In a public letter, Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann called on Olaf Scholz to set up a Ukraine conference. She complains about the lack of response.
Berlin / Munich – Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann and Olaf Scholz – these two will probably no longer be best friends. The FDP politician is known for relentlessly and publicly criticizing the Chancellor, even though she is in a government coalition with him and the SPD. The most recent excitement of the tense relationship: an open letter from Strack-Zimmermann to Scholz – and his non-reaction to it.
Strack-Zimmermann on an open letter: “At least a confirmation of the receipt of the letter”
That’s what Strack-Zimmermann said in an interview gmx.de: “To get an answer, let’s say in a rather brash tone, via a press spokeswoman, and only when asked by an ARD journalist” she would find “in view of the seriousness and drama of the topic already remarkable”. She interprets the non-response as if the Chancellor’s Office followed the “motto” of “not responding to public letters because it is assumed that the publication of the letter is the actual purpose”. She didn’t get a reaction or “at least a confirmation of the receipt of the letter as usual”.
In the letter, Strack-Zimmermann called for a national conference on the Ukraine conflict. She explains that Scholz had time to react before it was published: “I wrote to the Chancellor and sent the letter to the Federal Chancellery on July 14 so that it was in the right hands there and the people concerned could prepare for it be able. It only became public three days later.” So Scholz “didn’t find out the content from the newspaper.”
“You don’t have to come to Putin with a raised index finger and white doves”
She offered him a personal interview. “We always communicate respectfully and politely with one another, so I regret that the letter has not even been acknowledged. Even if I’m annoying the Chancellery – with all due respect – that should be a minimum of reaction.” Strack-Zimmermann also bickered with the long-time SPD board member Ralf Stegner on Twitter.
Strack-Zimmermann justifies her criticism of Scholz’ lack of reaction with the dramatic situation in Ukraine: “Hundreds of Ukrainians die there every day. That’s probably reason enough to give a serious answer to such a proposal and not just point out that the Chancellery would exchange information with all the actors. So the detailed information that reaches us as parliamentarians is manageable to contradictory.”
She now hopes “that nothing will happen”. And further: “You don’t have to come to Putin with just a raised index finger and white doves. Ukraine must not lose this war and Putin must know what it costs him if he sees this war as a legitimate political tool.”
Strack-Zimmermann: “Everybody’s darling is usually everybody’s idiot”
“We will not support a passive course,” continued Strack-Zimmermann, who also speaks of supporters within the Greens and SPD parliamentary groups. She doesn’t seem to worry about the personal consequences of her direct manner: “There are many things I don’t want to be, especially not everybody’s darling, because everybody’s darling is usually everybody’s dork. Incidentally, I have always found this type of politics, which only reacts to moods, to be particularly unpleasant in the case of Angela Merkel.”
Strack-Zimmermann continued to criticize the former chancellor: “Before making important decisions, the chancellor often just looked at where the social wind was blowing and based her proposed solutions accordingly. I have never been able to understand that. I think it’s important in politics to have a point of view and a goal in mind.” (cg)
Olaf Scholz caught the heat wave in Germany for his vacation – and chose Markus Söders Bavaria as his travel destination.
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