parties
FDP Epiphany meeting: Lindner against the “lust for ruin”
Christian Lindner during his speech at the FDP’s Epiphany meeting in Stuttgart. photo
© Bernd Weißbrod/dpa
The FDP is struggling with the traffic lights. At the traditional Epiphany meeting, the liberals give themselves a dose of self-love. They desperately need that right now. Because governing hurts.
It’s noticeable that the mood at the Liberals’ traditional Epiphany meeting is somewhat different this year FDP federal party leader Christian Lindner is already on his way to the Stuttgart Opera in the morning. Protest groups have positioned themselves everywhere in the castle gardens, animal rights activists have come, left-wing critics of globalization, war opponents and angry farmers with their tractors. Lindner, who says he has a fever, runs past smiling – and only stops briefly for an autograph hunter.
The party leader will also feel the protest in the opera hall. Activists have mingled with the audience and interrupted the Federal Minister of Finance’s speech. They are loudly demanding the introduction of climate money. Lindner reacts with vitriol: This is the first time that left-wing autonomous groups are in favor of the FDP’s election program.
The FDP in the polls
For more than 140 years, the Liberals have started the new year politically on January 6th in the southwest. The party is currently in the polls and many supporters are unhappy with the traffic lights. Recently, members only narrowly voted for the party to remain in the federal government. Meeting at the opera is just the right time to gain some self-confidence. The content:
Operation Optimism – Linder makes it clear right at the beginning of his speech that times are not easy. He tries to spread confidence in the opera. The federal government is not without errors, but it makes more right decisions than wrong decisions. “Epochal changes” pushed the mood in the country to a low point. They led to a real “lust for destruction”. There is talk of deindustrialization, crash and decline, he says. “I’ll be honest: I can hardly take it anymore.” A society that does not believe in its own future is wasting the future, said the party leader. “There is a third way between praying for health and painting doom and gloom – and that is: face the realities and do something.”
“You’re lost, please turn back”
Farmers’ protest – Lindner calls on farmers to protest peacefully. “Don’t let yourself be infiltrated and exploited. You’ve lost your way, please turn back,” he says. Damage to property and the announced blockades are disproportionate. “Breach of the peace, coercion, damage to property – these are cases for the public prosecutor.” Society has a responsibility for agriculture, but agriculture also has a responsibility for society. Lindner defended the subsidy cuts in the agricultural sector. “Especially an industry that is so heavily subsidized at European and national level will not be able to avoid every contribution to consolidation.”
Support for Ukraine – The FDP leader is calling on European partners to provide more support for Ukraine attacked by Russia. Germany is taking its responsibility seriously. “50 percent of all European support for Ukraine is provided by taxpayers from Germany.” But the threat from Russia exists for Europe as a whole. “So others also have to participate in sharing the burden.”
Rejection of compulsory military service
Conscription – Lindner strictly rejects a return to general conscription. “In the 21st century, national and alliance defense no longer consists of re-establishing district military replacement offices,” he said. Rather, it consists of “finding highly qualified soldiers for a technology army.” In times of a shortage of skilled workers, a generation would be prevented from learning and practicing a qualified profession in order to work in the Bundeswehr as a semi-skilled worker for a few months. Conscription was suspended in July 2011. Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD) is currently having compulsory service models examined due to the changed security situation.
The question of the debt brake
Debt brake – The Federal Finance Minister also reiterates his opposition to weakening the debt brake. There are “two strong allies” for this – economic reason and the Basic Law. Interest rates on loans are now higher than growth. “So we are sticking to the debt brake, not out of fear, but to maintain credibility on the capital markets, so that Germany can remain an anchor of stability in Europe, so that we can build up new security buffers and so that this country is not strangled by interest and repayments at some point.” If there is a new need for financing, the first thing to do is to see whether it can be covered in the regular budget through reallocations, says Lindner. The exception to the debt brake is the last resort. “This Finance Minister will not support any decision that brings new constitutional risks.”
Floods – Politicians from the SPD and the Greens had discussed suspending the debt brake again, also in connection with the current floods in parts of Germany. The FDP rejects this. Lindner assured those affected of solidarity on Saturday. They could rely on people to show solidarity. They don’t want to make the state responsible for everything, and it can’t be responsible for everything, said Lindner. “But anyone who gets into trouble through no fault of their own can rely on the solidarity of society.”