Opinion
The traffic lights destroyed the Chancellor’s brand core
With his government declaration in the German Bundestag, Olaf Scholz wanted to stabilize himself and start the election campaign powerfully. That failed.
No, you can’t say that it was a bad speech that Olaf Scholz gave in the German Bundestag. The big topics came up. Economics and social affairs, Ukraine and Donald Trump, everything is there. Every now and then there was even a flash of willingness to fight, and you didn’t have to perk up your ears to hear the Chancellor’s faction applauding. Everything went as usual.
And yet the government statement made it almost tragically clear why it would be very difficult for the SPD to go into the election campaign with him again. Since the traffic light collapse, the Chancellor’s words have been missing something that politics thrives on: credibility.
The vocabulary of his government statement does not match reality
Scholz painted himself as a great head of government. Courageous in the crisis, prudent towards Vladimir Putin, prudent in general government actions. So far, so familiar, so mischievous. Now, however, this vocabulary no longer fits the image that many Germans have of Olaf Scholz. Since the collapse of his government, they are likely to think less about stability and order and more about turbulence and uncertainty. Yes: chaos.
Scholz’s appearance in short: The next government will have to argue less. Security and social issues must not be played off against each other. Social division is a growing danger. Much of this is true. The only question is why he, of all people, should be tasked with solving these tasks again. Anyone who is unable to hold a federal government together doesn’t really need to talk about the cohesion of the country.
The race could really be open. In any case, Friedrich Merz’s appearance did not look as if there was already a chancellor there. Here a few attacks on Scholz, there a few pithy statements against the AfD, there wasn’t much else. But this Wednesday showed how deep the government breach goes for the Chancellor’s party. Scholz now lacks a narrative, a foundation.
Stability and the ability to reach agreement – that was his brand essence
He was elected in 2021 because many Germans trusted him, because over decades of responsibility he gave the impression that he could govern as quietly and calmly as Angela Merkel. He also had a reputation as a political escape artist who was able to find a compromise out of the most opposing positions. Stability and the ability to reach agreement were his brand core.
The traffic light break revealed that Scholz is neither a political escape artist nor was he able to fulfill the hope of stable governance. His coalition largely seemed like the opposite. Just at the peak of his career, he lost his brand essence.
Now Scholz is left without one – just in time for the start of the election campaign.
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
