In the end, the gap between former member of parliament Florian Post and the SPD has probably become too big. In a letter to the Munich party leader Christian Köning, the 41-year-old declared his resignation – and used the step to settle accounts with the Munich Social Democrats. Post justified his decision with an “alienation between today’s official class on the one hand and the majority of the members, the remaining regular voters and the ex-voters who jumped off en masse on the other”. This can no longer be overcome; an overcoming is also not sought.
Post, who studied business administration, was a member of the Bundestag for the Munich-North constituency from 2013 to 2021. In March 2021, he suffered a crushing defeat at a party conference of the Upper Bavaria SPD when ranking the candidates for the Bundestag. He was to be elected as the top man, but his party failed him. He then conducted his election campaign with a pure first-vote campaign, in which he openly opposed his own party in terms of content.
The punch was a trademark of the politician Post. He liked to see himself as a “plain texter” who speaks uncomfortable truths. Again and again he polarized, with statements or drastic actions. For example, when Adidas announced that it would no longer pay rent for its stores due to the corona restrictions, Post took a brand t-shirt, threw it in a bin and set it on fire. During the election campaign, he mobilized against young revelers at Odeonsplatz, who left the square dirty. “These are often young men with a migration background. But you can’t say that – but I don’t want to hide it,” he said picture– Quote newspaper. He received a shit storm when, with a view to Ukrainian demands for a German energy embargo against Russia, he declared on Twitter that he “didn’t want a third world war” but also had no “desire to freeze.”
The former People’s Party will become a bizarre minority
He struggled with himself for a long time, he writes in his resignation statement. He is still connected to the base members in his former constituency, and he will continue to cultivate friendships such as those with former mayor Christian Ude, who led his election campaign twice. Then he describes how he sees the SPD in the city: It used to be the “Munich party”, today it has “obviously permanently” established itself in third place. “In Munich, the mass exodus of voters is not even acknowledged,” believes Post.
And further: “With the attempt to emulate the smallest minorities instead of striving for majorities (…), the People’s Party, which used to have a majority, is itself becoming a bizarre minority.” This is a “fatal mistake” that will lead to “political downfall”. “Gender asterisks and gender officers in day care centers” are “suddenly the most important thing”. For “people with ordinary everyday worries” the SPD is “no longer a party to choose from”.
“I feel better now, and yes, relieved too,” Post said over the phone Thursday. He is still a political person – he has always said his opinion clearly, now he can say it even more clearly. After the “break” in his life, leaving the Bundestag, he is now the managing director of two property management companies and gets involved a lot in his family – Post is the father of two 14-month-old girls. He found “that there is something else” and he likes this new life. “I’m fine all round.”
And then he practices a bit of self-criticism: “I made mistakes too.” Namely? Perhaps he could have been “more diplomatic and polite” at times, Post says. His manner must have “scared and alienated some, maybe I hurt people too”. Is he flirting with another party? The question does not arise at the moment, says Post. But that one day he will again become a member of a party in the democratic spectrum: “I don’t want to rule it out”.
The SPD regrets the exit, but considers the allegations incomprehensible
“The SPD Munich regrets the departure of Florian Post,” wrote Munich SPD leader Christian Köning on Twitter on Thursday. What follows, however, sounds less regrettable: After its defeat in the 2021 list, Post “no longer took part in internal party debates”. His statements are incomprehensible to the Munich SPD; At the most recent party conference, the latter clearly spoke out in favor of more relief in view of the increased energy costs and for the introduction of an excess profit tax. “In view of the current situation, we stand for social cohesion like no other force.”