Federal Minister of Economics Robert Habeck inspires again and again with his rhetoric. However, the substance behind it cannot currently live up to what its rhetorical style promises.
Robert Habeck is an exceptional rhetorical talent on the Berlin stage. He doesn’t use the skinny language of the others, who fill entire speeches with their ready-made components. His language is vivid, often earthy and therefore vital. He has a sense of rhythm. He wants to convince, not overwhelm. Sometimes he allows himself to be seen thinking.
But just as on the executive floors of business, a strict distinction must be made between substance and style in politics too. And it is precisely with the substance that Robert Habeck’s delivery problems begin.
Language does not automatically transform itself into a high political product quality. The substance of Robert Habeck is currently not what his pop art style promises. If you strip off the rhetorical packaging, technical flaws and intellectual errors catch the eye:
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However, gyros lovers and ouzo drinkers have as little to do with mismanagement in Greece as gas customers have with Putin’s war and the explosion in gas prices. This is exactly why the ouzo levy never existed, not even as an idea.
Both are wrong: because the lack of gas is already increasing the price of electricity, because gas is not only used in the heating market, but also to generate electricity. If all three nuclear power plants – as desired by Habeck – are taken off the grid at the end of the year, there will be a power gap of six percent of current consumption. The demand cannot be covered by sun and wind alone, which is why the already too scarce gas would have to be converted into electricity again.
Conclusion: the good citizen is still following the word acrobatics of the Minister of Economics and the state-organized roll-up in the pockets of gas customers with stoic composure. He pays and he suffers. He grumbles, but he doesn’t revolt. The philosopher Peter Sloterdijk guessed: “The resignation of the citizen is the basis of solid public finances. “
Gabor Steingart is one of the best-known journalists in the country. He publishes the newsletter The Pioneer Briefing. The podcast of the same name is Germany’s leading daily podcast for politics and business. Since May 2020, Steingart has been working with his editorial staff on the ship “The Pioneer One”. Before founding Media Pioneer, Steingart was, among other things, Chairman of the Management Board of the Handelsblatt Media Group. You can subscribe to his free newsletter here.
