Federal Minister of Economics Robert Habeck makes politics against the majority of the people. While the number of people in Germany who want to keep the nuclear power plants running is growing, the climate minister is clinging to a rotten compromise.
Monday
Robert Habeck works risky. He makes politics against the majority of the population. From week to week, from survey to survey, the number of those who vote to keep the three remaining German nuclear power plants running is growing.
The energy crisis, which is affecting families, has apparently triggered a change of heart among many skeptics. They take the realization that every kilowatt hour counts seriously.
While even many Green Party voters are warming to longer use of nuclear energy, Habeck stubbornly clings to old positions. He can rely on a network of green comrades who, after skillful lobbying, occupy important positions in science, society, business, politics and the media.
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With their help, organized by his State Secretary Patrick Graichen, he proposed a compromise that deserves the adjective lazy. Its rottenness irritates all sides: the partner countries in Europe, the operators and the citizens.
In a world where 437 nuclear power plants are in operation and another 400 are planned, Habeck would like to order two plants in southern Germany to take a break, which is expensive and operators doubted as unfeasible.
The exception for the third plant, which is in Lower Saxony, can be seen as a transparent electoral maneuver. A state parliament will be elected there in October. Habeck’s party friends around the old blocker Jürgen Trittin should benefit from the fact that “their” plant is shut down.
The minister responsible for economic affairs must not get away with such political spasms. The constitution also applies to him, above all the two articles of eternity. The 20th says: “All state power emanates from the people.”
The two reasonable partners in the traffic light have to remind him of that: the chancellor, with his authority to set guidelines, and the FDP, which is closer to the people on this topic. The parties must also consider whether to authorize voting on the power plants. The power shortage is just as important as compulsory vaccination.
It will be interesting to see if Habeck will be impressed. As the spoiled darling of many media, he is used to being protected after crises. He survived his livelihood-threatening comments about insolvencies and bakeries at Sandra Maischberger.
And he became a minister in Germany, although he wrote: “I always found love of the fatherland to be sick. I didn’t know what to do with Germany and I still don’t know to this day.”
Tuesday
Yet again. Another letter with a black border is in the mail. The sad news is piling up. school friends die companions. Partner.
People with whom you have shared experiences. At my age, it’s not uncommon for two funerals to be scheduled at the same time. Part of your life always dies. I think of the line Carl Zuckmayer wrote about his memories: “As if it were a piece of me.”
Funerals can also be comforting. A friend I have known for more than fifty years left four sons.
They stood close together in front of the mourners and took turns talking well about their father. With different temperaments and different memories, but always full of love for the father. He would have liked the little production.
FOCUS founding editor-in-chief Helmut Markwort has been a FDP member of the Bavarian state parliament since 2018.
