Are they still true to themselves or are they bending too much?

Arms deliveries, reactivation of coal-fired power plants, the construction of liquid gas terminals – the Greens have recently had to make many compromises in government. Now they are still confronted with Olaf Scholz’ decision to let all three nuclear power plants (NPPs) still on the grid run temporarily. At the party congress, the Greens had voted for the operational reserve of only two nuclear power plants. Are the Greens still staying true to themselves or are they bending too far, we asked the Handelsblatt readership?

“The Greens should ‘bend’ even more and commit themselves less to green ideology at the moment,” says one reader. Another writes: “The normative power of the facts has reached the Greens.” It is easy to demand and criticize, but if you act, you have to take responsibility for the consequences.

So some would like even more “pragmatism and less ideology”, as one reader put it. Others think the Greens are already doing a good job. “They are able to adapt to the realities without losing sight of the actual goals,” says one reader.

However, one reader also believes that many voters are now turning away from the Greens as a result of past decisions. “Also because nothing is happening with the blockades of renewables.”

We have put together a selection for you from the letters from the Handelsblatt readers.

irony of history

“A head of the Communist Party ended Soviet communism, a CDU chancellor the lifetime of the nuclear power plants, green coalition members feel compelled to do the opposite of what their ideology actually demands: upgrade and extend lifetimes. That is the irony of the story, which is enjoyable to observe on closer inspection. And: It makes sense.”
Volker Krobisch

The Greens’ business model is unrealistic

“I think the Greens’ business model is unrealistic, if not dishonest. In reality, you can’t make politics with what they promise. If they govern anyway, the least that can be expected of them is that they don’t totally deny reality. The fact that the Greens are having such a hard time continuing to operate the three remaining nuclear power plants shows the extent of their denial of reality.”
Angelica Brendel

Act in the interests of the citizens

“Realpolitik means acting in the interests of the citizens who elected them. That means sometimes making decisions that don’t correspond to your own ideas, but without forgetting your values. That’s exactly what the Greens do. Respect.”
Egon Wiedekind

The Greens’ social target is unclear

“The social target (economy, ecology, social issues) of the Greens would have to be brought to light in order to make clear the consequences for companies and citizens on the way there.

The acid test of the Greens’ ability to govern is their handling of nuclear energy: According to the Chancellor’s letter of October 17, 2022, the power operation of the three nuclear power plants still in operation is to be permitted until April 15, 2023 at the latest. From an energy and climate policy point of view, the extended power operation is nothing more than a risk-reducing measure, since electricity produced with nuclear power contributes to the continuous power supply and thus to security of supply in a largely CO2-neutral manner. If the risks persist on April 15, 2023, the conditions for shutting down the nuclear power plants would not be met and they would consequently have to remain connected to the grid. The Greens would have to support such a decision.

A government and the parties involved in it should constantly and carefully balance the demands placed on the economy, ecology and society, otherwise there is a risk of social upheaval. If the Greens don’t do this, they are simply promoting interest-based politics for certain groups. Such a party is designed for permanent disputes, since its social target is not capable of consensus.”
Sebastian Heckler

>> Read about this: Word of power from Scholz splits the Greens

The Greens missed an opportunity

“My husband recently said to me: The Greens have missed an opportunity: instead of arguing with the FDP, they could have offered the nuclear power plant runtime extension if the FDP had agreed to a speed limit (to save energy) in return.”
Regina Patel

Bend even more

“The Greens should ‘bend’ even more and commit themselves less to green ideology at the moment. We are effectively at war with our sanctions against Russia and arms supplies to Ukraine. Unfortunately, we have shot ourselves in the foot so badly that we can no longer afford to do without any immediately available energy source if we do not want to massively deindustrialize and drive out the price-driving speculators on the energy markets.

Basically, things are not going badly for the Greens, because massive investments are now being made in renewables such as wind, sun and hydrogen, because this is the only way we can be relatively energy self-sufficient in the future. Being offended doesn’t help!”
Thomas Staggemeier

Don’t bend, just wake up

“The Greens don’t need to bend down, just wake up. The realities of government call for pragmatism and less ideology. And then competent, trained and experienced staff at the top help, which this feel-good party completely lacks. The whole dilemma of our society between entitlement and wishful thinking as well as the educational misery becomes clear in the Greens.”
Alexander Socher

Far away from realities

“The Greens are far from reality and a final analysis of consequences on many issues. The current decision should be to let all six nuclear power plants continue to run or to bring them back to the grid as quickly as possible – including all hard coal and lignite power plants. The reduction in gas-fired power generation alone would justify this. This until at least 2025, in order to examine resilient and technology-open alternatives during this time, taking into account timelines including approval and objection processes as well as the availability of materials and work capacities, and to define realistic processing.

If this is done honestly, it should also become clear to the green hardliners that 50,000 wind turbines and thousands of square meters of solar systems cannot be built in two to five years and that the availability of sun and wind cannot be ordered.”
Tammo Voigt

welcome to reality

“One could perhaps also describe it like this: the normative power of the facts has reached the Greens. It’s easy to challenge and criticize. But if the demands are turned into action, you also have to take responsibility for the consequences, and then you realize: Greens also have to eat, heat and may even have a need for mobility that goes beyond the cargo bike.

It’s certainly hype to broadcast the image of the crocheting/knitting woman from the convention on all channels as long as it’s taking place in the perfectly heated convention center. What would that look like in the unheated living room of an unemployed person who can no longer pay the gas bill? Welcome to reality.”
Siegfried Breyer

Adjust to the realities

“The Greens are doing a very good job in government. You are able to adapt to the realities without losing sight of the actual goals. They wrestle with themselves, explain themselves, admit mistakes and correct themselves when necessary. That’s what I expect from a ruling party.
The ministers – especially Baerbock (!) and Habeck – are doing a good job.”
Martin Eckhardt

Poison for the German economy

“The chancellor’s critics can now redirect their criticism to his deputy. The chancellor hesitates when it’s wise. He decides when it is necessary. The interests of the Greens in terms of climate protection may be noble, but their demands in this crisis are poisonous for the German economy. The Economics Minister acts in a non-business manner. Dangerous!”
Helmut Turner

Our podcast episode on the topic: Did the Greens draw red lines too early in the nuclear power plant dispute?

Can’t stay true to themselves

“Of course, the Greens are not staying true to themselves in this world situation, they can’t do that at all. They, too, have to bow to pragmatic solutions. But the thing about the nuclear power plants is the biggest toad they have to swallow. And the FDP still accuses them of ideology. I see this more in the FDP.

Many voters will now turn their backs on the Greens. Also because nothing is happening with the blockades of renewables.”
Heinz Schwalb

Other ways to express yourself

“I think it’s good that the Greens support these solutions. But there are many other ways to live out being a green person, also to compensate for these decisions. But unfortunately there is no sign of that at all.”
Rudiger Loerch

Face facts and reality

“The party members who are not ideologically stubborn cannot help but face reality after careful consideration. Creating peace without weapons doesn’t work in Ukraine, energy production without fossil fuels and nuclear power doesn’t yet exist in sufficient form.

You don’t deny your goals if you can’t implement them directly. Instead, the Greens should raise the funds required for the conversion instead of delaying the energy conversion via three existing nuclear power plants or crows threatened by wind turbines.”
Carsten Kayatz

If you would like to have your say on this topic in the Handelsblatt, write us a comment, either by e-mail [email protected] or on Instagram at @handelsblatt.

More: Does the FDP have to reconsider their role in the traffic light coalition? The Handelsblatt readership debated this last week.