‘On the Back of the Public’

'On the Back of the Public'

In the upcoming federal election, SPD General Secretary Matthias Miersch views the vote as a directional decision on the nature of state relief measures. The Union, he claims, cannot finance its planned tax relief measures to the tune of 100 billion euros. “Of course, we fear that the cutlist is already in the drawer, which will then be dusted off and implemented at the expense of the general public, from many sides” Miersch said in an interview with RTL and ntv on Monday.

According to the General Secretary, the changed appearance of the Chancellor in election campaign discussions is a personal decision, not one dictated by the SPD party headquarters. “I believe that he, in part, is very clear in separating the Chancellor from the campaigner and that’s something I wish for, as I think he should be more emotional at times” Miersch said, continuing, “And now the election candidate and one really sees the person Olaf Scholz, who genuinely cares about achieving benefits for the broader population.”

When it comes to issues such as labor law and pensions, Miersch notes that this “is not just something he can do easily” but rather “it is he and he fights for it.” This is something that is now very clear, he said. “I wish for it to be very, very clear in the coming week” Miersch concluded.