SPD boss on campaign tour: against the storm

In a good three weeks there will be elections in Lower Saxony. There is a lot at stake for the SPD – its boss Klingbeil is also feeling the effects. During his election campaign tour, cross-examination is often the order of the day rather than dialogue.

He grins like a little boy who is finally allowed to steer the big ship: Lars Klingbeil, SPD party leader, is at the helm of the “MS Jantje”, not far from the LNG terminal in Wilhelmshaven. He would like to show how he is leading through the crises – for example his party, which is again doing poorly according to the latest polls. Such pictures should also exude confidence: Klingbeil, the caretaker from Lower Saxony, who is concerned about energy security and who takes the concerns of the voters with him to Berlin.

The sea is rough, wind force seven to nine is announced when Klingbeil sets off on the ship in the Wadden Sea Nature Park to the energy of the future. The LNG terminal in front of Wilhelmshaven is currently under construction, it should be finished by the end of the year and the dependency on Russian natural gas will be reduced through imported liquefied natural gas. Years ago, the construction of this terminal would have been possible, but politically undesirable, it says on the ship.

Industry follows energy

It is always the one defining issue that dominates the election campaign in Lower Saxony: energy security, the uncertainty of exploding prices. And again and again this one sentence falls from local politicians: industry follows energy. Only if Germany reacts quickly as a location, guarantees energy security and quickly looks for alternatives, only then will companies not move away, not go bankrupt and jobs will be preserved.

The resentment is great and for many the question arises as to whether the federal government – and thus the SPD – will really take countermeasures and help in good time. Be it the bakers in Lower Saxony, who suddenly took to the streets in their thousands because they couldn’t do it anymore in view of the rising prices. Be it with the many small entrepreneurs who ask the SPD chairman Klingbeil at every meeting to finally act quickly.

Klingbeil in the cross-examination of citizens

Klingbeil is on a summer trip in Lower Saxony. And the shorter and colder the days get, the more nervousness increases in many places. Citizens are already sitting expectantly in the Wrede Theater in Oldenburg when the party chairman enters the hall slightly late.

“Klingbeil in conversation” is a new format that he copied from the Prime Minister of Lower Saxony, Stephan Weil. But actually it’s Klingbeil under cross-examination. In the good hour, the questions just rain down on him. On energy, of course – that’s the topic of the hour. How to get children through the energy crisis well? But also on arms deliveries to Ukraine. And why should there be a special fund of 100 billion euros for the Bundeswehr, but no 100 billion euros for care?

It probably helps in times like these if you don’t let yourself drift. If you’re a storm-tested Lower Saxony – like Klingbeil. They are also overgrown, if you want to believe the Lower Saxony song. In any case, Klingbeil radiates stoic imperturbability, no matter where he is performing.

intervention in the gas market

Stoically, he always makes a promise: The gas market should be reviewed, and there is now a commission of experts for that. That much could still be negotiated with the coalition partner FDP on the night when the third relief package was discussed. So now the gas price should also be addressed. The chances of success are uncertain.

Also uncertain: the election result in Lower Saxony. It’s going to be a close race. Every vote counts, says Klingbeil in a dialogue with the citizens of the Oldenburg Theater – and asks for their support. According to polls, SPD Prime Minister Weil is just ahead of CDU candidate Bernd Althusmann. However, this does not miss an opportunity to point out a failure of the traffic light coalition in the federal government. FDP top candidate Stefan Birkner is also creating anti-government sentiment, pointing to the security of power grids and fueling the nuclear power plant debate.

There is a lot at stake for the SPD and its chairman Klingbeil: After the lost elections in Schleswig-Holstein and North Rhine-Westphalia, the pressure is great. If the SPD does not get a good result and the Social Democratic Prime Minister Weil is elected from office, the times for the SPD leader could be even stormier than the sea in the Wadden Sea Nature Park.