First of all, for my international readers: the first debate in the Bundestag following the summer recess is the general debate on the budget.
This debate has always been used as an opportunity for the opposition to take stock of the government’s policies over the past year. In keeping with tradition, the leader of the opposition is the first to speak, and the Chancellor responds.
The first speaker: Alice Weidel, who is the leader of the opposition and is therefore entitled to open the proceedings. And I would like to emphasise that, whilst such events did have a certain entertainment value, this was not enough to prompt private bloggers to get involved.
She speaks very slowly. She explains that all the federal government’s tax revenue goes towards social spending and interest payments, leaving no room for manoeuvre, no funding for research, nothing at all, whilst deindustrialisation is on the rise. Every month, Germany loses 12,000 jobs in industry (which means a total of 36,000 are lost, as service providers and suppliers are no longer needed).
She then goes on to discuss the latest election results: “And my dear colleagues from the CDU – I can see you from here, and I can hear heckling and even protests – let me tell you one thing: take a look at your colleagues to your left and right; one of them will no longer be sitting there in the next parliamentary term once Friedrich Merz has finished with them.”
That one had gone down a treat, as we found out later, but Merz was really pissed off. Really pissed off.
She went on to explain that immigration continues unabated; more than 1 million refugees, whose asylum applications have been rejected more than once, are living in Germany – what on earth are they doing here? She went on to explain the consequences of mass migration: crime, and hatred towards Germans and Christians, who are also forced to support them.
She then goes on to discuss the US’s diplomatic efforts with Ukraine, which are being undermined by the Federal Government. Next comes the energy transition and its dramatic consequences, which are costing Germany money and crushing and driving away industry.
Former SPD voters are now said to be voting for the AfD. Only 30,000 people now work at BASF, the lowest figure since 1959. Germany’s small and medium-sized enterprises are dying out. There is criticism of the industry’s management for having curried favour with politicians and exported jobs.
Then comes the gas crisis. I hardly dare go into the details, because no gas has been stored in the reservoirs, so we will have to buy it at the daily market price – which will be sky-high; I agree with Ms Weidel on this point.
Next come the people who are wanted on arrest warrants and/or deportation orders; they receive the basic income. Meanwhile, three-quarters of basic income recipients are foreigners, most of whom do not have the right of residence.
We move on to the issue of avoiding a change in policy, payments to NGOs, development aid, etc. Weidel explains that we must put a stop to abuse, deport illegal immigrants and criminals, rein in the runaway welfare state, lower energy prices and restore security of supply with Russia’s help.
Then there’s the election in Saxony-Anhalt, Merz’s daft reaction, and so on.
The message didn’t get through.
See also: https://www.tagesschau.de/video/video-1645802.html, accessed on 9 September 2026 and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M3T3A2baHQ4
Next came the defence put forward by the distinguished Chancellor. I shall merely transcribe that too; I haven’t heard it in full yet either, but I reckon I’ll have to quote from it more extensively.
Oh my goodness, he starts off with, ‘Ms Weidel, yes, today you can hardly walk for sheer strength’. Well then. Let’s carry on… We’re at 28 seconds into the linked video and have got through the opening pleasantries, just to give you some context.
The AfD achieved an election result that was remarkable in every respect, but Merz points out the party’s sinister intentions, and notes that the AfD failed to achieve its actual election objective: 56 per cent of voters did not vote for the AfD.
The AfD’s Federal Executive Committee is said to have urged the party’s lead candidate to commit electoral fraud by telling Siegmund to look for a coalition partner (goodness me, that’s the most normal thing in the world in the Federal Republic of Germany). You can hear the MPs laughing in the background; I’d probably have laughed at that too.
Merz then goes on to say that the AfD does not have an absolute majority and will not achieve one either. You can then hear more laughter in the background, and I have a hunch as to why.
“You are, and you will remain, Ms Weidel, a destructive force,” boomed the distinguished Chancellor.
See also: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M3T3A2baHQ4, accessed on 9 September 2026 (note that I was able to watch Weidel’s speech in full on Tagesschau, but not Merz’s. Goodness me, he’s really done… and we’re only at 2:09 out of 29:16), and I’ll leave the stream up here; otherwise it’ll be too much to bear.
Then Ms Klöckner from the CDU – who, as Speaker of the Bundestag, should have acted impartially but, unfortunately, is notoriously failing to do so – steps in. Unworthy, but never mind. We’re at 2:57 in this Welt upload.
Merz supports Ukraine. So he’d rather risk war with Russia. Right, so that’s that sorted.
Merz claims that nobody has threatened Russia. One can make that claim, but how did all these NATO military bases end up on Russia’s borders? And for what purpose? I’m just asking.
3:55 into Merz’s speech. I’ve already had absolutely enough of it.
The only thing threatening Russia, he said, was the appeal of democracy, and Ukraine had been on the path to democracy.
My note: Exactly. Because they are – and were – so democratic, they had their own people shot on the Maidan. And those same ‘heroes’ then had their Russian-speaking neighbours stripped naked and tied to the nearest lampposts, where they were publicly spat on and tortured, bound with cling film. This was regarded as vigilante justice against alleged looters or agents, and was not prosecuted.
See also: https://www.wsws.org/de/articles/2022/03/23/ukr–m23.html
I’m lost for words as to just how much Ukraine disgusts me. That’s no way to treat people. You don’t tie them up naked to the nearest lamppost, even if you think they’ve violated the UN Charter. They’re human beings! Even Russians are human beings!
4:09 into Merz’s speech. I’m so disgusted. Never mind, let’s carry on.
He’s rambling on about a European, democratic family that’s supposedly the problem for Putin. Eh? And that’s exactly where the divide (‘the deep rift’) lies, and the AfD is Russia’s lackey.
Proof? The Chancellor doesn’t need that, so ‘trust me, mate’.
I’m at 5:29 now. I’ll carry on tomorrow.
It’s tomorrow now. So, carry on.
Oh, you’ve no idea… 4 August 2026, that ominous drone in Leipzig… And you can hear the laughter and grumbling in the chamber. Many CDU MPs must have wished they could sink into a hole. “Not a word from you, Ms Weidel, about what happened at Leipzig Airport on 4 August. Are they laughing about it? (Note: well, of course, what else? It’s utterly ridiculous.) A clear conclusion, which you are aware of (Note: who drew it? And why?), that this attack was planned over many months in Russia, was specifically directed against Germany, and that it was only by pure chance that more extensive damage to property and personal injury were prevented.”
It’s now 5.59 and this speech by the Chancellor is the most embarrassing I’ve ever heard.
He goes on to complain about poor cyber security, security in general, blaming the Russians, and the AfD. He says the AfD makes elected representatives look ridiculous and mocks political institutions.
What he doesn’t say is that his party has been in government for a total of 52 years since the Federal Republic was founded 77 years ago. Of the 36 years that have passed since reunification, the CDU has been the ruling party for a full 32 years. But it’s the AfD’s fault. And the Russians’. Of course.
He continues at 7.35. A polite round of applause; he says we must continue to protect ourselves, then it occurs to him that we must also protect the people, the population – an interjection: ‘from them’ – then continue to protect them, blah blah blah, and that’s what the special fund is there for, after which he moves on to the forest fires and climate change.
Yep. The footage then shows MPs from the AfD parliamentary group, shaking their heads in disbelief.
Then he explains that he was criticised because he wasn’t immediately at one of the locations – interjection: they were on holiday for four weeks, that can’t be true – but that he had liaised with the Minister-President of North Rhine-Westphalia and also with the district administrator, blah blah blah, thanks to the emergency services.
Goodness me, it’s only 10:18, and it goes on until 29:16. And I have to listen carefully, and watch this misery too, but it doesn’t help – on we go.
Security again – that needs to be improved. People expect protection from internal and external threats, and they want to do something about it, but that would require economic growth. He hadn’t heard anything about that from Weidel. Probably because he hasn’t washed his ears, but what do I know?
The Chancellor is patting himself on the back because economic growth this year stands at 1.3 per cent, something he hadn’t expected until next year. He really thinks he’s brilliant. And he wants to keep pushing through reforms and blah blah blah. In all seriousness, he’s praising himself for economic growth that is based almost entirely on government spending and defence expenditure, and he thinks his cruel reforms are absolutely brilliant. He also says he’ll give some thought to the fate of long-term contributors to the pension system.
At least, at 13:45, he admits that shutting down the nuclear power stations might not have been the CDU’s brightest idea after all. He says the order of events was wrong. And that they’re being quite active on this front and taking action – interjection: what exactly? – they’ve issued permits and approvals.
14:40 Gas supply. Naturally, they are keeping a close eye on the levels in the gas storage facilities. That may well be the case, but normally at this time of year the level is between 88 per cent and 95 per cent, not below 55 per cent. The Minister for Economic Affairs would be doing exactly the right thing in consultation with the Federal Government, but ‘publicly calling for a frantic rush to buy’ would drive up prices.
Yeah, right. I need a cigarette and a schnapps.
Even complete laymen who know nothing about it – like me; I work in IT, though I’ve also worked in a gas storage facility – can see that the bloke is talking utter nonsense. Stock levels are lower than ever before since records began, and the injection rates – at around 0.27 PP per day – are neither outstanding nor impressive, but rather below average. Then you have to realise that not all the gas stored there actually belongs to the Federal Republic, because some of the storage capacity is simply leased out. And one thing is certain: gas is at its most expensive in winter.
Anyway, what time we are? 15:16. And the good news is, we’re more than halfway there. The gas supply is secure. Immediately afterwards, he explains that they are working on a strategy for its use in AI. They want to implement this, and businesses are involved; data centres have been built. (99 have been planned, 41 of which are under construction).
The head of the German Confederation of Skilled Crafts, Jörk Dittrich, reportedly informed the BuReg that labour costs in Germany were too high, that the costs of bureaucracy were unsustainable, and that taxes were also too high.
Merz then actually draws a parallel between the craft trades – with their problems of rampant bureaucracy and far too high labour costs – and the AfD’s call for remigration. It is now 17:59 and I must quote again.
“But ladies and gentlemen in the skilled trades, there are also millions of people from migrant backgrounds working in this sector. And if what you are advocating here were to become reality – namely ‘remigration’, which is nothing other than ethnic cleansing based on trade (?), skin colour and origin (great commotion in the chamber) – nothing else, ladies and gentlemen: the term ‘remigration’ is nothing other than a synonym for ethnic cleansing based on origin and skin colour.”
Yes, that’s exactly what he said. Not only is he insinuating that the AfD wants to deprive the skilled trades of their tradespeople by deporting them, but he is also accusing them of the worst war crime imaginable.
I personally find the AfD far too lenient. I want the practice of Islam to be banned. I would do this within the framework of existing laws: a total ban on face coverings, marriage only from the age of 18, imposing the most severe penalties on anyone acting as a justice of the peace, no Islamic schools, only pork, bread and vegetables in canteens and nurseries, a ban on halal slaughter, etc. Above all: no social security benefits for Muslims. None at all, unless they have personally paid into the system beforehand.
The AfD wants to deport criminals and illegal immigrants; I want to get rid of them all. In my view, crossing the border illegally is equivalent to a burglary and should be treated as such. Those culturally similar to Italians or Portuguese should be given a ‘key’ via the Schengen Agreement – in other words, they should always be entitled to entry – whilst those culturally similar to the Japanese (who share very similar values) or Americans should have a very straightforward route to entry. The others should not; ideally, they shouldn’t even be granted tourist visas.
18:33, on with the story. Merz is fantasising about deporting well-integrated tradespeople and – naturally – care workers and restaurant staff. Most people would love to go out for a ‘good, traditional’ meal – that is, a German one – again, but those restaurants no longer exist.
There is a consensus within the coalition that more people need to be deported. The question remains as to why this has not been done since 2015. A careful distinction would be made here.
Reality: no, they don’t. When they do become aware of a situation, the only ones who get deported are those they can track down because they know where they are – and those are the ones who are working. The ones who missed their appointments with the authorities because of work and are now in a mess. The criminals stay.
Oh dear, education – the PISA study is next. If you take the foreigners out of the equation, Germany comes off well. A very pastoral sermon on reforms follows, arguing that we must give young people an answer as to what this is all about – then Ms Klöckner, as President of the Bundestag, interrupts the Chancellor and admonishes Parliament not to keep shouting out.
It’s now 23:03; just 5 minutes left of this utter misery.
The Chancellor accuses the AfD of refusing to listen, whilst Ms Klöckner threatens the parliamentary group with expulsion.
Merz accuses the AfD of saying that Siegmund said something or other – for heaven’s sake. Then come nearly 80 years of freedom and prosperity for Germany – but that only applies to the West; it apply to Brilon in the Rothaar Mountains but not to Wernigerode in the Harz Mountains. The Chancellor has failed to understand his own country.
On to the promise of prosperity, especially for the younger generation – apparently not enough had been done in that regard. More reforms, for freedom and peace (?). Someone had written a letter to him, the Chancellor, saying it wasn’t actually that bad. We must forgive one another; something about the future.
And then it’s finally over. The most rambling rubbish of a speech I’ve ever heard.
osthollandia 