Coalition retreat Meseberg: The traffic light has to deliver now

The traffic light has recently gambled away a lot of credit among the citizens. Chancellor Scholz shares responsibility for the coalition’s poor image. The government must now finally deliver.

Anyone who had expected concrete results from the exam in Meseberg, despite announcements to the contrary, was disappointed. When asked about the third relief package, there was only a promise that the traffic light would soon be agreed.

After all, Minister of Finance Christian Lindner promised a “massive package” with relief for the broader public. This gives hope for a big hit. That would also be urgently needed. Because in the past few weeks, the traffic light has gambled away a lot of time and a lot of credit among the citizens. The outward appearance of the government was characterized by mutual recriminations and a bewildering variety of different proposals. In a democracy it must be possible for three governing parties to fight for the best solutions. But the way in which politicians from the SPD and the Greens in particular were beating each other up was embarrassing and irresponsible given the difficult situation in the country.

Crisis-ridden coalition partners

In this respect, the retreat in Meseberg with a joint evening program also had something of group therapy for crisis-ridden coalition partners. When everyone then invoked the good team spirit of the traffic light, this was also an appeal to their own ranks to finally appear more united again. And the fact that Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck praised Olaf Scholz’s leadership qualities was also a reaction to the growing criticism of the Chancellor. Because Scholz is partly responsible for the poor appearance of the traffic light.

Instead of leading, he moderates quietly in the background. Instead of ending the disputes with a public word of authority and urging discipline, the chancellor lets the disputes run their course. Many citizens recently got the impression that the traffic lights were a quarreling bunch – and this of all times at a time when high inflation and skyrocketing energy prices are causing social explosives. The traffic light government must now finally deliver.

Time is running out

If the much-vaunted “good spirit from Meseberg” contributed to the coalition partners agreeing on a third relief package in the next few days, then the exam would have been worthwhile. Time is running out. Because the AfD is already in the starting blocks. She wants to use the insecurity of the citizens for her own purposes: With a “hot autumn” and protest demos against the high energy prices, the recently weakening right-wing populists are hoping for new support. The traffic light coalition can only prevent this by taking decisive and united action.