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The CDU/CSU-FDP Coalition: The First 100 Days (February 4, 2010)

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Deeper Causes

The ongoing weakness of the coalition is not only attributable to the partners’ previous histories, to a coalition agreement that is full of non-decisions, or to the superfluous actions of new government members who have just achieved their dream goal. The causes lie deeper. All three coalition parties are in search of themselves. This is evident from the contours of the conflicts, which often cut across party lines. The CDU and CSU, plagued by their vanishing cohesion, are desperately trying to reinvent the Volkspartei, or the large mainstream party – and are even willing to broaden their platform, if all else fails. The CSU has not yet overcome the shock of having lost the absolute majority in Bavaria and being forced into an alliance with a party with which, unlike the Bavarian SPD, it never sympathized at all.

The FDP is doing everything in its power to move out of the niche of a special-interest party. These efforts played a central role in the string of successes it enjoyed in the lead up to the last Bundestag election. These successes are threatening to come to an end in May. This is why the “Mövenpick”* party has been particularly hurt by the low blows from SPD chairman Sigmar Gabriel. By trying to offer something for everyone, the CDU, CSU, and FDP are not only watering down their platforms, but also competing more intensely with each other than they have in the past. And this competition isn’t eliminated by the fact that the party leaders occasionally come together for a meal of steak tartar.

The Magic Formula for “Fair” Cuts

Of course, the people do not always make things easy for their leaders. They do not swear political loyalty for a lifetime or across generations. Existing social milieus are dissolving and social classes are drifting apart. At the same time, there appears to be a growing inclination to give the state responsibility for all aspects of one’s existence. Many Germans would apparently rather do without tax cuts than lose the customary levels of state-supported welfare. But even if the social welfare state didn’t need to shrink, it could still never do justice to all the people’s expectations. There has never been a government in this country that found the magic formula for “fair” cuts.

The Black-Yellow coalition still faces a crucial test. This will come after the elections in North Rhine-Westphalia, when spending cuts will have to begin. Then it will become evident whether the CDU/CSU and the FDP, despite their differing views on the roles played by the people and the state (which underlie the dispute on health insurance and tax reform), are capable of halfway consistent policies that can withstand attacks from the left. After all, these leftwing parties are their true political opponents, even if the coalition partners have differing opinions on who constitutes their political opponents, now and in the future.


* A reference to the controversial donations the FDP received from August von Finck, part owner of the Mövenpick Group – trans.



Source: Berthold Kohler, “Hundert Tage Schwarz-Gelb: Weniger als die Summe” [“One Hundred Days of Black-Yellow: Less than the Sum of Its Parts”], FAZ.NET, February 4, 2010.

Translation: Adam Blauhut

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