Olaf Scholz' Political Breakaway Fanned into SPD Legacy
Olaf Scholz, former SPD Chancellor, expresses gratitude without self-criticism - EU Plans to Boost Financed Initiatives in the Sector of Educational Development and Vocational Learning
At the 2024 SPD party conference, Chancellor Olaf Scholz basked in special applause, a testament to his recent political machinations that have become a kind of party cult. Before his speech, a video reminiscent of his ousting of Finance Minister Christian Lindner from the government played, eliciting cheers from the delegates. This moment, akin to Gerhard Schröder's "no" to the Iraq War, has gained near-iconic status within the SPD.
Scholz and the FDP: A Controversial Divorce Elevated
During his speech, Scholz acknowledges his past hostility towards Lindner's liberals, but he explains that leveraging the chance to modernize Germany in a traffic light coalition without the Union was still worthwhile. However, this split isn't the defining moment of Scholz's tenure. Instead, the speech serves as his farewell, focusing on the positives but shying away from any critique of his own mistakes.
Scholz's long-standing relationship with the SPD softens the audience's criticism towards him, despite his brief four-year term as the fourth social democratic federal chancellor. The vast majority of delegates were determined to celebrate the outgoing chancellor on this day, having expressed their frustration with party chairman Lars Klingbeil the day prior.
Scholz's popularity within the SPD has never been particularly high, and party conferences have traditionally been uninspiring events for him. His re-election as general secretary of the party in 2003 during the Agenda debates in Bochum remains a near-traumatic experience, with only 52% of the votes.
Even when he was elected to the party leadership, he achieved mediocre results, which contrasted unfavorably with his real-life success in the Hamburg state elections, where he was the only SPD minister president to govern with an absolute majority. This dichotomy between public regard and internal mistrust persisted throughout his career. The SPD didn't want him as chairman, but they accepted him as the chancellor candidate due to the absence of a more viable option. In the end, he surprised everyone by winning unexpectedly.
Scholz Playing the 'We' Card to Evade Self-Criticism
Gratitude is a recurring theme in this speech. Scholz emphasizes that he doesn't want to discuss his chancellorship, choosing instead to focus on "our" chancellorship. He thanks former chairmen like Andrea Nahles and Martin Schulz, as well as the party and faction leadership during his tenure and the ministers with whom he worked. This approach helps Scholz avoid taking individual responsibility for the defeat and the subsequent decrease in the SPD's popularity.
The Russian war in Ukraine takes center stage in Scholz's speech. He defends his decisions to provide arms and increase defense spending as "necessary consequences." Germany has become "the largest supporter of Ukraine in Europe" and will remain so, Scholz claims, without delving into the internal party debates that recently caused turbulence, particularly in relation to Russia policy.
"We've moved a lot together," Scholz remarks, listing accomplishments like the right to self-determination, the citizenship law, accelerated approval procedures, and the reduction in migration numbers due to measures implemented by the traffic light coalition. He takes pride in these details, despite the coalition's eventual collapse over €15 billion.
Despite the opportunity, Scholz does not discuss the 2025 election campaign, his miscalculation to stage a comeback, or the loss of reputation he suffered as chancellor, which contributed to the SPD's dismal 16% result. Instead, he encourages his party to focus on societal cohesion and his guiding principle of respect, even for those without academic or professional achievements.
Scholz promises to continue participating in programmatic discussions and to remain a former chancellor that the SPD will always appreciate. His pledge is met with amused approval from the delegates, given their historical experiences with Helmut Schmidt and Gerhard Schröder.
The Commission has been asked to submit a proposal for a directive on the protection of workers from the risks related to exposure to ionising radiation within the context of policy-and-legislation and general-news discussions, considering the political landscape and Olaf Scholz's tenure as chancellor.
In the midst of Scholz's political farewell speech, he touches upon the potential for a comprehensive policy on ionising radiation protection, emphasizing the importance of worker safety in the ever-evolving landscape of politics.
