Parties: SPD chief Esken calls the CDU beneath Merz “extremely dangerous” | EUROtoday

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SPD chief Esken calls the CDU beneath Merz “extremely dangerous”

SPD chief Saskia Esken has described the CDU beneath its chairman Friedrich Merz as “extremely dangerous” for social cohesion and accused it of utilizing the language of the AfD.

“Friedrich Merz’s CDU is developing in a way that I find questionable for a party that has been responsible for many years,” Esken advised the German Press Agency. She leads debates about migration or residents’ cash, for instance, in a means that pits folks in opposition to one another.

“Linguistic derailments” in home politics

“This is extremely dangerous for political culture and social cohesion,” mentioned Esken. “It is just as dangerous when the CDU and CSU bring terms into the debate that were previously used exclusively by the AfD.” This considerations the devaluation of the federal government, but additionally the devaluation of individuals. “I’m thinking of the insinuation of “social tourism”, the “little Pashas” or other linguistic derailments. Something like that is poison for our country and social cohesion.”

Esken emphasised that this was exactly why she had already despatched clear phrases to Merz on the SPD social gathering convention. At the start of December, the SPD chief accused the CDU and CSU of “rushing against the traffic lights in unison with the AfD.” Merz described the selection of phrases as “disgraceful” and “vile”. Esken merely mentioned that she “notes how intensively he (Merz) followed our party conference.”

“Populist attacks” in overseas coverage

However, Esken didn’t take again any of her allegations within the dpa interview. On the opposite: She additionally accused the Union of conduct that was damaging to the state in overseas coverage: “The way in which fundamental opposition is pursued here, for example how the government is repeatedly demonstrated in public in an exceptional foreign policy situation such as Putin’s attack on Ukraine as hesitant and hesitant and not (as) responsible and prudent: I consider that to be politically irresponsible and it is damaging our country.”

In the previous it was a on condition that the opposition and the federal government would stand collectively on overseas coverage points. “The CDU seems to have lost this part of our political culture. No government before this one had to put up with such populist attacks in such a crisis situation.” The SPD chief identified that “at the same time, leaders from all over the world such as the US President or the Ukrainian President himself attest to the Federal Chancellor that he is on their side and that he is able to forge international alliances that no one else would have achieved.” .

Nevertheless, provide of cooperation to Merz

Esken however provided the Union cooperation. “In principle, we are always ready to work with a constructive opposition.” However, the SPD chief criticized Merz for terminating cooperation with the visitors gentle authorities on the problem of migration. “Mr Merz should appreciate that compromises are made and not repeatedly demand a willingness to work together and then cancel it again,” she mentioned. “On our side and especially on the government’s side, it still exists.”

At the start of September, Chancellor Olaf Scholz proposed a German pact to the Union to modernize the nation and likewise met with Merz for discussions with regards to migration. After the federal and state governments agreed on measures in opposition to irregular migration, Merz declared that cooperation on the problem had ended initially of November. Scholz refused to arrange a joint working group between the federal government and the Union to regulate immigration, he mentioned as justification. “In my opinion, the German pact on migration is now over.”

dpa