The wind has turned
Germany has a problem.
The second-highest tax burden in the whole of Europe, an ever-increasing shortage of trained specialists, the progressive dismantling of the key industries of mechanical engineering and automotive engineering, a recession and high inflation rates are a burden on the economy and citizens alike. There is a risk of a massive loss of the prosperity that has been created over decades. At the same time, unchecked immigration, growing clan crime, Syrian-Lebanese street battles in German cities, knife attacks and fights in outdoor pools paint a bleak picture of future coexistence in the country.
Apparently unimpressed by all this, the Green Party have continued to push ahead with their own vision of Germany’s restructuring in around one and a half years of government, flanked by organizations close to them and the media, for the most part, applauding enthusiastically.
And while our European neighbors France, Belgium, the Czech Republic and Holland continue to rely on nuclear energy, the ‘Ampel’ government shut down German nuclear power plants in the middle of an energy crisis, ramped up the coal-fired power plants and at the same time told the Germans that they could and must tackle global (!) climate change as quickly as possible installing solar panels and heat pumps in their homes.
By the middle of the year, however, patience with this type of leadership seems to have run out and if there was ever a leap of faith in the government, this is now likely to have been used up. Supported by high moral standards, a clumsy building energy law suddenly made it clear to people who should foot the bill for all their dreams at the end of the day. Dealing with one’s own electorate seems disrespectful when a controversial law such as the GEG is to be passed or – better said – approved by the elected representatives of the landlord in no time at all.
The gap between aspiration and performance is already huge for some elected officials without training and professional experience. And so the long-suffering citizens who are more loyal to the state have now realized how amateurish and withdrawn the successful industrial nation of Germany has been for years, or – if nothing changes – driven to the wall.
In view of this total failure, as a conservative politician, one can smell the dawn and prepare today for assuming political responsibility in two years at the latest. But this does not require seducers from the left or right edge of the political spectrum, i.e. from there, where the slogans always sound simple and very tempting.
It will be about regaining the trust of the people, the voters. By getting involved again in their interests. The flag no longer constantly hangs in the wind of the zeitgeist. The country’s external and internal security, a stable and affordable energy supply and infrastructure, a modern education system and well-functioning health care are guaranteed. No longer dominating the citizens with constant prohibitions, instead showing them respect for their diligence and the persistence with which they get up every morning, go to work and pay taxes with their hard-earned money. And keep the country going. Real policy of interest for the people, carried out by people with professional qualifications, based on the indispensable values of our constitution and our free and social market economy. Once things go right in our country, then it can go to saving the planet.
The quotes from the creator of the German economic miracle ‘Wirtschaftswunder’ provide wonderful inspiration for all of this. Ludwig Erhardt, who, with a doctorate in economics, was Minister for Economic Affairs and then Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany in the 1950s and 1960s, left something particularly memorable and beautiful for us:
“Prosperity and property open the way to education and knowledge.
They secure an ever broader basis for culture and civilization.”
With this in mind, I wish you all a relaxing summer.
Stay Confident.
Ernst-M. Ehrenkönig
CEO & Managing Partner
