There are remarkably clear sentences with which Daniel Günther warned his party: In the Tagesspiegel interview, Schleswig-Holstein’s Prime Minister – one of the most successful in the CDU – advised the Union to perceive immigration as something positive. He pleaded for a “sensitive language” on the issue of migration and a continuation of the “middle course” of former Chancellor Angela Merkel.
Günther apparently thought the announcement was necessary after CDU leader Friedrich Merz had described young people of Arab origin as “little pashas” and CSU regional group leader Alexander Dobrindt had warned of a “sale” of German citizenship.
The Union has been struggling for a long time with the right balance between help and hardship. The refugee crisis in 2015 and 2016 was perceived as a loss of control, and the welcoming culture under Angela Merkel was subsequently questioned. Then in 2018 the faction community between the CDU and CSU almost broke up because of a dispute about rejections at the border. Markus Söder, today CSU boss, polemicized about “asylum tourism” and later had to realize that the verbal approach to the AfD only strengthens the original.
The CDU worked on the issue of migration under short-term party leader Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer in a “workshop talk”. 2015 must not repeat itself – that is the mantra. But since then, the Union has been struggling to find a way to deal with the issue. Many are speechless. Concern about helping the AfD when raising the issue of migration is coupled with concern about being pushed into the right-wing corner for tough demands.
Friedrich Merz is also not very sure-footed on the subject. He addresses problems – for example on the subject of integration – and gets a lot of applause from his own ranks. At the same time, his choice of words overshoots the mark.
Daniel Günther, who was already decried by some in the Union as “Comrade Günther”, now recommends (his) course to the CDU: Clear positions, but sensitive language. Let go of snarky slogans that avoid extremes – rather a bit boring, but reliable.
So does the party need more Merkel course again? The party supporters love Friedrich Merz mainly because he is different from the former chancellor and shows a clear edge. The Merkel years are associated with a substantive emptying of the CDU.
But if the party wants to be able to connect with broad sections of society, then it should at least listen to Günther on this point: the content of the CDU must be clear, but it doesn’t need polemics.
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