Press reviews
The traffic light coalition shows solidarity – and yet the Taurus dispute continues
Not very enthusiastic: When it comes to the Taurus issue, the traffic light coalition cannot find a common denominator
© Michael Kappeler / DPA
Is it still about Ukraine or is the election campaign already starting in Germany? Attitudes towards Taurus are strangely contradictory. How does this all come together? That’s what the German press says.
Taurus vote: (K)A wedge in the traffic light coalition?
“People’s Voice”: “For the parliamentary whirlwind that the Union parties had unleashed before the new Taurus vote, the result in the Bundestag was ultimately extremely thin. The approval for the missile delivery to Ukraine was only just above the CDU/CSU parliamentary group strength. The vote was at the same time a disguised motion of no confidence against Chancellor Olaf Scholz. The goal was missed – Union leader Friedrich Merz failed miserably in dismantling the head of government. The traffic light demonstrated cohesion. Dissenters aside – because the Taurus dispute is within the three-party coalition not buried. The Greens in particular, who have completely swapped the peace pipe for the hatchet, do not want the Chancellor to dictate anything to them on Ukraine’s weapons issues. Despite all the mutual fears of contact: the Alliance Greens would fit in wonderfully with the Union, at least on this point.”
“Rhein-Zeitung”: “If Merz had the intention of driving the traffic lights into attrition with his Taurus course, he succeeded. The speech by SPD parliamentary group leader Rolf Mützenich in the Bundestag was a tough reckoning not only with the opposition, but especially with your own coalition partners. In a marriage, you would say that someone has presented the divorce papers for signature. The Greens also acted in the same way in parliament. It has become clear: the trenches in the traffic lights are now so deep, it can hardly get any deeper. Nevertheless The Union’s Taurus course greatly helped the Chancellor and the SPD to discover a new strategy in Ukraine and Russia policy – that of being a guardian of peace. Scholz seems to have found a way to regain strength among voters to succeed. Merz has not yet succeeded. And the European elections and the state elections in the East are just around the corner.”
“Young World”: “The coalition is in the state of incompatibility. Alliance 90/The Greens are in a one-off competition with the CDU and CSU to see who is ahead in the race to bomb Moscow. The representatives of both factions – the FDP cannot follow their inclination uninhibitedly because of the risk of collapse – demonstrated in the debate about ‘TAURUS’ deliveries, that reason as thinking through the consequences of political action is a foreign word for them, reason as grasping the whole of a problem situation in their intellectual cosmos is unbearable enemy propaganda. The oath of loyalty to war remains and ‘TAURUS’ is the exception “The explosive device for the coalition at least has a name, if the vote remains ‘no’ beyond the next election day.”
“Faction or even government discipline? A foreign word”
“Rhein-Neckar-Zeitung”: “In any case, you don’t get the impression that anyone in this traffic light coalition is bending over backwards. Anyone who has an opinion represents it energetically. This applied to the heating law, citizens’ money, and the release of cannabis, to name just a few topics . And that obviously also applies to security policy. Party or even government discipline? A foreign word. Now, we don’t want to evoke a longing for the years of poor discourse when there was no alternative. An open debate, even within a government, is the right thing to do. Only: if the Chancellor Then, as so often demanded, a ‘word of power’ has been spoken (and Scholz has made this crystal clear when it comes to Taurus), calm must prevail. Anyone who continues to complain wants to disempower Scholz – that’s why the Union is so fond of teasing.”
“Pforzheimer Zeitung”: “Is it finally enough? Once again, the traffic light and the opposition in the Bundestag have bickered like tinkers. It has become clear once again that the coalition is divided on this issue. But the proposal from the CDU and CSU received fewer votes overall than the CDU/CSU has mandates. Now she can ask him again and again and harshly criticize the Chancellor’s attitude. But it doesn’t do justice to the seriousness of the issue if the Union tries to drive Scholz into a corner. Instead of getting stuck on the Taurus question, traffic lights should and the Union would rather consider together how Ukraine can be helped.”
Play with fear
“Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung”: “In his speech he said [SPD-Fraktionschef Rolf Mützenich] completely the white flag of the election campaign. (…) It wasn’t arms deliveries that counted, he rumbled, but rather the humanity of German refugee aid. (…) Instead, he recommended the alleged advantages of frozen wars. (…) The SPD is once again walking on the fearless path after the annexation of Crimea. (…) Playing with fears of nuclear Armageddon, which Mützenich couldn’t help but do, is Putin’s game. Taking this into consideration may be considered prudence. What would really be prudent would be to think from the end. If Putin feels emboldened again, this war and future conflicts will not move away from Germany, but rather closer. Unfortunately, this is part of the knowledge that the Chancellor and the SPD do not want to go public with.”
“Nuremberger Zeitung”: “The absoluteness of Chancellor Bastas is the real mistake. It is wrong to create fear in Germany, the EU or NATO. If fear is a means of foreign policy at all, then it is about creating it in the opponent, and in doing so “Strength through deterrence helps. Perhaps today the Chancellor will let the French President explain to him how threatening gestures work. Emmanuel Macron seems to have learned something new in this matter over the past two years.”
“South Courier”: “It is now obvious that coalition discipline is more important to the Greens than effective arms aid for Ukraine, which they never tire of demanding rhetorically. The Liberals are also not very credible in their support for Kiev, because they support the windy arguments, with which Chancellor Olaf Scholz justifies his rejection of the delivery. Since Scholz is also opposed to exchanging the Taurus ring with Great Britain and France, the question arises as to whether he is still interested in Ukraine not losing this war. With artillery shells alone “It will not be possible to prevent Vladimir Putin’s victory. Is there even a plan in Berlin for further military aid to Kiev? In any case, there is no sign of that. Meanwhile, Russian troops continue to advance every day.”