Status: 11.11.2023, 18:00 PM
By: Andreas Beschorner
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7.5 hours at the lectern: Erich Irlstorfer has given 82 speeches in the Bundestag in the last ten years. © Irlstorfer
Erich Irlstorfer (CSU) has been a member of the Bundestag for ten years. In an interview with the FT, he looks back on successes and failures – and reveals some surprising facts.
Freising – Bundestag election 2013: Angela Merkel and the CDU/CSU are the election winners, and a new man moves into the Bundestag for Freising: Erich Irlstorfer wins the direct mandate for the CSU, succeeding Franz Obermeier. He succeeds in doing so two more times, and now the MP, who lives in Gammelsdorf, has been a member of the Bundestag for ten years.
Mr. Irlstorfer, ten years as a member of the Bundestag – is it still fun at all?
There have been many changes and challenges, but the desire and joy in the daily work is still there. Never have I pursued a profession with more verve, joy and passion.
Did you keep statistics on how many speeches you gave in the Bundestag and how long you stood at the lectern of the Reichstag?
No, I didn't. But when I asked, I was told that there were a total of 82 speeches, and that I had been at the lectern for a total of about 7.5 hours so far.
What do you consider to be your greatest successes?
Even though there is still room for improvement, the way people are cared for in Germany has changed positively in the last decade. Numerous laws have contributed to this, such as the Care Strengthening Acts from 2015 to 2017, which introduced new quality standards in inpatient care, but also relief services for family caregivers. I am grateful that I was able to contribute to this development of measures that support people in difficult times.
And what were your biggest defeats?
Defeats are probably more part of everyday political life than successes, so there have been some. However, I would describe the introduction of generalist nursing education in the field of child and adolescent care as one of the largest. Since then, fewer and fewer prospective nurses have opted for paediatrics and the quality of nursing in this area is also declining, as I am repeatedly told from the scene. Children and young people are not small adults, which is why I advocate putting generalism to the test and improving it as soon as possible in this context.
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Controversial: Irlstorfer sees the resolution of conflicts as the main task of members of parliament. © Irlstorfer
Ten years of the Bundestag – that also means the Corona crisis, the Ukraine war and now the Middle East conflict, as well as a change of government. Would you have run for MP if you had known all this beforehand?
Yes, one hundred percent. Resolving challenges and conflicts of any kind is the main task of parliaments and their representatives. The diversity, the fast pace and the intensity of the problems that one is confronted with at the federal political level make up the attraction and motivate me every day anew.
Has there always been enough time for your own constituency – you are rarely in the district council?
This is indeed a constant balancing act, but I would like to emphasize that my commitment to the constituency is not linked to my presence in the Freising district council. The constituency is my home and the people I have the privilege of representing in Berlin have top priority. I would like to make their interests heard, especially at the federal level. That's why my focus is more on federal politics.
Where have you succeeded in asserting the interests of the district at the federal level?
For example, more than 150 million euros in federal investments for the constituency in the transport sector were acquired. These include projects such as the Freising Northeast Bypass, which equalizes the volume of traffic and relieves residents of noise and emissions, but also smaller successes, such as the permanent traffic light system in Reichertshausen or charging infrastructure subsidies amounting to almost five million euros. Since 2013, around twelve million euros in federal funds have flowed into urban development funding, 3.5 million euros of which went to Freising's old town alone.
Thoughtful: Irlstorfer is aware of the double burden of mandates – and draws conclusions. © Irlstorfer
Many impressive figures - are there also projects that make your heart beat faster as a politician?
Yes, I am particularly pleased with ideas that help people individually and unbureaucratically, such as the Musical Epiphany Meeting. By 2020, tens of thousands of euros had been collected to support people in need in the region through no fault of their own. Nevertheless, I would also like to state that I am aware of the double burden of mandates and will therefore no longer run for the district council in the future.
Has your view of "big politics" changed in these ten years?
Yes, I am now aware of information and procedures that I was not aware of at the beginning of my mandate. Being a member of the Bundestag is not an apprenticeship, and you grow into the task.
(By the way: Everything from the region is now also available in our regular Freising newsletter.)
Apparently, the job as a member of the Bundestag does not pass you by without a trace in terms of health. So what about – will you run again in 2025?
Certainly, a lot has changed since my corona infection, the secondary illnesses and the heart attack in the summer. Nevertheless, I think that I can do justice to my tasks and, above all, to the people in the region, who have already placed their trust in me three times. My motivation to run again, to win and to represent the districts of Freising, Pfaffenhofen and Neuburg-Schrobenhausen in the German Bundestag as well as to achieve improvements for people in the field of health and care is unbroken.
You can find even more current news from the district of Freising on Merkur.de/Freising.