Fractured federal government
SPD leader Klingbeil is “stunned” by the traffic lights
SPD leader Lars Klingbeil is tough on the traffic light coalition
© Bernd von Jutrczenkaj / DPA
The permanent unrest in the traffic light coalition caused horror in the Chancellor’s party. SPD leader Klingbeil complained that he was “stunned” by the new dispute. Anger at Olaf Scholz is growing among the Social Democrats.
Lars Klingbeil is actually a halfway balanced social democrat, it has to come together for the SPD leader to get louder. On Thursday it was time.
The reason is the new Zoff in the traffic light coalition. After the summer break, the federal government simply continues where it left off before the summer break: it argues, blocks. The Green Minister for Family Affairs, Lisa Paus, refuses to approve Finance Minister Christian Lindner’s (FDP) “Growth Opportunities Act”.
reboot? messed up.
An absurdity for Klingbeil, he sharply criticizes the recent dispute in the cabinet. Unusually sharp. One is in historical upheavals, he warned. The war, the transformation – all of that will “be in the history books” in 20 or 30 years.
The task of the government is to provide security, stability and orientation in this situation. “I actually thought that everyone understood that,” says Klingbeil. “That didn’t happen.” The fact that the argument is now simply being continued, “that stunned me”.
He has the clear expectation that the cabinet will also talk about the cooperation at its retreat in Meseberg at the end of August and clean it up. An economic relief package is needed, but everyone “must go back to themselves and think about how such public disputes can be avoided in the future.”
On Wednesday, Family Minister Paus blocked the law on tax breaks for companies and called for more funds for basic child security. Klingbeil emphasized that there was room in the traffic light government “to be strong in terms of economic policy and to fight child poverty”.
There are signs of a dispute over industrial electricity prices
Klingbeil’s intervention coincides with the mood in the SPD. Frustration with the performance of the traffic light government is growing among many Social Democrats. The Chancellor’s Party has also recently lost approval, and public support for Olaf Scholz has suffered greatly. Some in the party had hoped that the federal government would return to a reasonably calm, businesslike manner of working. The opposite seems to be the case.
In the meantime, criticism of the chancellor has been voiced behind closed doors in the SPD. It is said that he must lead and communicate better. The role of moderator that he has taken on since the start of the traffic light government is now a shame for the SPD. It is becoming less and less clear what social democracy actually stands for.
After the dispute over the so-called “Growth Opportunities Act,” the coalition is already faced with the next conflict: the question of whether the industry should be supported with a subsidized electricity price or not. The SPD is in favor of this, and there is also a cross-wing call in the parliamentary group to introduce an industrial electricity price. The problem: the FDP refuses. The chancellor has also slowed down so far.
“He will have to move now,” says one of the prominent Social Democrats in the parliamentary group.