Not because of GroKo: The general debate in the Bundestag was so heated – Merz and Scholz share each other

Created: 11/24/2022, 12:18 p.m

By: Marcus Mäckler

Nancy Faeser, Federal Minister of the Interior and Homeland (SPD), Federal Minister of Finance Christian Lindner (FDP), Dr.

Robert Habeck, Federal Minister of Economics and Climate Protection (B 90/The Greens) and Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) at the general debate.

© IMAGO/photo booth / Reuhl

The government and opposition are engaged in a crisp debate in the Bundestag about the situation in the country.

Friedrich Merz accuses the Chancellor of "miserable government action", who counters with literature.

Munich – Does Friedrich Merz believe in talking white rabbits?

It is the chancellor who raises the question without – of course – meaning it literally.

Olaf Scholz just wants to clarify something.

Merz, he says, claims in all seriousness that the problem isn't the last sixteen years of government in the Union, but the last sixteen weeks of the traffic light.

If you believe that, you also believe in the mythical creature from "Alice in Wonderland".

References to literature are rare in the Bundestag, always so bad - Scholz refers to them several times in his speech.

To be fair, you have to say: Merz also hands out.

This is intentional: the general debate is always an opportunity for general criticism.

The predominant topic on Wednesday is the crisis situation in the country and the question of whether the government has everything under control.

Opinions differ widely on that.

Heated debate in the Bundestag: Merz accuses the Chancellor of "miserable government action".

Merz opens the debate with a clear diagnosis: When it comes to the major issue of relief, he accuses Scholz and his cabinet of “miserable government action”.

"They may not be able to do it better," says Merz.

"The tragedy is that the situation for millions of households and people in this country is becoming more difficult every day." Some people and companies are up to their necks in water.

Friedrich Merz (rl), CDU federal chairman, speaks in the Bundestag in the general debate of the budget week.

© Michael Kappeler/dpa

After his speech at the end of February, Scholz also missed the opportunity to "fundamentally change this country for the better".

Instead, the permanent dispute reigns in the coalition.

When it comes to defense spending, he accuses the chancellor of a "great breach of promise".

Instead of rising to two percent of gross domestic product, they fell in 2023.

The citizen money cuddle between the Union and the SPD is over again

Yesterday was not quite as emotional as the last general debate in September.

At that time, Merz formally dissected the traffic light, the chancellor, rarely angry, did without his speech manuscript.

Nevertheless, both sides are not sparing each other, which is surprising in view of the past few days.

Union and SPD pulled themselves together and agreed on citizen income.

Some observers were therefore reminded of times past - the "Spiegel" wrote: "GroKo is alive!"

If that's the case, then she's been buried again since Wednesday.

Scholz, who was unmoved by the Merz scolding on the government bench, fired back – at least in the first part of his speech.

With the Union and its parliamentary group leader, it is just like the fairytale Alice: "What is really big, you talk down.

And what initially sounds logical is in fact sheer nonsense.”

Then Scholz lists what the traffic light coalition has achieved this year - from the modernization of immigration law to the restructuring of the Bundeswehr to relief packages worth billions.

Around 100 laws have been passed.

"In twelve months, this government has initiated, implemented and cleaned up more than was possible in the governments of the past twelve years."

Traffic light is optimistic - according to the Chancellor, energy security is "well guaranteed"

Above all, Scholz tries to dispel the impression that the traffic light is not doing enough in the crisis.

He refers to the electricity and gas price brakes, to full gas storage facilities, new liquid gas terminals and the short-term extension of the Akw runtime, thanks to a word of power from the chancellor.

Merz had accused Economics Minister Robert Habeck of flouting all experts "if it doesn't correspond to your ideology".

Scholz now says that energy security is "well guaranteed".

You have the crisis under control.

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The traffic light is optimistic, the Union – well.

CSU regional group chief Alexander Dobrindt refers to another children's book: Jim Button and the Fake Giant.

The closer you get to the government, he says, the smaller its benefits become.