Dennis Radtke, the chief of the CDU’s employee wing (CDA), urged his party to change course ahead of the federal party congress. Speaking to the news portal T‑Online, he criticized the current way political debates are conducted, especially on topics such as “lifestyle part‑time” and dental care costs. “We are experiencing extreme fragmentation in our communication” Radtke said. “A pile of wild individual proposals cannot produce a coherent overall concept”.
He pointed out that the cacophony of single‑issue suggestions has created the impression that the burden is being shifted solely onto workers. “That is an absolutely fatal perception” he warned. Radtke emphasized that most of the population is directly affected by social reforms, so the way we discuss them and the perspective from which we think about reforms are crucial.
Radtke cautioned against handing the SPD the role of “lawyer for the workforce” and feeling that the CDU should focus exclusively on the economy. “We are a people’s party and must see and represent the entire spectrum” he said, calling for a substantial reform package. While reform committees should initially make proposals, Radtke insisted that these debates must be united both content‑wise and communicatively.