Dürr at Maischberger: “AfD content not good for Germany”

Dürr at Maischberger
“AfD content not good for Germany”

By Marko Schlichting
6/22/2023 3:33 am

The AfD is in high spirits and wants to nominate a candidate for chancellor before the federal elections in 2025. In the ARD talk show “Maischberger” FDP parliamentary group leader Dürr presents his AfD counterpart Chrupalla. The liberal accuses the AfD of repeatedly making contempt for democracy and parliamentarianism.

“I don’t want us to fall asleep with Olaf Scholz and then wake up with the AfD,” says publicist Wolfram Weimer at the beginning of the “Maischberger” program on Wednesday evening on ARD. Weimer, who also writes for ntv.de, criticizes the “sluggishness” of the traffic light coalition, especially with regard to the heating law, which he blames for the strengthening of the AfD. Various opinion institutes currently see up to 20 percent voter approval. RTL presenter Pinar Atalay blames the government and opposition for this: “The CDU is on a quest for meaning, and the traffic lights are bickering,” she summarizes the behavior of the two camps.

In the show, one protagonist from the traffic light coalition and one from the AfD have their say: FDP parliamentary group leader Christian Dürr and AfD chairman and parliamentary group leader Tino Chrupalla.

You can disenchant the AfD by looking very closely, explains Dürr. “The AfD keeps trying to ridicule democracy and parliamentarianism in every week of the Bundestag session,” complains the FDP politician – and gives an example: During the discussion about the heating law in the Bundestag last week, the AfD had tabled a motion but later voted against it himself.

“Let’s talk about the content,” Dürr demands. The Democrats also have different opinions, but “the content of the AfD is not good for Germany.” This also applies to the discussion about the heating law. It makes sense to dim down the choice of words a bit. “But arguing about the best way is the job of Democrats and our task in Parliament.” The FDP has succeeded in getting a technology-open law on the way.

Chrupalla wants oil and gas from Russia again

For Chrupalla, the heating law is useless. His party is also in favor of openness to technology. In the case of the AfD, however, this means oil and gas deliveries from Russia. Chrupalla: “Oil and gas are being made more expensive so that the population is forced to switch heating systems. Just three years ago we were promoting the installation of gas heating systems. Now the citizens are being forced to rip out their gas heating systems and replace them with heat pumps that are technically not in able to heat an apartment in an old building at all.” And further: “This is green ideology, and the FDP as a middle class and craftsman’s party is involved. And that’s why they are in the polls where they are.”

When Dürr pointed out that it should also be possible to install hydrogen-capable gas heaters in the future, Chrupalla countered: “We’re talking about heaters that should be replaced and that might even exist. What kind of policy is that? You can do that not offer to anyone.” In fact, many experts think little of heating with hydrogen in private households. It is said that hydrogen makes more sense for use in industry.

Dürr sharply rejected Chrupalla’s demand to use Russian gas for heating again. One should not make oneself dependent again on Russia, which is waging a war against Ukraine in violation of international law and whose soldiers are murdering people. But the moderator asks the really interesting question: How does the AfD want to get Russian gas at all? “The path to Russian gas would be to end the economic war that Habeck initiated.” Specifically, Chrupalla demands that the sanctions policy against Russia, which only 30 of 195 countries worldwide support, be ended.

Chrupalla puts Kotré’s performance into perspective

“The AfD is about acting as Putin’s harbinger in the Bundestag,” Dürr accuses Chrupalla, who rejects it. But this is not so easy. For example, shortly after the start of the Russian war of aggression, AfD MP Steffen Kotré described Ukraine as “the USA’s deployment area to destabilize Russia” and claimed that there were “biological weapons laboratories in Ukraine that are aimed against Russia”. The same Kotré allowed himself to be invited to a talk show on Russian television that year, the presenter of which called for the bombing of Dresden and Berlin.

Chrupalla justifies the behavior towards presenter Sandra Maischberger and calls the program “a talk show, just like yours”. Maischberger rightly feels attacked and sharply rejects the remark. Dürr jumps in: “In a program, Germany’s security is threatened and questioned, and you defend the appearances of your colleague on this program. I can’t see that this is in the interests of the Federal Republic of Germany and the Germans.”

And then it’s about the war in Ukraine again. While Dürr defends the West’s arms shipments to the attacked country, Chrupalla demands an end to the war, better today than tomorrow. This requires immediate peace negotiations between the USA, Ukraine and Russia, possibly with mediation from China. “Because I don’t see in any way that the arms deliveries from western Ukraine have helped Ukraine in any way,” says Chrupalla — and calls for peace negotiations that also take Russia’s interests into account.

Russia’s President Putin clearly formulated these “interests” on February 20, 2022. Ukraine had never had real statehood and was a misconstruction by the communist leader Lenin. Four days later, the Russian army tried to occupy Ukraine – and put an end to the “failure”.