Interview - Göring-Eckardt on East Germany, the AfD and neck steaks
Ahead of the 2024 election year, Green politician Katrin Göring-Eckardt has called for more interest in and respect for the life experience of East Germans. "I would also like to see more of the East Germans in my own party," said the Vice-President of the Bundestag in an interview with the German Press Agency. The Thuringian added: "We showed once in '89 that we can win democracy. And now we have to defend it as East Germans."
The three eastern German states of Thuringia, Saxony and Brandenburg have state elections next year, and the AfD is number one in the polls in all three states. The Greens are just below the five percent threshold in Thuringia and slightly above it in the other two states.
Göring-Eckardt admitted that there is certainly support for Bündnis 90/Die Grünen in the east, but also a lot of hostility. "I explain this by the fact that we as a party stand for change, for progress, for diversity. I think that stresses people out. After a pandemic and in times of war and crisis, they long for peace and quiet."
"If you want a neck steak, eat a neck steak"
She rejected the accusation of being a party of prohibition. "I don't want to dictate to anyone what or how they eat, what or how they speak," said the 57-year-old. "If you want a neck steak, eat neck steak." But: "If you reflect the true cost of it to some extent, then it's no longer available for less than two euros. We have to endure this honesty together."
Göring-Eckardt sharply criticized the AfD, which for its part often comes down hard on the Greens. "The AfD is creative in inventing alleged bans that the Greens wanted," she said. "This is an organization that is good at saying no and rabble-rousing. It offers nothing for the concrete concerns of everyday people. It stirs up hatred and agitation."
With a view to future elections, Göring-Eckardt predicted: "The AfD's ratings can be brought down again." The decisive factor is the confidence of the traffic light coalition in itself, the confidence of the people in politics and of politics in the people. "I have no desire to give up before we have even started. Before the three state elections in eastern Germany, the sun will rise and fall very often."
From eight to midnight in the Bundestag
Göring-Eckardt admitted that people in rural areas or small towns often feel forgotten by federal politics. But: "It's not true that MPs don't know what's going on," she said. "They're not just in Berlin, they're out and about in their constituencies, visiting clubs or businesses. MPs also have families, their children go to school, play sport and go shopping."
She has spent most of her private life in the village for decades. In Berlin, politicians sometimes sit in the buildings of the German Bundestag from eight in the morning until midnight. "But we spend the other half of our time in real life. That's where we find out what works and what doesn't."
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- Despite the AfD leading in polls for the upcoming elections in Thuringia, Saxony, and Brandenburg, which are all eastern German states, the Greens are just barely below the required threshold in Thuringia and slightly above it in the other two.
- Katrin Göring-Eckardt, the Vice-President of the Bundestag and a prominent Green politician, called for more acknowledgment of the life experiences of East Germans as the election year of 2022 approaches.
- Göring-Eckardt acknowledged that while there is support for the Greens in eastern Germany, there is also a significant amount of hostility towards the party.
- The Greens, as a party that supports change, progress, and diversity, can sometimes cause people stress, according to Göring-Eckardt, who noted that people are seeking peace and quiet during times of crisis.
- When asked about allegations of the Greens being a party of prohibition, Göring-Eckardt clearly stated that she does not want to dictate anyone's diet or speech.
- The German Green politician sharply criticized the AfD for inventing supposed bans that the Greens supposedly wanted and for failing to offer solutions to everyday people's concerns, instead of inciting hatred and agitation.
- Göring-Eckardt predicted that the AfD's ratings could be lowered again in future elections, with the stability and confidence of the traffic light coalition, as well as the confidence of the people in politics and politics in the people, playing a significant role.
- The Green politician admitted that people in rural areas or small towns often feel overlooked by federal politics, but she emphasized that MPs are active within their constituencies, visiting local businesses and clubs, and spending a significant amount of their time living their lives outside of the German Bundestag.
Source: www.stern.de
