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“Take your make-up off your beard”: Franz Josef Strauss rumbles in the elephant round
Franz Josef Strauss on January 25, 1987 – live on TV on the evening of the Bundestag elections.
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The broadcasting time had already expired when CSU boss Franz Josef Strauss turned up in the studio on election night in 1987 – and delivered a memorable performance.
It is the evening of January 25, 1987. In the Bundestag elections that have just ended, Chancellor Helmut Kohl and his governing coalition have been confirmed in office. But right-wing jubilation does not want to arise among the Union parties, because despite the clear victory, the CDU/CSU is the election loser of the evening with a minus of 4.5 percent.
The party leaders of the parties represented in the Bundestag sit in the so-called elephant round: Helmut Kohl (CDU), Willy Brandt (SPD), Martin Bangemann (FDP) and Lukas Beckmann (Greens) and evaluate the vote. Actually, CSU boss Franz Josef Strauss should also be connected from Bavaria. But he can be asked. Only when the broadcasting time was almost over did Strauss appear on the screen.
Apparently he had done a lot beforehand. In a conversation with the reporter present in Munich, he has articulation problems: Approval for the CSU in Bavaria is “seen percent higher” than for the policy of the governing coalition. Meanwhile in Bonn, moderator Martin Schulze is waiting for his opportunity to ask the Bavarian Prime Minister questions as well.
Franz Josef Strauss reacted indignantly
When Schulz finally gets his chance, he gets bogged down in a cumbersome introduction – much to the displeasure of Strauss. “Save yourself the preface,” barks the CSU boss in between. This sets the tone for the subsequent exchange of blows.
With the first question, there was a bang: Schulz wanted to know from the prime minister whether he would like to be a member of the next cabinet. “My goodness. Take off your beard’s make-up,” Strauss snaps at him. And rants in a rage about the “stupid question”, “almost unworthy, given the problems at stake.”
The exchange of blows continues. “If we have the pleasure of welcoming you,” Schulz introduces his next question. “Based on reciprocity,” counters Strauss to the laughter of those present in Munich. The longer the conversation lasts, the more monosyllabic Strauss becomes when he complains , his party had been held liable for “certain inconsistencies in Bonn politics.
“What conclusion is to be drawn from this?”
“You can count on me to draw it.”
“Which?”
“Yes…”
“Can it be a long time to form a government in Bonn?”
“I don’t know. That’s none of my business.”
“But you will also take part in the coalition negotiations personally?”
“The opposite would be completely new to me.”
Schulz realizes that he isn’t getting anything meaningful out of the apparently tipsy CSU politician, and since the time has already passed anyway, he breaks off the conversation at this point.
“I’m happy to hear that your statements are being applauded there in Munich,” Schulz concludes the evening and says, looking at his studio guests: “Here, too, there isn’t exactly unhappiness on the faces of the listeners.” That probably also applied to many television viewers who followed the exchange of blows live that evening.