The federal government has to bring out the heavy artillery in order to prematurely send the gas levy, which has not yet taken effect, into the "Annals of History" (Robert Habeck) and instead to get back on the offensive with the gas price brake in the fight against the acute energy crisis.
The fact that far more money has to be raised for this than planned is the material side of this operation.
But the rhetoric also had to be upgraded so that the fund, which the Scholz-Lindner-Habeck trio presented on Thursday, stood up to the Basic Law.
The constitution only allows detours around the debt brake if the state had no influence on the cause.
For this, Olaf Scholz and Christian Lindner put forward the “energy war” that Russia is waging against Germany.
In fact, Germany can do nothing for this war, even if it must be considered criminally negligent that this state did not correct its one-sided dependence on a Russia that has been behaving more aggressively for years, but, on the contrary, pursued it offensively.
But the shock waves that this war is sending to Germany are forcing the government to turn around again.
Where is the incentive to save now?
The gas levy was conceived when Germany was in danger of running out of gas.
It was the right instrument to encourage people to save.
Now the stores are full again, but the prices are exploding.
So it's not a good idea to add a surcharge to the gas price.
The trick now will be to set the price brake in such a way that saving is still worthwhile - not easy given that current consumption is above the average for normal years despite the crisis.
The traffic light coalition has to be accused of not helping the citizens to understand what the hour has come.
Olaf Scholz has now pulled the ripcord.
Too late?
The fourth relief package comes before the third is ready.
This coalition keeps us in suspense.