Helgoland trip: Do we experience Markus Söder’s campaign start here?

“Attention, be careful, the captain ate something bad. The co-captain too. I took over the tax,” announced Markus Söder. The announcement to the ship passengers: obviously wink. But in fact, the Bavarian Prime Minister – under the supervision of the real captain – is at the wheel of a ship to Helgoland. He chats jovially, asks how the crew came to seafaring, wears a cap with the Bavarian coat of arms and shines over both ears when he specifies the direction of travel with the right index finger.

What is this tour? Does he have – maybe also with a wink – the sails for a long journey towards Berlin? If Merz ‘coalition suffers shipwreck and the AfD threatens to capture the Chancellery? Finally, Chancellor and captain both start with K. As distant as that today that appears today, Söder could really think about a fight in the Union-internal K hierarchy. Together with the potential co-captains Hendrik Wüst, Ursula von der Leyen and Daniel Günther. He has ever taken the wind out of his sails.

He can gently, such as Hendrik Wüst. Asked in the ARD interview, what Söder treasures at the counterpart from North Rhine-Westphalia, follows a long break, then a perplexed wheezing and finally, “that he always stays so slim”.

He can do it over gangs, like Ursula von der Leyen. Since the Green Favorite opponent Habeck has been a government technology, Söder has now increasingly turned against the EU. Their commission president of the Leyen promised an burner car until 2035. Union “colleague” Söder, on the other hand, flaps: “The basic ban on burning must be gone. We rely on technology openness instead of ideology.”

And of course he can also harsh. Before the last federal election, Daniel Günther thought about a coalition with the Greens. Söder reacts with a shot in front of his bow: Günther’s statements are simply “not relevant”.

Or is Markus Söder a completely different K question? To those, how many clicks all this brings? Two days earlier, he had torn his mouth particularly wide, smiled and bitten. In one of his Instagram videos you can see how he enjoys a kebab. The contribution likes 19,000 people. Does that work again by trip from Hamburg to Helgoland?

Before the departure: Big train station. TV teams, Mayor of Helgoland, the tourism boss and the ferry operators welcome him. Söder smiles, goes on board. His visit is “the first as prime minister,” he writes. 2874 Instagrammer like this – just an hour after the posting.

But there is no like from at least one: Schleswig-Holstein’s Prime Minister Daniel Günther. “If it was possible after the country financial compensation, Sylt and Helgoland would have long been Bavarian,” Söder had fled out in the election campaign half a year ago. Both islands belong to Günther’s state. Helgoland’s mayor had then invited Söder to this visit. He could not be asked twice and, including entourage, was now shipped on the North Sea island at a very short time. Will Günther also welcome the guest from the south on the island? “I have guests in our country that I have to look after who also said beforehand,” he says in the Nordic-Leaver version of the middle finger.

In any case, Söder should not have started the trip out of desire for relaxation. At the “home evening” he really has to do something. He is asked for a greeting. The approximately 200 visitors appreciate his moody sentences. Johlenden jubilation germinates when he promises that “the rich friend from the south” is always ready to record Helgoland if the insulans were dissatisfied. At the mayor’s guest gift – a maritime gift basket – he says in a negative and grinning that he now rather puts his hope on the promised second gift. Short irritation in the hall. Was that funny? Doesn’t matter. Then Söder’s seating meat is in demand when the local dance group shows him in detail all the special features of a helgoland costume.

After two and a half hours, the guest is asked if he would like to sing. Did he. Freddie Quinn’s classic “She was called Mary Ann” Söder smashes very confidently together with the shanty choir. That arrives in Helgoland’s North Sea Hall. Around 200 likes are certain. And on Insta? 6476 people like that. An Instagram user-no, not Daniel Günther-comments on the vocal video in Södersch’s wink manner: “Our future German king can not only Bavaria but also north.“

Transparency note: The research on this article was supported by the operator of the Helgoland ferry FRS.