Difficult times for Germany, many people miss the Angela Merkel era. A time celebrated by all, Olaf Scholz it is ever closer to the abyss. A phase of confusion that resulted in crisis to the limits of irreversibility. The effects are there for all to see, starting with the street protests involving farmers, truck drivers and other categories in the sector. And there are those who look to the future, ready to dismiss the chancellor to make room for the politician most loved by Germans, according to polls in hand.
Germany ended its 2023 in recession, but there are many data with a minus sign. The main factor is certainly the dramatic increase in energy costs: the sanctions against Russia have hurt, very badly, Berlin. Hence the disaster. gross domestic product down by 0.3 percent, industry in difficulty, employment in the manufacturing sector in sharp decline and so on. The ECB rate hike has further weakened an already fragile system, but the main accusation leveled at Scholz is the confirmation of the austerity policy. However, the economy represents only part of the chancellor’s problems.
Strikes and protests they give a good idea of the government’s difficulties. The demonstrations of farmers and truck drivers are paralyzing the country and there are other categories ready to fold their arms, just think of the threats from doctors. Leaving aside the blatant protests from farmers and the transport sector, Scholz’s green policies have come under fire, starting with the abolition of tax breaks on diesel fuel and the limited investments in infrastructure such as roads and bridges. This is the largest social protest in the country since the post-war period and no one has yet seen the light at the end of the tunnel.
Whoever asks for Scholz’s head can count on surveys impressive. Only 4 percent of Germans believe that the country’s economic situation is destined to improve in the short term. But above all, two out of three Germans reject the actions of the traffic light coalition and the chancellor. The usual alarms of the return of Nazism in reference to the AfD are of no use, which according to the findings of specialized institutes stands at 22 percent, thanks to its ability to intercept the people’s discontent.
Discontent with Scholz’s actions is also palpable within the SPD. According to what was reported by the Seuddeutsche Zeitung (Sz), there are those who are thinking of a possibility handover with the most popular defense minister, Boris Pistorius. The chancellery would be “irretrievably lost” according to prominent party figures. The climate is well demonstrated by a parliamentarian who spoke of a situation similar to the Titanic in which “the band is still playing, the iceberg is already in sight, ‘but nobody does anything'”. In addition to the critical issues already mentioned, Scholz would be accused of not being empathetic and combative enough.