She has already ordered a cappuccino and opened her laptop. Kerry Hoppe, 20 years old, is sitting in a café in Icking – and quickly starts to talk: The past four years have not been much going on, but suddenly there are a lot of interview requests, she says. The reason for this: the young woman from the Schäftlarn district of Ebenhausen, who is studying law and is a reserve officer candidate, so is currently training as a Bundeswehr officer, is running next weekend as deputy state chairman at the state congress of young liberals in Würzburg. Hoppe made a conscious decision in favor of the Free Democrats. And that although the FDP was considered a party of old, rich men for a long time.
SZ: Ms. Hoppe, in the federal election most of the first-time voters opted for the FDP or the Greens. And also in the U18 election, which was held in some districts, the party did astonishingly well. In the Bad Tölz-Wolfratshausen district, for example, the FDP came in third, after the CSU and the Greens. Why are young people interested in the FDP again?
Kerry Hoppe: I think the FDP had a communication problem for a long time. Many people think: The FDP wants to lower taxes. That is correct, but we also have very, very many other issues such as climate policy, for example. And that is slowly starting to reach people. In addition, many young people feel addressed by our spirit of optimism: We want you to be able to live your life the way you want it. We want you to get the best education in the world. When you set up a startup, we want you to have the best chance to do so. We want to create the framework for a life that is as self-determined as possible. The status quo in the country is incredibly cumbersome. I believe that this desire for reform and this desire for renewal has found many young people in the FDP.
Still quite male-dominated: The federal FDP around party chairman Christian Lindner (far right).
(Photo: Sebastian Kahnert / dpa)
Can you give examples of issues that represent reforms?
It starts with dead zones in the S-Bahn, it goes from day care centers in Munich to toilets in schools.
Could it be that the FDP has also become a bit greener and more left-wing?
I would come back to our communication: I do not believe that the FDP has moved to the left, but that we now attach importance to reflecting our entire programmatic spectrum. I think the goals of the FDP and the Greens are very similar, but the ways in which we want to achieve them are very different: The FDP does not want to make individual consumer goods more expensive, but rather a European emissions trading system. We don’t want to dictate where carbon dioxide can best be saved, we want to put a solid CO₂ cap. Our motto is: as much state as necessary, as little state as possible.
Another motto of the FDP is to fight climate change with technical innovations instead of bans. Where do you get your trust in technology from?
When we look at the challenges we have faced over the past 2,000 years, we have always found a way to deal with them. We have to remain optimistic now, we have to have confidence in the innovative strength of our country. But we also have to ensure that our science is equipped with the means it needs to continue to be innovative.
In your opinion, what are the topics that affect young people the most?
Good education is an important topic – and a goal that benefits many young people. Young people who leave the university to do an apprenticeship should have part of their studies recognized for the apprenticeship. At secondary schools and grammar schools, the following must be conveyed: “A university degree is not the non-plus-ultra. No matter what you do for a living – it is legitimate.” Another important topic for young people is the infrastructure of their place of residence – especially local public transport and internet connections.
Who are you up against in the election for the deputy state chairperson at the weekend?
I have a competitor, Yannik Mohren from Lower Franconia, who concentrates more on classic FDP issues such as economic or tax policy. He’s a good candidate, we’re both good but different offers. And what do you stand for with your candidacy?
On the one hand, I stand for thematic diversity. My topics are daycare, early childhood education, domestic violence, and mental health. And on the other hand, I stand for an intensive member involvement. In my current position as programmatic assessor, it is my job to encourage 2000 members to contribute their proposals and ideas.
And how many other women are applying for a position on the board alongside you?
We only have one female candidate on the executive state board – and that’s me. Three other women have applied as assessors. If we were all elected, four out of 13 posts would be occupied by women. That is still not a satisfactory rate.
. Why is that? It’s not that attractive when I come to a regular’s table and I’m the only woman and I’m looked at like a UFO. We have to see that we become more diverse. We have to make sure that we make female speakers more visible and organize women’s round tables. FDP members are still perceived from the outside as high-income business administration Justusse. But that no longer corresponds to reality.
What does the high-earning image have to do with the fact that there are few young women in the party?
You can see it with the Greens: They have a very clear focus on climate protection and social policy. These are topics that mainly appeal to women. Men are more interested in taxes and finances. We just have to broaden our range of topics so that there is something for everyone. At our last federal congress, we talked about tax policy for eight hours – for an application that we ultimately rejected.
Why did you choose the FDP?
I’m actually a bit of a foreign policy fanatic. I have relatives in the armed forces, I did voluntary military service in the armed forces and am now training as a reserve officer alongside my studies. I am in favor of a clear commitment to NATO, for better equipping the Bundeswehr, and for us to discuss big ideas like a European army.
And why did you choose the Bundeswehr?
I actually wanted to do something that I’m really bad at. I was never the outdoor guy who went camping or went on long hikes. School was never really a challenge for me. That’s why I went to the Bundeswehr. In between it was very, very exhausting and very, very hard. But it was a great experience because you understood that you are capable of a lot more than you think possible. That is an experience that has accompanied me to this day and with which I also face new tasks in politics.