Social democrats express alarm over growing social populism trends
In a surprising turn of events, the local Christian Democrats (CDU) in Oberhausen have taken a different stance on the citizen's income law compared to the CDA, the CDU's labor wing, under its federal chairman Karl-Josef Laumann.
The mediation committee of the Bundestag and Bundesrat agreed on changes to the citizen's income law in November 2022. These changes aim to provide more incentives for further training, less bureaucracy, and clear guidelines for participation. The CDA described these changes as a "sensible reform," while the exact nature of the CDU's stance in Oberhausen remains unclear.
Denise Horn, the SPD faction's spokesperson for education and social policy, has expressed her confusion over the CDU's about-face on the issue of citizen's income. She stated that there is no evidence of mass dismissals due to the introduction of citizen's income, contradicting the local CDU's proposal to withdraw support from recipients after three months if they miss three months of job interviews or refuse reasonable work.
The changes to the citizen's income law also include reducing waiting periods and lowering asset thresholds, which could potentially help more people receive the basic security they need. However, it is questionable whether a complete withdrawal of support would be constitutional, especially in cases where children are involved, as it could lead to absolute hardship.
In 2023, approximately 5.5 million people received citizen's income, with around 3.9 million being of working age. Despite claims that citizen's income does not incentivize work, the number of people newly receiving basic security due to job loss has reached an all-time low, suggesting that the policy may be having the opposite effect.
It is important to note that a small fraction of the 200,000 cases where benefits were reduced are 'total refusers,' and the exact number of 'total refusers' is not accurately recorded.
The local Christian Democrats' statement regarding citizen's income triggered a reaction from the SPD city council faction, leading to a debate on the future of social policies in Oberhausen. As the situation continues to evolve, it will be interesting to see how the CDU in Oberhausen justifies their stance and whether they align more closely with the CDA's position in the future.
The ongoing debate in Oberhausen, sparked by the local Christian Democrats' (CDU) stance on the citizen's income law, has shifted the focus to policy-and-legislation in local politics. As the CDU and their labor wing, the CDA, hold differing views on this matter, the general news has been abuzz with speculation about the CDU's future alignment, particularly in relation to the federal chairman Karl-Josef Laumann's CDA.
In the midst of this debate, the exact nature of the CDU's stance remains unclear, with the SPD faction's spokesperson for education and social policy, Denise Horn, expressing confusion. The proposed withdrawal of support after three months for citizen's income recipients who miss interviews or refuse work, contrasts with the changes agreed upon in the citizen's income law, which aim to provide incentives for further training and reduce bureaucracy.
