Traffic light Zoff: Christian Lindner doesn’t want any “Coalition games”

FDP party leader Christian Lindner has rejected appeals from the opposition Union for cooperation or even for his party to withdraw from the traffic light coalition. “The CDU shares responsibility for the situation in this country; this weak growth has not come to us in the last few weeks”with a view to Germany’s inadequate competitiveness.

The opposition is invited to participate in reforms, but: “I’m not playing coalition games – I’m interested in providing impetus in a difficult economic situation in our country.” He also noticed negatively that the CDU and CSU had blocked the traffic light government’s Growth Opportunities Act for a long time.

Christian Lindner asserts his loyalty to the coalition

Lindner defended the FDP’s proposals for a controversial issue in the government “Economic turnaround”which are to be decided at a party conference this weekend (read: “Citizen’s benefit and pension at 63: That’s really behind the controversial FDP paper”). Germany is recording the worst growth among the developed economies – the aim is to get the country back on the path to success. “Everyone has to make their contribution, even in the coalition – I think that’s what people expect from us as a government.” He called the FDP proposals that came from the SPD as “Leftovers from the mothballs” and “Party conference folklore” were criticized as “balanced and in the interests of our country”.

SPD party leader Lars Klingbeil, the government must “get together”to reach agreement on issues such as investments, reductions in bureaucracy and energy prices, which are crucial for future economic success. “We are now waiting for the FDP party conference. Then you have to get together very quickly and then you need decisions from this government about what to do.” The SPD, Greens and FDP would have to face the challenges “the three” tackle.

The FDP is meeting in Berlin this weekend for its 75th regular federal party conference. We already had twelve points in advance “to accelerate the economic transition” caused considerable differences of opinion in the traffic light coalition. The FDP plans, among other things, stipulate that in the future, recipients of citizens’ benefit will have to immediately forego 30 percent of their benefits if they refuse a job. In addition, according to the wishes of the FDP, the pension at 63 should be abolished and more overtime for workers should be made possible through tax advantages.

Meanwhile, SPD General Secretary Kevin Kühnert issued an exclusive warning star-Interview against playing off economic stimulus and social spending against each other. “We have 800,000 top-up people who receive citizen’s benefit even though they work. Two million households are entitled to housing benefit, many despite working”emphasized Kühnert. “Better wages for these groups mean savings in the social budget. The Social Democrats are also in favor of shrinking the social budget – just by reducing injustice.”