- The state deputy minister of SPD advocates for the prohibition of talk shows - Esken justifies his stance
SPD's co-leader Saskia Esken responded angrily to Brandenburg's SPD deputy chairwoman Katrin Lange's call for talk show boycotts. During an appearance on ntv's "Beisenherz", Esken stated, "That's not how we interact within the SPD." She announced plans to chat with Lange. "Perhaps we've overlooked speaking to each other for a while. We need to rectify that."
After the elections in Saxony and Thuringia, Lange (52), Brandenburg's finance minister and deputy SPD state chairwoman, told the "Bild" newspaper: "It would be a significant improvement if certain individuals avoided talk shows. It's just intolerable." She didn't explicitly mention names, but the "Bild" mentioned Esken among others. The new state parliament in Brandenburg will be elected in roughly three weeks.
Lange justifies talk show boycott idea
In response to criticism, Esken was accused of her reaction to the knife attack in Solingen with three fatalities. On the ARD show "Caren Miosga", she had stated post-attack: "There's not much to learn from this attack, as the attacker apparently wasn't known to the police and wasn't under observation." She later corrected her assessment.
Lange clarified on Facebook: "I didn't name anyone specifically, but my intent was clear. Yes, it's enough now. The impression is damning - and not just in the east."
SPD deputy: Waning patience with politics
Lange alluded to the escalating criticism of the federal coalition government. "The results in Saxony and Thuringia indicate that people's patience with current politics is waning nationwide," she informed "Bild".
"We require a collective endeavor on migration, similar to the asylum compromise in the 90s," Lange added. "The acceptance of the previous migration policy, as advocated by Angela Merkel, has virtually vanished among significant portions of the population, not only in East Germany."
Brandenburg's minister president and SPD top candidate Dietmar Woidke had advocated for such an asylum reform last week. Woidke has tied his political future in state politics to a victory on September 22. Lange is reportedly among several SPD politicians who are considered possible successors.
The SPD, led by co-leader Saskia Esken, has expressed the need for better communication within the party, following Brandenburg's SPD deputy chairwoman Katrin Lange's suggestion of talk show boycotts. Despite Lange's justification for her idea of a talk show boycott, stating that the impression is damning, especially in the east, the SPD is striving to rectify any misunderstandings between its members.
