Social and Free Democrats take Robert Habeck in the crossfire. Which not only has to do with the gas surcharge, which the Green Economics Minister screwed up for the time being. But above all with its popularity among the people. The timing is perfect – tomorrow there is a traffic light crisis meeting.
The best is not always the most popular, you know that from school. A few years after graduating from high school and taking his philosophy exams, Robert Habeck is experiencing this. Although he has since become Germany’s most popular politician, he has also drawn the suspicion of his partners in the traffic light coalition.
Now save articles for later in “Pocket”.
It’s not just about envy, though. In any case, now that he has made his first big mistake with the gas levy, they are taking him under fire: the two Social Democratic party leaders Saskia Esken and Lars Klingbeil, closely followed by the FDP parliamentary group leader Christian Dürr. There was even “Friendly Fire” from the Greens – a kind of premiere experience for Habeck. Which raises the question for the eco shooting star: Can Robert Habeck also do a crisis?
Leaving aside the factual part of the criticism for a moment – surprisingly, the Economics Minister did not know how the gas market works – it is striking that all of Habeck’s critics also have irrelevant motives. For example the Social Democrats.
The polling crash of the social democratic chancellor is certainly an ugly reason to refer to the “technical mistakes” (Klingbeil) of the green Scholz colleague. Also it is transparent. Konstantin von Notz, Vice President of the Greens, only needed one sentence for this perspective, albeit a slightly convoluted one: “The Chancellor’s poor performance, his lousy poll numbers, memory gaps at Warburg and his responsibility at Nord Stream 2 are caused by disloyal behavior and resentment in the coalition cannot be cured.” The leader of the Green parliamentary group, Britta Haßelmann, allowed herself the hint, which was probably meant in a friendly way, that in addition to Habeck, his boss, the Federal Chancellor, was also involved in this invention. Friedrich Merz couldn’t have put it any better.
By which von Notz wanted to say that Social Democrats have a lot of reasons to protect their “Oberindianer” (oh – can one still say the I-word now that Winnetou has just been “cancelled”?) Scholz by pointing arrows at shoot down the green brother Habeck.
The fact that Habeck’s party “friend” Toni Hofreiter joined the crowd of critics is not only attributed to the ministerial post he hoped for, but unfortunately missed, not only by liberal Ampel members. And the ultimatum that FDP parliamentary group leader Christian Dürr formulated to Habeck (improvement of the gas levy by tomorrow, high noon) certainly has nothing to do with Habeck’s popularity and Christian Lindner’s relative unpopularity – or does it?
Now to the point itself. It has been clear for some time that the gas surcharge keeps the right companies afloat with the help of this citizens’ tax – at least 95 percent. Those who are in danger of going bankrupt because they have to pay more for gas themselves than they can charge their customers.
“Free riders”, i.e. those about whom almost everyone is upset because they want to get support despite the profits made, are in the very clear minority. So not really a reason to get as upset as it is happening right now. Want to say: the excitement has its reasons – SPD comrades can play off capitalist gains against social justice losses among ordinary people.
But it also distracts from what really counts in the end, because politicians don’t have good reasons to get upset. But citizens. And not because of the technically botched gas levy, but because of the horrendously rising gas and electricity prices. Because they will hit the wallet quite differently than the 2.4 cents that everyone now has to squeeze more for the gas.
And the reason why gas and electricity are becoming so expensive – in the end, families will probably pay thousands more per year for it – has by no means only to do with Vladimir Putin. But also with the ideologically justified refusal of the Greens and Habeck to continue nuclear power and coal power again. Just two coal-fired power plants are now back on the grid, the second only since this morning shortly before sunrise.
And that is probably the main shortcoming of the Federal Minister of Economics: Just as Olaf Scholz hesitated on arms for Ukraine out of consideration for his SPD, Habeck is tactical on coal and nuclear with consideration for his Greens. After all, it is easier, as the Green Minister President, to recommend washcloths to the citizens than to expect nuclear and coal from one’s own clientele. Incidentally, sensitive disposable washcloths cost 1.99 euros at Rossmann – for 50 pieces, a real bargain compared to warm shower water and far more hygienic than the cloth cloths, vulgo: virus nests – from Winfried Kretschmann’s youth.
Tomorrow they will all sit together – at a traffic light cabinet retreat at Schloss Meseberg, Meseberger Dorfstraße 30, on Lake Huwenow, just to the left behind the Meseberger Dorfkrug. To try to recapture the magic of the beginning, which fades amazingly quickly. In the autumn mists that are already gathering, the traffic light is to be made to shine again.
All three traffic light colors should shine equally brightly. In order for this to happen, the green main light – Habeck – had to be temporarily turned off. So that he too knows what it feels like to see what is still to come for the citizens.
