The negotiators for a possible traffic light government made up of the SPD, Greens and FDP talk a lot and say little. Serious negotiations need confidentiality, so the reasoning.
What is known about the current talks between the SPD, the Greens and the FDP is mainly what they are not supposed to be: A repetition of the spectacularly failed so-called Jamaica negotiations four years ago.
When the CDU / CSU, FDP and Greens negotiated a possible alliance after the 2017 election, the public was practically at the table.
“The fact that confidential conversations are reported via live ticker,” as Green leader Annalena Baerbock put it, should not be repeated under any circumstances.
The First Parliamentary Managing Director of the FDP, Marco Buschmann, says: “Trust in one another is the most important capital in politics.”
SPD general secretary Lars Klingbeil remembers on Wednesday in the “early start” of RTL and ntv these conversations, in which his party was not involved: “Everything was publicly documented, publicly commented – points of contention, similarities.”
Concrete instead of a balcony
The images of chatting negotiators with wine glasses in hand on the balcony of the chic Members’ Club Parliamentary Representation were then a symbol of more appearance than reality. Concrete instead of balcony, on the other hand, is the motto of the negotiators of a possible traffic light coalition. The roundtables take place in faceless office and exhibition buildings.
A certain pleasure in the empty communication can be noticed by the party representatives, who courageously use language images like rarely: There is talk of screws, of cliffs, hurdles and bridges. Just not about topics of conversation.
The parties’ interest in confidentiality and that of the public in transparency collide head-on. This conflict cannot be resolved, says Christian Hoffmann, Professor of Communication Management at the University of Leipzig. “It is entirely justified if journalists quarrel with the current situation. After all, the public has a legitimate interest in knowing what is happening here, ”he says. At the same time, the parties have a justified interest in discretion.
“If you wanted to hinder the negotiations, passing on half-baked information from an early stage to the public would be an obvious way,” says Hoffmann. “The fact that those involved manage to maintain confidentiality is not only of symbolic value. It also proves to the respective negotiating partners that you are reliable. ” However, this should not be confused with unity – after all, programmatically the parties are far apart on individual points.
Exploring scope
But what makes discretion so desirable from the perspective of those involved? Legroom, should be the answer. Even the attempt to sound out the scope for a possible joint government demands red, yellow and green compromises that are sometimes painful. Everyone has to bury their favorite projects – and in return set conditions, the fulfillment of which has yet to be negotiated.
“In the trust room, solutions can be explored, you can take half a step towards the other and develop new ideas – without having to explain yourself publicly”, says the Greens federal manager Michael Kellner. A compromise that is made public prematurely can also be dealt with at the same time.
On Friday, the eloquent silence should come to an end for the time being: Then the three parties want to present an interim balance according to current planning. On this basis, the respective bodies should decide whether to start possible coalition negotiations – i.e. talks with the declared aim of forming a common government. That is not possible without content-related statements.
It is not to be expected that such a tight-lipped communication strategy can be sustained for weeks afterwards. “From the point of view of specialist politicians, it can be worthwhile to pierce details and thus exert pressure on the negotiators,” explains Hoffmann. Especially since the parties would also have to keep their own people up to date.
The early silence should pay off later for the top negotiators of the parties, he believes: “It is important that the main actors now establish a mutual basis of trust. If punctures then inevitably occur later, the core team does not immediately suspect itself. “
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