One gets the impression Scholz lives in a parallel Germany

WORLD One gets the impression Scholz lives in a parallel Germany Alan Posener - 46 min ago. At the beginning of the coalition negotiations, Olaf Scholz promised that he, not Angela Merkel, would deliver the traditional New Year's speech of the head of government. At least he kept that promise. It would have been even better if Scholz had promised to do away with the speech. What could possibly be new in such a speech? If Scholz were longer chancellor, he would repeat what he has said in various Bundestag speeches; since he hasn't actually started governing yet, he can only repeat what is in the traffic light coalition agreement. And so out comes a speech that can be described as boredom, garnished with platitudes. The platitudes are: "Take on challenges resolutely, tackle them all together, huge solidarity, overwhelming willingness to help, moving together again, strong community, respect for each other, react quickly and resolutely, decade of new beginnings, ambitious goals, massive investment new prosperity, good jobs, community, respect, recognition and good life chances for all, progress for a better world, Europe, shared values, peace, rule of law and democracy, a new era, actively shaping, resolutely taking our fate into our own hands, staying together." A plan is required here. And it is missing. The boredom is in the first part of the speech: please get vaccinated. In the second part, the short version of the traffic light program: Germany climate neutral by 2045, 12 euro minimum wage, sovereign Europe, transatlantic partnership. We can do it. Oh no, that was the previous incumbent. But we won't make it if we stick to what Scholz says. Take the announcement of a fossil-free energy sector by 2045: "We will make ourselves independent of coal, oil and gas in this period," Scholz says. "And at the same time generate at least twice as much electricity as today from wind, solar and other renewables." Today, these renewable energy sources meet about 45 percent of our electricity needs. Doubling that would mean that by 2045, they would meet 90 percent of our current electricity needs. In the process, electricity demand will increase by 50 percent, according to expert calculations. From which sources does Scholz want to close this gap? Well, it doesn't matter to him, he won't be chancellor then. But we can't be indifferent. New Year's Eve or not: More is being demanded here than "everyone working together in a united effort". A plan is required here. And that is missing. The country is not divided? Where does Scholz live? Just as a plan is missing on how to increase the vaccination rate. Simply appointing a general to manage the campaign is not enough. It's not like you're waging a war against the virus. You have to convince people. When Scholz says, almost imploringly, that the country is not divided, that the opposite is true, that he is experiencing everywhere "huge solidarity, overwhelming willingness to help, a new moving together and hooking under," then he is living, as in the case of energy production, in a parallel Germany. That's worrisome for a number of reasons. Because in the matter of Corona, it will probably be this government that will have to deal with the actual cracks in society and the alienation of an admittedly not huge, but still large part of the population from those in power after the pandemic has subsided. Whistling in the woods is rather counterproductive. ------------------------------ Wolfgang Hampel's humorous masterpiece ' Satire is my favorite animal ' is a wonderful book for the whole family. It even makes people laugh who are not necessarily gifted in humor like my dear sister. Wolfgang Hampel and his Vita Magica team support cultural institutions with donations, book sales of Satire ist mein Lieblingstier and events.