German Bundestag, Plenarprotokoll 20/24, pp.
1930-1932.
Frau President. Right honorable ladies and gentlemen. Dear
countrymen.
Herr Chancellor, your speech actually has clearly shown one
thing: Germany absolutely is out of balance. What we have long warned you of,
valued Federal government and your predecessors, is meanwhile everywhere
evident. German society is divided, divided for those, just looking at the gas
station, who see that their living now costs more money…After all the SPD’s
election promises for a higher minimum wage, the citizens now stand before the
fragments of an illusory prosperity and security and you, Herr Chancellor, are
conclusively responsible for that. The means of your budget, upon which we here
deliberate, need to be economized. All who with their work contribute daily to
the creation of value do this; some of you perhaps are still acquainted with
this and know what this means.
Valued colleagues, for more than two years we have demanded
much of the citizens. Legally dubious preventive measures for combating the
Corona virus have cost livelihoods and endangered prosperity. This affects
small and mid-sized business just as it does the trades. Yet it is precisely
these people who provide for the maintenance of our social security system. And
here, not a word from you, Herr Chancellor, to the people. To whom it is clear:
At the beginning of each of these investments, there must plainly be an audit: That
belongs to ordinary budget planning. Those governing must be able to explain to
the citizens how much they are expending and, before all things, why. Still
much more important: This needs to be for the welfare of our country, and not
just to appear plausible aboard Spaceship Berlin. You need to propose a vision
for Germany – of that, there was not a word today – and for which you also need
to describe an outline of a Federal budget.
You however tell fables of digitalization and my broadband,
speak of social justice and generate precisely the opposite; namely, division. The
digitalization of processes must be important for us; it is plainly not heating
housing and even for the general building for future generations there was for long
all too little positive influence.
Germany, ladies and gentlemen, lacks skilled workers and
tradesmen. Without these, technical investments cannot be constructed and also
not expected; for example, in the area of digital infrastructure. This
situation does not lead to digital sovereignty but to a one-sided dependence.
First of all must be secured a durable infrastructure in the areas of
transport, communications, health, education, etc. This example is only a
selection, and at the same time indicates how many building sites we are
putting off. The distinction between the rural areas and the metropolitan areas
increases at a speedy tempo. It is plainly the described imbalance – which you
increase with your day to day political work.
The comrades of the SPD especially promised a lot in last
year’s election campaign. Central was the increase of the minimum wage. From
today’s perspective, this increase again no longer covers the cost of
inflation. Food and fuel were just the beginning. There meanwhile follows
scarcity of goods and there threatens a standstill of the manufacturing
industries due to a lack of raw materials.
Which measures does the Federal government actually make use
of? The Federal Finance Minister yesterday put forward his budget outline –
nothing concrete was therein contained; even today, the Chancellor said nothing
concrete – which was obsolete even at its presentation. You, valued Federal
government, manage a policy of inflation in this country. You no longer conceal
your disinterest in Germany and our citizens. Piece by piece, you meanwhile let
fall your masks. The idea of a social market economy was buried for the benefit
of an ideological red-green-dyed state policy.
The best example of that is the visit of Federal Minister
Robert Habeck in Qatar. Ladies and gentlemen, for once this needs be known: Because
the Federal government wants to efficiently and economically help to starve out
Russia, we should renounce favorable deliveries of natural gas by means of
North Stream 1 and 2 and the Economy Minister negotiates the delivery of Arab
gas. Violations of human rights suddenly appear to no longer play a role, right
honorable ladies and gentlemen. A more duplicit morality scarcely exists,
valued Federal government.
Herr Chancellor, your policy marks an age of the extreme.
The extreme position of wanting to make oneself free of Russian gas is the
mirror image for seeing the goal of zero Covid. Both are ideologically driven
delusions which endlessly squander resources and your goal can only be attained
rudimentarily, if at all. Thus what then is your goal, Herr Chancellor? That today
you have also not clearly expressed. To where do you actually want to lead our
country? At the moment in any case, you drive the wedge ever deeper into our
society. The citizens, for example, were
promised a freedom day – and you again maintain a Federal rules chaos. I agree
with you that politics should always strive for a certain balance.
Nevertheless, this balance needs to be arrived at in regards to the basis of
the voters and naturally of our citizens. You however are blocking the future
of our country.
Ladies and gentlemen, further in the Chancellor’s budget is
found the area of eastern Germany. In that regard, there comes from you today,
Herr Chancellor, not a single word. As you know, wide areas of the new Federal
States share the same fate as, for example, areas in Nordrhein-Westfalen or
also in Saarland, wrapped up under the keyword “structural change” – my favorite
term. It however means the de-industrialization of wide tracts of land. The problems
with that are known, yet now will certainly not be tackled. Money from
structural promotion programs will be invested in cultural and prestige projects, instead of creating
value-added workplaces. It is seen in eastern Germany really everywhere: There,
tennis courts and bike lanes will be built, yet for existing undertakings there
is simply no money. We need to create promotions for value-added undertakings
and workplaces; and that, the present as well as the previous Federal
government have completely let slip.
[trans: tem]
