Political expert sees “self-disenchantment” of the top Greens

It doesn’t matter whether it’s heating hammer or nepotism – the dissatisfaction with the Greens is rapidly decreasing outside of the regular clientele. The party, especially in the person of Economics Minister Robert Habeck, is currently doing a lot in the field of economic policy with the topics of energy and climate. But she doesn’t always act happily. In an interview with FOCUS online, political expert Frank Brettschneider from the University of Hohenheim explains how the Greens and their top staff really are.

FOCUS online: Mr. Brettschneider, a Civey survey for FOCUS online showed that 73 percent of those questioned assessed the economic policy of the Greens in the federal government negatively. 74 percent even believe that it poses a threat to Germany as a business location. What do these figures say, especially about the federal minister responsible for economics?

Frank Brettschneider: At present, only the majority of supporters of the Greens agree with the energy and climate policy of “their” party. In the broader society, on the other hand, rejection clearly predominates. The planned ban on installing oil and gas heating systems plays a prominent role here, as does the shutdown of nuclear power plants. In addition, the high energy prices are blamed, among other things, on the politics of the Greens. However, the energy transition needs the support of the population. Habeck has a lot of work to do here – also in terms of explaining his measures and the work of persuasion.

Are the Greens now simply going through with what they promised before the election?

Board-cutter: Well, the Greens don’t govern alone. You received just 14.8 percent of the votes in the federal elections. So they can’t just pull something off. But you can see that there is a difference between the formulation of electoral programs and the practical implementation of politics. For the latter, you have to organize majorities and you have to convince the population. The Greens are currently struggling with this. And so they lose the new voters they gained in the federal elections who are not among their regular voters.

“A minister should have done his homework”

Does ideology come before expertise, as in the case of the nuclear phase-out?

Board-cutter: I would not say that. There are also good reasons for phasing out nuclear energy. Just as there are good reasons for extending the term. In the end, it’s always a matter of weighing things up. And here the Federal Greens have lost some “measure and center”. Not asserting absolute positions, but weighing and balancing the advantages and disadvantages of various actions – this is one of the reasons for Winfried Kretschmann’s success in Baden-Württemberg. This is the only way to increase the electoral potential and not to scare off new supporters right away.

Does the government participation of the Greens lead us into a good future, despite all the prophecies of doom?

Board-cutter: That cannot be said in general. Focusing on climate protection is correct. There is also broad public support for this. But the ways to more climate protection are disputed. And if a path is chosen – such as in the heating issue – then a minister should have done his homework beforehand. It also has to be handcrafted. This includes very practical questions: Where do the heat pumps come from? Who installs them? And how can that be financed? These questions should be clarified before a replacement obligation is discussed.

“At the beginning there were definitely words of praise for Habeck”

Is Habeck more climate protection than economics minister?

Board-cutter: One does not exclude the other. Climate protection technologies are already an important economic factor. Relying on innovation and inventiveness here – for example in increasing the efficiency of wind turbines – makes perfect economic sense. And with the construction of LNG terminals, which was sensationally fast by German standards, Habeck focused on the security of supply for households and companies in Germany. Since he has put climate protection aspects on the back burner. But economic policy naturally has many other facets. At the beginning of his term of office, praise for Habeck could certainly be heard from circles of business representatives. In the meantime, they have given way to a more sober tone.

Why doesn’t he counteract the public outcry with his heating hammer? Doesn’t the vote of the people count for him?

Board-cutter: In any case, parts of his ministry seem to have lost contact with the reality of life and the feelings of relevant parts of society. Oddly enough, the public outcry apparently came as a bit of a surprise to her. Added to this is the dispute in the coalition, especially with the FDP. The longer and more public such a coalition dispute is, the more difficult it is to make course corrections, because they could be interpreted as a “defeat” and a lack of assertiveness.

Self disenchantment with the Greens

How do you rate the performance of top Greens personnel in general?

Board-cutter: From the point of view of many voters, the performance leaves a lot to be desired. Above all, the expectations of Robert Habeck were very high. He also got off to a good start in his post. The new style of communication met with sympathy from many voters after the federal election. He gambled away large parts of this sympathy. Sympathy alone is not enough. It takes expertise and skill to implement projects. The threatening gas crisis at the turn of the year was mastered well, but what came afterwards was not convincing. Accordingly, Robert Habeck’s poll numbers are falling significantly. And that’s also pulling the Greens down – and Annalena Baerbock can’t absorb it either. Their stats also go down. There was a self-disenchantment.

Does Habeck already have to bury his dream of becoming a chancellor?

Board-cutter: It’s too early for funerals. There is still a long way to go before the next general election. But currently chancellor dreams are very far away for him. First of all, he has to win back the trust he has lost through hard work. And that will take time.