The eternal soloist
This afternoon, Federal Finance Minister Christian Lindner (FDP) will appear at a citizens' dialogue in Essen. In these rather quiet days in terms of domestic politics, he is the figure who causes a certain amount of unrest.
My colleague Severin Weiland recently explored in a worthwhile analysis how likely it was that Lindner would collapse the coalition. My colleague's conclusion: It is certainly not unlikely that Lindner would use the foreseeable difficulties in drawing up the next budget to do just that.
Lindner has chosen his role in the traffic light himself: he is the one who repeatedly distances himself from it. He probably believes that his party's poor poll numbers are due to compromises that the coalition is demanding of him. He may also want to serve as a coalition partner for the CDU in the future.
Let's assume it was like this: Lindner wanted to get out of the traffic lights and, if possible, into a coalition with the CDU. Would it then be wise to behave the way he behaves?
Doesn't the FDP already have a reputation as an unreliable partner? The Union probably has bad memories of the government coalition it entered into with the FDP from 2009 to 2013; the mutual insults are legendary (“cucumber squad”). Then Lindner canceled the Jamaica explorations in 2017 and is now the eternal soloist in the traffic lights.
Such behavior does not recommend yourself to future partners or to voters.
More background: Lindner calls for an “update” of citizens’ money
Despondent alliance
Today the founding of NATO is to be celebrated at a ceremony at the headquarters in Brussels.
As we have long known, the anniversary will be accompanied by many concerns: What will happen if Donald Trump, who doesn't believe in NATO, becomes President of the USA? What happens if the US focuses primarily on its conflict with China? NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg made it clear in an appearance yesterday that he would like to take precautions for such or similar cases.
NATO sees itself as a community of values of free democratic states. It is characteristic of democracies to be aware of their own weaknesses. But the anniversary should now be an opportunity to be self-confident. There is a good reason for this: no state has ever dared to attack a NATO country.
Plus, it would be strategically useful. Russia, which is currently highly aggressive, can only be deterred by a sovereign NATO.
More background: Could NATO survive Trump, Mr. Boyer?
When crimes cannot be explained
True crime is popular. At the same time, the genre in which real criminal cases are retold is often criticized: People and their fates are exploited so that listeners or readers can feel comfortable and frightened.
Now there are true crime stories that are good and some that are bad. And the good stories are easy to distinguish from the bad ones. If the stories are told in such a way that generalities can be derived from them, then a useful horror arises and you learn something. But if the stories are told without a second thought, then you feel a rather useless horror.
By the way, if you like, the writers Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and Georg Büchner were also true crime authors, in the best sense of the word: the model for Gretchen in Goethe's "Faust" was a real child murderer. And a real murder case served Büchner as a model for his famous drama fragment “Woyzeck”. The real murderer was even called Johann Christian Woyzeck.
With his literary character Gretchen, Goethe succeeded in pointing out the social ostracism of women who became pregnant out of wedlock. Büchner, in turn, used his drama to draw attention to the connection between crime and the humiliating conditions in a class society.
But again and again there are criminal cases in which one struggles for explanations, actually longs for them, because the sheer facts leave one completely at a loss.
For example, I feel the same way when very young people kill children.
The verdict in the case of the killed six-year-old Joel is expected today at the Neubrandenburg regional court. The defendant is a 14-year-old at the time of the crime. He is accused of stabbing the victim multiple times in September 2023.
Perhaps the defendant will take the opportunity to explain himself today. But maybe not. According to dpa, he is said to have remained mostly silent so far.
More background: Killed six-year-old – accused teenager released from custody
Read the current SPIEGEL editorial here
Outrage alone is no longer enough:
The rocket attack on aid workers in Gaza makes it clear: Israel is disregarding the humanitarian norms of war. The partners, especially the USA, must put more pressure on the Netanyahu government.
Click here for the current daily quiz
The starting question today: Who was the third Federal President in the history of the Federal Republic of Germany?
Winner of the week…
...is Stefan Raab. A few days ago, the former TV entertainer indicated on Instagram that he would take part in another boxing match against former world champion Regina Halmich. Tickets for the event sold out quickly.
Experts see this as a sign of how great the longing for Raab still is. The Cologne native was the defining figure of private television from the early 1990s until his departure from television in 2015.
Entertainment is more sophisticated than its reputation. In this respect, Raab has worked hard for his success. But entertainment is also a matter of taste.
I myself don't feel any longing - neither for the time that Raab represented nor for the attitude he stood for. Die Zeit once portrayed him as a man whose principle was not to take anything seriously. And that's how I remember him.
I know it sounds morally sour, but I'll say it anyway and mean it less as a reproach to Raab himself - because he only made one offer - than to those who enjoyed his attitude: not taking anything seriously was one typical attitude back then. We are paying the price for it today.
More about the Raab comeback: Let the nipples rest!
The latest reports from the night
Russia warns France against sending troops to Ukraine:
It was their first phone call in a year and a half: Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu called his French counterpart Sébastien Lecornu. The sound was apparently rather clear.
AfD top candidate suggests MP Bystron not to appear:
Petr Bystron is suspected of having received payments from Moscow - which the AfD politician denies. Nevertheless, clear calls are now coming from within our own party.
NGO boss accuses Israel of "systematic" killing of international aid workers:
Seven employees of World Central Kitchen were killed in Gaza. Now boss Jose Andres is making accusations: Israel was informed about the aid convoy - and yet destroyed "car after car."
I would particularly like to recommend this text to you today:
Elan tired fair boxer
: Two of the most famous monsters in cinema history meet in the new film “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire”. My colleague David Kleingers is not convinced. He describes the Warner Brothers creation as a “digital terminal moraine of a blockbuster cinema that has no ambition.” His review is probably more entertaining than the film.
I wish you a good start to the day.
Yours, Susanne Beyer, author of the editor-in-chief