As of: February 2, 2024, 3:26 a.m
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TV talk on the performance of the federal government, the poor communication of the traffic light coalition as well as subsidies and energy policy.
Hamburg – The contradictions within the traffic light coalition are becoming more and more blatant, and it is becoming increasingly difficult to recognize a political line.
Markus Lanz, an FDP politician, was surprisingly open in admitting the mistakes of his party and the government - perhaps his party leader was also sitting in front of the television and pondering things.
One can hope so.
He has just been awarded the Einbeck Beer Order: The deputy parliamentary group leader of the FDP, Konstantin Kuhle, a submission that Markus Lanz did not miss: “What similarities are there between a carnival club and the FDP?” Beer definitely helps, said Kuhle , who otherwise didn't allow himself to be lured out of his reserve, admitted the traffic light's mistakes, but of course emphasized that his party actually did everything right.
accepts and assumes responsibility, also recognizes the criticism of the voters and will follow through with the traffic lights.
Kuhne is pleasingly different than Christian Lindner
In contrast to his chairman and many other representatives of his party, Kuhle fortunately did not try to position the FDP as an opposition party: “Disputes are part of it, that is not a sign of weakness, but of strength,” said Kuhle, which he is of course fundamentally right about.
But as Kristina Dunz, deputy editor-in-chief of the Editorial Network Germany, noted, disputes have not just become the permanent state of the traffic light.
The junior partners in particular, the Greens and the FDP, often get lost in small and small things and fight each other.
According to the motto “My advantage is your disadvantage,” says Dunz.
“If they succeed together, if they govern together, all three parties win,” said Dunz, but there is little sign of that in this government.
In the face of this sharp, but not polemical criticism, Kuhle also had to nod, sometimes seeming like an oppressed schoolboy who was being lectured.
Talk with Markus Lanz on February 1, 2024 © Screenshot ZDF
Once again, the group complained about the traffic light's poor communication, which often sells correct political approaches incredibly poorly, gets entangled in contradictions and thus contributes to the already rampant disillusionment with politics.
Kuhle admitted with unusual honesty that issues such as climate change money, housing benefit or the heating law are so complex, especially in this accumulation, that not only the population is overwhelmed by them, but also the government.
Align policy expectations with reality
“We have a massive overload on society and the political system, with the mass of crises,” Kuhle admitted to Markus Lanz.
When trying to solve these problems, mistakes are bound to happen.
Kuhle couldn't deny that the traffic light's communication could be improved, but still: "I ask that we align our expectations of politics with reality again." A justified demand, but especially in our increasingly hysterical times, in which short-term social media posts seem more relevant than a calm look at a complex world that seems almost impossible to realize.
Kristina Dunz found Kuhle's statements sympathetically open, but also a little frightening.
Because if even the government doesn't have a solution to the country's problems, then who does?
Dirk Neubauer, district administrator in Central Saxony, saw it similarly: “We need an idea for this country,” said Neubauer to Markus Lanz.
“A citizen in this country must have trust that politicians know what they are doing.”
Markus Lanz on ZDF |
The guests of the broadcast from February 1, 2024 |
Konstantin Kuhle |
FDP politician |
Kristina Dunz |
journalist |
Gunter Erfurt |
Manager |
Dirk Neubauer |
District Administrator |
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Given the fragmentation of society, clear announcements are needed, an idea of where the country could develop and, above all, how.
How can it be that German engineers were once among the inventors of solar technology, German companies were world market leaders, but now a solar company like Meyer Burger is increasingly moving production abroad?
So Gunter Erfurt, the company's CEO, spoke of a huge success story for photovoltaics.
Which, by the way, would not have been possible without political support, in other words: through subsidies.
One problem, however, is that reliability is often lacking in Germany.
In China, on the other hand, the government recognized the importance of solar technology early on and supports the industry with an estimated one billion annually.
“Location better than the atmosphere”
As Erfurt explained to Markus Lanz on ZDF, the dependence on China in the field of solar technology is practically 100%.
In order to reduce this dependency, massive investments would have to be made and development would not have to be slowed down by tariffs or other obstacles.
The government is also discussing the so-called solar package here, reported Kuhle.
This is intended to make it easier for citizens and companies to invest in solar power.
A good million solar cells per day are manufactured in the Meyer Burger factory in Freiberg, which is still only a fraction of China's capacity.
But still a basis that could be built upon and with which the transformation of the energy supply could be tackled - if politics also played along and finally led to reliability.
Because the “situation is still significantly better than the mood,” emphasized Neubauer at the end of a constructive discussion session in which, for once, the FDP representative also identified himself as part of the government.
(Michael Meyns)