The “economic method” Veronika Grimm attests that the traffic light at “Markus Lanz” is a “weak transformation policy”. Kevin Kühnert clears up a misunderstanding.
The economist Veronika Grimm is calling on the federal government to quickly correct course in economic policy. The conflicting interests of the coalition forces led to compromises that “ultimately lead to the market not functioning properly, but the interventions also not being powerful enough,” criticized one of the five so-called economists on “Markus Lanz” on Wednesday evening. The result is a “very, very weak transformation policy, because of course the market players are also unsettled by it.”
The guests
Kevin Kühnert, SPD General SecretaryVeronika Grimm, “Economy”Martina Nighswonger, entrepreneurDaniel Sturm, “Tagesspiegel”
“That’s really a problem,” said Grimm, particularly criticizing the statement by Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) that the green transformation could lead to a new “economic miracle” in Germany. The professor from the Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg questioned such a promise. Rather, calculations have shown that economic growth of only 0.4 percent can be expected this decade. That corresponds to a third of the growth during the 2010s. “We need a lot of reforms to get out of this mess again,” said Grimm, mentioning pension reform in particular.
Kühnert makes something clear to Lanz
At Lanz, the entrepreneur Martina Nighswonger also took issue with the federal government’s well-sounding promises. The head of the medium-sized chemical company Gechem with 160 employees criticized well-intentioned laws that would not change the situation. This means that there won’t suddenly be more educators as a result of a daycare law. “Just promising ‘everything will stay well’ doesn’t work,” emphasized Nighswonger. The members of the group were surprised by an objection from SPD General Secretary Kevin Kühnert.
“Nobody promised that,” Kühnert said about the “everything stays fine” accusation. “If the impression arises, I take it seriously,” he added. “Of course the impression arises, what else?” said Lanz. “Nobody said that,” reiterated Kühnert. “You’ll Never Walk Alone?” replied the ZDF presenter. “‘No social cuts’,” Daniel Sturm from the “Tagesspiegel” referred to another promise from Scholz and added: “That’s a refusal to engage in politics.”
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“‘You won’t go alone’ obviously doesn’t mean that we live in a dollhouse and nothing changes,” said Kühnert. According to him, the Chancellor wanted to express that the government wants to cushion crises as best as possible for the people. He saw no chance for Federal Finance Minister Christian Lindner’s (FDP) demand to abolish the solidarity surcharge. That would cost around 7.5 billion euros, but Lindner wouldn’t say where the money would come from, said Kühnert. Faced with a gap of 25 billion euros in the 2025 budget, the Social Democrat said: “That won’t work.”
The SPD General Secretary was similarly pessimistic about the proposal by Economics Minister Robert Habeck (Alliance 90/The Greens) for a special fund for investments. The idea was addressed to the Union, as its approval was necessary for a two-thirds majority in the Bundestag. “This is probably what is commonly called a poisoned offer,” said Kühnert. Because the Union will not agree to something like that.
Where is the Chancellor in all this? asked Lanz repeatedly on Wednesday. Sturm spoke of a “chaos government that Mr. Scholz leads without leading.” The head of the “Tagesspiegel” capital office clashed with Kühnert over the issue of “early retirement” and demanded a consensus that would hurt everyone. “I hear a lot of dogmas and doctrines,” said the journalist. “Everyone has to make concessions now.”
Company boss demands leadership from traffic light
Entrepreneur Nighswonger also called for a master plan with clear priorities and direction. “And then do it, please,” she demanded. “It has to do with leadership.”The company boss, who, according to ZDF, worked at Deutsche Bank for 27 years and was once a member of the SPD, reported to “Markus Lanz” about the serious impact bureaucracy has on her everyday life.
