Three days after the state elections, the Chancellor answered questions from citizens for the first time last night. A reality check for Scholz before the election in Brandenburg in just over two weeks.
It’s still 30 degrees on the Ufa site in Berlin and Chancellor Olaf Scholz is rolling up his sleeves. But he won’t be grilled tonight – 150 citizens want to experience the Chancellor as a human being above all.
“How does it feel to be the head of Germany?” Markus Meyer is supposed to ask this question for a first-grader. He doesn’t get a chance because the conversation quickly turns to big politics. What can we learn from the election results in Saxony and Thuringia?
Scholz says he is very depressed by the AfD’s performance: “The fact that populism is now receiving so much support is not good. And now we all have to see what we do.” He has the feeling that there is “a broad agreement not to form a government with the AfD – after all.” But Scholz leaves it open what he as head of government or the SPD will do with it.
Dealing with refugees and asylum seekers
Another top issue is how to deal with refugees and asylum seekers. It’s about pushing back irregular migration, says Scholz. The measures taken by the federal government are slowly taking effect, he says, as are the asylum agreements at the European level. The Chancellor wants to stay the course: “And if things go really well, we’ll even manage to add further measures on top of all that, which we agree on with the opposition – I’d be happy with that.”
Controversial issue of citizen’s income
Ukraine, digitization, tax on the rich, speed limits, rent controls, climate stickers – the Chancellor’s talk is a ride through what concerns the people. On the controversial topic of citizen’s income, Scholz says:
“Everyone who can should do it. And we have to make sure that there is good support for placement. But at the same time we have to make sure that we are strict when someone refuses to work. And that’s why we are currently in the process of changing all the laws so that they are stricter and clearer. The message is: if you can, you should.” Work, that is.
“I’m asking for a friend”
The work in the traffic light coalition also raises questions in the dialogue with citizens. One teacher is reminded of his kindergarten: “You suggest something and Mr Lindner says exactly the opposite.” That has rarely happened so far, says Scholz, but admits: “The truth is: you are right.” And asks back: “What is your magic formula? I mean, I’m asking for a friend.”
A bit of self-irony, explanations that don’t always make for happy faces in the audience, but at the end there is a long line of people who want a selfie with the Chancellor in his shirtsleeves. Markus Meyer’s conclusion from the Chancellor’s conversation: proximity helps.
“I think the problem is a discrepancy between on a small stage and in the political business, where he doesn’t come across as well as he can present himself here. And in my view, he should be able to overcome this discrepancy.”