Good morning, dear reader, it seems as if a stricter law of gravity applies to the traffic light parties. The SPD, Greens and FDP are plummeting in popularity as if they were being attracted by a huge magnet deep within the earth. The Chancellor’s party is hit particularly hard: in the new ZDF “Politbarometer” the SPD is only at 13 percent. In Saxony, where elections will take place in the fall, it is just seven percent, and in Thuringia nine percent. Only in Brandenburg is SPD Prime Minister Dietmar Woidke doing quite well with 22 percent. Shaken by the storm of crisis after Putin’s war of aggression, marked by technical errors in the forging of laws and damaged by the ongoing quarrels within the coalition, the leading government party has had a nightmare start to the new year. Now the storm of protest is blowing around her ears, more and more people are venting their anger about the traffic light decisions and the weak leadership of the Chancellor. Two years ago I dubbed Olaf Scholz a “statesman” because he failed to speak plainly during the Corona peak. At that time I received some opposition from SPD supporters. I suspect that it would now be lower. The anger of many people who are now joining the farmers is no coincidence. Sometimes it seems justified, sometimes exaggerated or even staged. You have to differentiate. Above all, as a responsible politician, you should respond empathetically and credibly instead of hiding behind empty phrases. Can Olaf Scholz really not do that? I have seen him in different situations over the past few years and have always found myself thinking that in reality there is not just one Olaf Scholz. But several. There is the man who strings together bureaucratic sentences in speeches and interviews until the last listener has switched off. There is the man who seems to lack a sense of mood and the consequences of his decisions for other people. Who thinks he’s super smart and likes to let those around him know that. Even his employees occasionally make fun of their boss’s tendency. But there is also Olaf Scholz, who gave fiery speeches in market squares during the last federal election campaign. Who rhetorically showed Putin fans what a rake is. There is the Chancellor, who at 1 a.m. after a strenuous summit meeting in a small group over a glass of red wine clearly explains what is currently happening in Europe. How an entire continent is hit by one crisis after another and how that unsettles people. He coherently analyzes the reasons for the shift to the right in France, Italy, Hungary and Germany and refers to the works of historians, sociologists and political scientists, so that you get the impression: He has really read everything that is currently in the bookstores. However, if he understands the situation so well, why doesn’t he act so that more people follow him? I can only speculate about the answer to this question, and I know that many of his comrades feel the same way. Even in the SPD parliamentary group, MPs are puzzling over the Chancellor’s course, as this became clear last week at a meeting with Scholz. Olaf, the enigma. However, the storm of protest on the streets does not seem to be leaving him unscathed. The government will still have to make concessions in one form or another, at least to the farmers. In order to get a closer look and understand what the real reasons for the anger are, you have to take a closer look: why so many people are angry, disappointed or even pissed off are. And what can be done about it. That’s what today’s podcast is about. Our reporter Frederike Holewik spoke to protesters and has some remarkable news to report. I’m trying to classify the whole thing politically. And our moderator Lisa Fritsch turns it into an exciting discussion. Please listen.Hopefully you have a peaceful and warm place to spend the weekend in these turbulent but also icy times. On Monday comes Daybreak from Heike Vowinkel, on Tuesday you will read from me again. Kind regards, Your Florian Harms Editor-in-Chief t-online E-mail: t-online-newsletter@stroeer.de You can subscribe to the daily Daybreak newsletter here for free. Sources for used Sounds in the podcast: Grain farmer Werner Mette and demo participant Tanja: Video t-online; Sound from young farmer on Instagram: t-online
