At their Meeting in Kiel, the Young Union, not division, with a criticism of Chancellor Angela Merkel. The turned into a dedicated speech to the young politician – was able to convince you, but only in Parts.
Side parting, neat in the trousers it is plugged in, shirts, a Blazer and Jeans combinations: The members of the Junge Union were in Kiel’s Sparkassen-Arena exactly as you imagine. Verbally they put fragrance brands: Appeals to Christian values, as well as a rejection of abortion and Cannabis were heard throughout the day.
Meeting with the young have always been not quite easy for the Chancellor. This is even more than you probably the sharpest internal challenge to your leadership is facing since taking office in 2005. Always when the Name of Ralph Brinkhaus fell, Merkel’s Confidant, Volker Kauder had been removed in a vote, the office of the Chairman of the group, came to the cheers of the young delegates. Thus, they confirmed their reputation, especially for the traditional values of the party.
The mood, noticed a lot have changed since last year. The dissatisfaction showed itself especially in the delegations from Hessen and Bayern, the lead in their home countries, election campaigns are desperate, and did not hesitate to make the disputes within the government coalition for the currently disastrous opinion polls, are responsible. The Bavarian delegates, the CSU remained defiantly in their seats to sit, as Merkel on Saturday morning, the Arena entered. The rest of the delegates stood in contrast to the applause.
Passionate, but only partly convincing: the CDU-Chairman Angela Merkel in Kiel
Farewell to nationalism
Nevertheless, the Chancellor held a predominantly positively received, as usual, very detailed, and unusually passionate speech, appealed to an audience that has demonstrated that it believes to the Chancellor. Merkel stressed the economic prosperity of Germany, and then on the upcoming challenges – in particular, the Expansion of digital infrastructure, as well as the connection to China in the production of battery cells. They then expressed their Regret that during the last three years by the debate on immigration very much time lost.
Resolutely, she turned also against the rise of extreme right-wing nationalism in Europe. “What is meant by the founding fathers of Europe, if you have said that nationalism leads to war? And therefore from my side to you the heartfelt plea: Let us not start to divide us in groups again. The migrants and the Germans in the East and in the West. The First is the prejudices that are coming, and the Second are the outspoken thoughts, the language, the speech, and the third are the actions against other groups.”
While Merkel acknowledged that after the influx of refugees in the year 2015 error had been made, but it showed for the taste of some delegates is not enough humility. In the ensuing discussion, you complained, Merkel had contributed a beautiful Chancellor’s speech – but nothing to motivate one to your existence of a fighting party.
Of the time?
The bravest question, the Munich-based Matthias Büttger. He said Merkel bluntly that he believed that the CDU had under her a future. “I think this tour is expired,” he said later in an interview with DW. “This leadership has never been able to show strength. It is the policy and the policy style of Angela Merkel. It was, as always, a very small piece of speech that was in some of the content that is certainly right, but she has shown no Vision for our country, no perspective for the future.”
Also in Kiel topic: the refugee debate
Büttger complained that the government doesn’t have a good Plan for the pension policy. His real Problem, but the immigration was a different one. “The fact that we have not worked up all the time since the September 2015 still neat, still can’t accept that wrong decisions are like – and the majority of the population, and the majority of the party base of CSU and CDU, so as a result, each government will be enormously difficult.”
Sample session for Merkel’s successor?
Meanwhile, the journalists joked, the JU-conference same of a sample session for Merkel’s successor. In fact, all the top candidates of the CDU, held during the three-day event Talk: The schleswig-Holstein Prime Minister Daniel Günther, who is in the party as a Liberal; of the young, to the riot-prone Minister of health, Jens Spahn; as the elder statesman giving the North Rhine-Westphalian Prime Minister, Armin Laschet; and CDU General Secretary Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, which is considered the closest ally of Merkel.
Focused on the future: a scene from the German state Parliament of the JU
The suspicion that they had only come to make the boys popular, rejected them all. “As Prime Minister, of course, are always in the conversation, but I was already on Germany days of the Junge Union”, said Laschet after his speech of DW. “In this respect, it has to do nothing more with this book.”
However, given the disastrous election results, the Union is in most of the national polls at under 30 percent – a question in the room: it Is time that Merkel is? The German extreme Right-wing of Merkel and her fate decision, from 2015, liable, obsessed almost. Wouldn’t it be easier to fight the Alternative for Germany (AfD)without you?
“The Chancellor will need to lead in the future”
JU-in-chief Paul Ziemiak struck in his opening speech, on Friday a challenging tone: Who wants to be Chancellor of this country, must also be always ready to lead this country in the future,” he said.
Actually wanted to exclude in the face of this month’s upcoming state elections in Bavaria and Hesse, at least behind closed doors, nobody is a change in personnel in Berlin. Nevertheless, the official line was on the Convention is clear: criticism is good. But no one is allowed to challenge Merkel’s head. At least for the time being.
“Of course, there was also in the young Union, voices of discontent with the idea of the Grand coalition overall, in the last few weeks,” said Philipp Heissner, a member of the Executive Committee of the Junge Union. “This is no secret, but I think overall, support for the Chancellor is also given in the young Union is still very strong and it will remain so. In this respect, is out of the young Union of the information contained in a Signal that any wing would promote fights.”
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