Instead of sticking together, people now gather together in disobedience
We have to say goodbye to the beloved concept of climate glue: the activists of the last generation no longer want to cling to the asphalt and block roads.
It's not just annoyed drivers and police officers armed with cooking oil who will be happy about this news. Two years after the first blockade, understanding of such actions has continued to decline among the general population. The group did not really advance climate protection in this way.
Of course, the Last Generation does not want their change of strategy to be seen as an admission of the failure of their previously preferred form of protest. She prefers to talk about the “next chapter” or a “new era” of resistance.
The formula for this is now above all: “disobedient assemblies”. The activists do not explain what exactly is behind it. It remains to be seen whether the movement, which has recently become tired, will gain new momentum again.
Resistance to actions of the last generation: "They disrupt the illusion that you can continue your life as before"
The next household drama is sure to come
What is happening in the Bundestag this week should have been done months ago. The budget for 2024 was already in the parliamentary process last year. Then the Federal Constitutional Court intervened - and the traffic light had a double-digit billion dollar hole to fill. The anger that lasted for weeks is well known.
But now: The final discussions on the budget for the long-running year begin today. At the start, FDP Finance Minister Christian Lindner will almost certainly praise his figures as a masterpiece, then the MPs will debate the budgets of each individual ministry. The vote will take place on Friday.
So everything is back to normal? Hardly, because after the budget is before the budget, and that's where the next drama starts. There is also apparently a huge gap in the budget for next year - we are talking about 15, 25 or even more than 30 billion euros. Depending on how well the estimator means with the traffic light.
You don't have to be a clairvoyant: the debate about the sense and nonsense of the debt brake is likely to pick up steam again soon.
Graphics on the 2024 federal budget: This is where the traffic light spends money – and this is where it saves money
Who is on strike today?
The train drivers are driving again, the bus and tram drivers want to go on strike on Friday - there is still a small strike window for other professional groups this week. The more than 20,000 doctors at the university hospitals use this today.
Among other things, they want 12.5 percent more salary per year and higher bonuses for regular night, weekend and public holiday work. Three rounds of negotiations with the states have so far failed, and the Marburg Federation has now called for a warning strike at 23 university hospitals nationwide.
The doctors' union and clinics promise: All emergencies will be taken care of. However, less acute or planned treatments and operations are likely to be postponed. So keep this in mind if you're considering going to a university clinic today: You can get there without a car, but you probably won't be able to get there.
Stalled reform: Federal Council and Bundestag want to negotiate hospital transparency
The votes of the AfD candidate
I need to straighten something out. Yesterday it was stated here that the AfD candidate for the district administrator position in the Saale-Orla district, Uwe Thrum, had received 1,753 more votes in the first round of voting than in the runoff election. The opposite is the case, he got more votes in the runoff than in the first round, and that's exactly what I wanted to write. But I didn't, and so the passage seemed contradictory. Ultimately, I wanted to show that people are not turning away from the AfD because tens of thousands are demonstrating against right-wing extremism.
Thank you to everyone who pointed out the error to me.
Read the current SPIEGEL editorial here
Why UN Secretary General Guterres should resign:
Employees of the UN Palestinian Relief Agency were apparently involved in the Hamas massacre on October 7th. The UN Secretary General lacks the credibility to clear up the scandal. He has to vacate his place.
Click here for the current daily quiz
The starting question today: Who became Israeli Foreign Minister at the beginning of January 2024?
Loser of the day...
...is Marco Buschmann. The FDP Minister of Justice received mail from more than 100 well-known women from politics, culture and business. They do not want to accept that Germany – along with other member states – is blocking a directive in the EU to protect women against violence.
Buschmann's house believes that the Commission's proposal is not compatible with European law (read more about the background here). The women see it differently and complain that the minister's team doesn't even take the time to talk to them.
Gender-specific violence: More than 100 prominent women turn against Justice Minister Buschmann
The latest reports from the night
Union welcomes government plans to protect the Federal Constitutional Court:
The traffic light wants to prevent the AfD from having influence on the Federal Constitutional Court. According to a media report, the Union is open to a debate about a possible change to the Basic Law.
The US military apparently recognized an enemy drone too late:
a misjudgment could have played a role in the deadly attack by pro-Iranian militias on a US base in Jordan. Washington emphasizes that it is not seeking war with Iran, but wants to respond "appropriately."
German museum director denigrates Florence as a "prostitute":
She actually wanted to point out the problems of mass tourism in Florence - but a German museum director used a wrong tone. Now it is facing sharp criticism from the highest political circles.
The SPIEGEL+ recommendations for today
How artificial intelligence is supposed to monitor companies around the world:
The German supply chain law has triggered a new AI boom. Start-ups promise to check millions of suppliers in real time - without any annoying bureaucracy. What good is the technology?
How to beat the winter blues:
Stanford psychologist Kari Leibowitz researched winter depression in Tromsø, Norway, and experienced a surprise. How she learned to love the dark season.
When rewards make sense in parenting:
“If you clean up now, you’ll get an ice cream”: Are such promises good and helpful or inadmissible manipulation? And what does that do to children? A psychologist answers the most important questions and gives tips.
A car like a room in a design hotel:
With the Peugeot E-3008, the Stellantis Group is launching its first model on a platform developed for electric cars. The result appears avant-garde. However, there is still some room for technical compromises.
Have a good start to the day.
Heartfelt,
Yours, Philipp Wittrock, head of duty in Los Angeles