FDP publishes “D-Day” paper – ex-Ampel partners outraged
Published: Thursday, Nov 28th 2024, 21:40
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The publication of a detailed paper by the FDP on the exit from the coalition government has caused outrage among the former coalition partners. SPD General Secretary Matthias Miersch accused the FDP leadership of repeatedly misleading the public and demanded an apology from party leader Christian Lindner.
Miersch criticized it as "cynical" to the Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland (RND) that the FDP used the word "D-Day" in the paper for the time of the Ampel break in their paper and described the subsequent election campaign as an "open field battle". "The FDP leadership has always denied the use of these terms," he emphasized.
FDP writes of "D-Day" and "field battle"
The phrase D-Day appears several times in the paper. It is primarily known in connection with the Second World War - on June 6, 1944, "D-Day", the Allied landings in Normandy began to liberate Europe from National Socialism. In an interview with RTL/ntv on 18 November, FDP Secretary General Bijan Djir-Sarai emphasized with regard to media reports at the time: "That's not true. This term was not used."
Djir-Sarai tried to limit the damage in Die Welt after the paper was published: "The paper was written at staff level. Nobody in the FDP leadership knew about the paper." He did not see any reason to resign.
FDP has "nothing to hide"
The FDP previously wrote on X: "We have nothing to hide." In a statement published by Djir-Sarai, it said: "We have never made a secret of the fact that without an economic turnaround, an end to the traffic light could be a possible outcome of what we call the autumn of decisions." He spoke of scandalizing the preparation for scenarios. "If the entire German media landscape was already speculating about the end of traffic lights at this point, then it is only professional to prepare for this option."
SPD leader Lars Klingbeil wrote on the X platform: "It's good that everything is slowly coming out and the citizens can get an idea." Green parliamentary group leader Britta Hasselmann also criticized on X: "A parliament is not a battlefield, and the struggle for the best ideas and concepts is part of our living democracy. This FDP should not take responsibility for our country."
The FDP has published its own paper on possible exit scenarios from the traffic light coalition after the news portal "Table.Briefings" reported on it. The eight-page document - apparently a PowerPoint presentation - is entitled "D-Day scenarios and measures".
Following the end of the coalition, initial reports had already triggered discussions about the causes and authors of the coalition break-up. "Zeit" and "Süddeutsche Zeitung" reported that scenarios for the end of the coalition had been played out in several meetings of the closest FDP leadership since the end of September - there was talk of a "script".
Discussion about the "ideal time" to leave the coalition
The paper that has now been published states, for example, that the "ideal time" and an "announced exit" from the coalition in the middle of the 45th calendar week could be between November 4 and 10. On November 6, the alliance did indeed break down - but by Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) dismissing FDP leader Lindner as finance minister at a meeting of the coalition committee.
This had previously been weighed up in the paper: The "advised exit" at this time would entail risks due to the US presidential election taking place at the same time. In order to "decouple somewhat" from this, an exit could take place at the beginning of the 45th calendar week on November 4. Other obstacles are cited in the event of a postponement: the budget committee's clean-up meeting, the planned Green Party conference and a separate party conference, which would have to be prepared and to which invitations would have to be sent.
It also sets out a "core narrative" - i.e. a main message with which the exit could be linked. Fundamental differences in economic policy between the red-green coalition and the FDP cannot be bridged by compromises. The federal government itself had become the biggest location risk. "The German people should decide in early elections which path Germany will take in the future," it continued. A prepared statement by Lindner is already included, as well as scenarios as to when, where and through which channels the break-up of the coalition could best be announced.
FDP speaks of "working paper"
The FDP describes the document as a "working paper", which was first prepared by the party's federal managing director on October 24, now published in the latest version on November 5. "This technical paper has not been the subject of political consultation between elected representatives and members of the government, but a purely internal preparation for the scenario of the FDP leaving the traffic light coalition," it says.
A battle is already raging between the SPD and FDP in particular over the extent to which the rift was provoked by one side. Lindner, for example, spoke of a "staged dismissal" by the Chancellor. Scholz indicated that he should perhaps have taken the decision to dismiss Lindner earlier.
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