vice Wolfgang Kubicki spoke plainly at Maischberger.

The criticism was not long in coming.

Update from October 14, 2:55 p.m

.: FDP Vice Wolfgang Kubicki has vigorously rejected public allegations of a possible abuse of power against his party colleague Silvana Koch-mehrin.

He made it clear on Friday that from his point of view there had been no misconduct at a meeting in Brussels many years ago.

The FDP politician told the German Press Agency on Friday after debates on social media that the accusation that it was a “job interview” or the “exploitation of a position of power” is “silly because I didn’t hold a position of power and had no job to offer".

Kubicki: "At the time I was considered a pariah of the party, I was chairman of the parliamentary group in Schleswig-Holstein.

Ms. Koch-mehrin was a beacon of hope for the FDP and was vice-president of the European Parliament.”

He had been asked by a number of young politicians to get in touch with Koch- Mehrin to find out whether she could imagine this function and to publicly bring her into play.

According to the party statutes, however, the right to propose the post of general secretary lies with the chairman.

Koch-Überin knew that too.

Statements made by Kubicki on the ARD program "Maischberger" caused a stir, where he was asked about an interview from 2010 (see first report).

There he said he had "hit on" Koch-mehrin.

Now he emphasized that it was a matter of flirting.

Kubicki said on Friday: "There is a crucial difference between assaults - this includes the exploitation of positions of power - which are definitely not tolerable in a party, and a flirt."

Maischberger/ARD: Kubicki causes horror with his flirt confession – now the “flirted” speaks

Update from October 14, 9:20 a.m

.: FDP Vice Wolfgang Kubicki is criticized for statements from the Maischberger talk.

The 70-year-old had told how he had "hit" the former member of the Bundestag Silvana Koch-mehrin (51).

In the ARD talk he defended himself and said: "Ask Silvana Koch-mehrin.

She found nothing offensive about that.”

The ex-politician sees things a little differently.

"The problem is that about 20 years ago I felt very clever, very smart that I said I'd ask my husband to come by after about an hour because I already suspected there was more to it," said them on the WDR.

"I didn't see that as a problem at all.

I didn't see it as a problem at all.

That's exactly the problem."

Koch-Netzin recently published a book in which she writes openly about sexism in the FDP.

Wolfgang Kubicki in 2005 with Silvana Koch-mehrin (and the then Schleswig-Holstein state chairman of the FDP, Jürgen Koppelin).

© Horst Pfeiffer/dpa/picture alliance

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First report from October 13

: A climate activist is suddenly pro-nuclear power – Sandra Maischberger opened her talk with Greta Thunberg, who recently caused a stir around the world.

ZDF correspondent Theo Koll picks up Thunberg's ball: "It's a cynical development, but I agree with her." And Alexander Kissler from the NZZ has hope: "If she's able to stop this madness, then I would have to." say: Thank you, Greta.”

The leading heads of the traffic light coalition came off less well that evening.

With FDP boss Lindner, Kissler sees "a last, desperate attempt to save something like a residual liberal profile".

The FDP is in an existential situation that has the potential to "lead this traffic light to its premature end."

Presenter Eva Schulz does not trust the liberals with so much courage and clarity, "especially not Christian Lindner".

Koll also misses clarity and sees an "emotional vacuum" across government, right down to the head of state.

There is currently no meaningful speech from either the Chancellor or the Federal President.

"Why don't we have a big speech by the Federal President?" Koll asks. "When have we ever had so many crises at the same time?"

These guests discussed with Sandra Maischberger

• Alexander Kissler

  (journalist, NZZ)

• Theo Koll

  (journalist, ZDF)

• Wolfgang Kubicki

  (FDP Vice Party Chairman)

• Eva Schulz

  (presenter, radio)

• Greta Thunberg

  (climate activist, pre-recorded interview)

Its deputy party leader Wolfgang Kubicki comments on the decline of the FDP around the next lost state election.

"We have to accept that a large number of our voters are strangers to the party," he says.

"Meanwhile, the impression is created that this common spirit no longer exists." But cohesion must not suffer, because "then there will no longer be any joint projects that can be sold to people as success".

Maischberger: Kubicki on sexism allegations in the FDP - "Flirting is still conceivable"

Then Maischberger also talked about sexism in the FDP.

The reason for this is a book by former member of the Bundestag Silvana Koch-mehrin, in which she denounces the "climate in the party".

Koch-Überin retired from politics in 2014.

Kubicki said, "that (sexism) can still exist today," but a lot has improved in the new FDP around party leader Christian Lindner.

Maischberger confronted Kubicki with statements from 2010, in which he said he had "hit on" Koch-mehrin once.

"We were sitting in a café in Brussels because somehow I had the idea of ​​asking her if she wanted to become FDP general secretary." he now said in the ARD talk.

"You flirt and realize that it's not the flirt that comes back, but suddenly your partner is there."

Maischberger digs deeper: "I was approached because I had the idea that she could become FDP general secretary?" Kubicki then said, "Flirting is still possible, I hope at least."

"In Schleswig-Holstein, banging on means flirting and not touching." This statement caused some criticism on Twitter.

"Wow, creepy" was the verdict of the author Katharina Nocun.

"Goose bumps," wrote Schleswig-Holstein's new family minister, Aminata Toure.

"This is just disgusting (disgusting)."

It's not about the well-being of the Greens, it's about the well-being of the people

On the question of extending the lifetime of German nuclear power plants, Kubicki is unequivocal: he doesn't believe in setting dates.

You have to focus on needs.

"If we urgently need the electricity for our supply, then they stay connected to the grid." After all, it's not "about the well-being of the Greens, but about the well-being of the people".

Economics Minister Robert Habeck should link the stable power supply to his own office and his party.

"If you would explain to me now that you personally guarantee that we will not have any problems in winter, and if that does happen then you will not only resign, but then the Greens will dissolve, I would agree to that." , says Kubicki.

Because this is “to the advantage of the country, because the Greens would then no longer be politically active”.

Kubicki sees madness in current politics: “People are suffering today.

Habeck says we don't have a power problem, but at the same time the advertising systems should be switched off at 10 p.m. and people should buy emergency generators." If parts of the economy could no longer produce, then there would be no more wind turbines and no more new sprayers.

Kubicki: "Rockets from Kaliningrad need two minutes and ten seconds to reach Berlin"

Opening the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline or delivering Leopard tanks to Ukraine is out of the question for Kubicki.

"As long as no peace has been established in Ukraine, there will be no compromise at all." And the constant demands of his party colleague Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann for heavy weapons?

He was "rather with Olaf Scholz," says Kubicki.

The danger is simply too great.

“Rockets from Kaliningrad take two minutes and ten seconds to Berlin.

I couldn't even open a bottle of wine." To believe that the Russians wouldn't do that is "disastrous".

He also sees the supply situation of the Bundeswehr critically.

You only have ammo for one day.

"That's when the term 'Blitzkrieg' began to be given a completely new definition," says Kubicki.

When asked about his insulting remarks to Health Minister Karl Lauterbach and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, he emphasized that words like "Spack" or "little sewer rat" were actually meant more appreciatively.

It is "a stylistic device to make a problem clearer." And when it comes to rats, he thinks of the film Ratatouille.

Greta Thunberg: Hope in the Greens?

"Not really"

Sandra Maischberger wants to know what Greta Thunberg is thinking about in an interview that she conducted and recorded at the beginning of October.

The climate activist will soon leave school.

"The school strike won't work anymore, it feels strange," she says regretfully.

She definitely wants to study first and doesn't yet know which profession she will eventually choose.

"Activism saved me," she says.

"It felt meaningful."

The fact that she “triggered a global movement as a little girl” she sees more as a “cliché” herself.

It looks to them "like the action in a bad movie".

Regarding the nuclear power plants, she says her amazing sentence, which has often been quoted in advance in the past few days: “If they are already running, I think it would be a mistake to switch them off and turn to coal.” It is just a problem, “how big the gap in renewable energy is still there”.

Maischberger wants to know whether she has hope in the Greens in Germany.

The answer is short: "Not really."

Greta Thunberg visiting Sandra Maischberger © Screenshot: ARD / maischberger.

the week

According to Thunberg, the media are important, as Corona showed.

"If politics hadn't had the support of the media, the politicians wouldn't have gotten away with it." In order to achieve the goals of the climate movement, "states would have to reduce their productivity quite a bit," Maischberger points out.

Thunberg agrees: "That would be catastrophic".

And what is the solution, the moderator wants to know.

"Good question," says Thunberg, "I wish someone had one."

Thunberg sees her personal perspective in politics, but without wanting to become a politician.

"Climate activist for life?" asks Maischberger.

Thunberg agrees.

"Even if I become a chef, which won't happen, I could still be a climate activist."

Summary of the talk with Sandra Maischberger:

The fact that climate activist Greta Thunberg is suddenly in favor of keeping nuclear power plants running led to worldwide excitement in a very short time and also outshined this evening.

At Maischberger, the Swede seemed resigned and exhausted.

NZZ correspondent Alexander Kissler shone with many strong and clear statements.