The federal government has no plan for our country. One bad political decision follows another. This is demonstrated once again by the policy of cuts in the agricultural sector. The justified protests of the farmers show how far politics has moved away from the reality of life and people’s problems, and how high the potential for frustration in Germany has become. Many people now feel politically homeless. But we have a government whose arrogance, dogmatism and lack of planning are driving people further and further into the arms of the AfD. In the programme with Markus Lanz, I discuss the dangers posed by the AfD and its far-right wing, and why I still think it is wrong to discuss banning the party now, as this will only benefit the AfD in the end. I also talk about what an end to the war in Ukraine might look like, why I think it is wrong for the EU to blindly subordinate itself to the interests of the US, and what my vision is for the future of Europe.

50 billion for social housing!

Our country is not in a good state: hardly a train runs on time, there is a shortage of teachers, nursery places and carers and the housing shortage is getting worse and worse. As the “Social Housing” alliance announced, there is a shortage of 910,000 social housing units in Germany and the number of completed flats and social housing units is even falling – despite the fact that the traffic light government had promised to build 400,000 flats, including 100,000 new social housing units per year. Germany urgently needs a change in policy: instead of special funds for rearmament and more and more weapons in the pointless Ukraine war, it urgently needs more money for social housing! The “Social Housing” alliance, which includes industry associations as well as the tenants’ association, construction trade unions and social organisations, is calling for 50 billion euros by the end of the legislative period. However, it is not just more money that is needed, but a retShink of housing policy with a new non-profit housing sector at long last, so that public money does not end up subsidising private profits, but rather homes are permanently withdrawn from speculation. The alliance estimates that expenditure on housing benefit and housing costs will have reached at least €20 billion by 2023 – public expenditure that could have been saved in part if more had been invested in social and non-profit housing construction. But Lindner [the Finance Minister] has no idea about sustainable financial policy. In my opinion, the government’s inaction on housing policy, from which millions of families and households are suffering, must finally come to an end!

Merz [leader of CDU] speaks out in favour of escalation

“If you want peace, you have to be ready for war” – with these words, CDU leader Merz once again called for the delivery of Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine on Monday. “These cruise missiles could destroy the Kerch Bridge to the Crimean peninsula, the most important supply route for the Russian invasion forces,” Merz said verbatim. I find such statements irresponsible. Destroying the Crimean bridge with cruise missiles from Germany would further increase the risk of a world war and make our country a target for possible counterattacks. I am very grateful that a clear majority in the Bundestag rejected a CDU motion to supply Taurus cruise missiles. We do not need further escalation and more readiness for war, but a willingness to finally negotiate a ceasefire and peace agreement!

Lindner [Finance Minister]: Arrogant and condescending

On Monday, numerous farmers once again protested against the policies of the “traffic light” Coalition government and I support this. In contrast, I found Finance Minister Lindner’s speech to the farmers to be extremely arrogant and condescending. The fact that he only offered the farmers a reduction in paperwork is a slap in the face for farmers. I think that if the government does not withdraw the cuts to the subsidy for agricultural diesel, the farmers should extend their protests.

Preparation for first Congress 27 January:

More and more people are worried about democracy and many are now taking to the streets. However, I find it more than hypocritical that politicians from the Ampel parties are also taking part in these demonstrations; they are basically demonstrating against themselves, against the fruits of their own policies. The AfD is not so strong because there are suddenly so many people with right-wing extremist views. The AfD is so strong because the policies in Berlin are so disastrous. In order to set the course for a new political beginning, the “Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance – Reason and Justice” has been founded and will be holding its first party conference next Saturday. I sense a spirit of optimism in many places and am confident that we can become even stronger and change our country for the better! Would you like to support us and get to know other BSW members and supporters in your region? Then fill out our supporter form so that we can get in touch with you. Please understand that it will take some time for us to get in touch with you due to the difficult party-building phase and our limited resources. As we are facing a major effort not only in terms of organisation but also financially, we would be delighted to hear from anyone who would like to support us with a regular donation. Unfortunately, due to limited resources, we were only able to invite very few of you to our first party conference – but you can follow everything here in the livestream.

The countryside:

For years, people in rural areas in particular have been forgotten by politicians who only live in their metropolitan bubble: first the doctor’s surgery disappeared, then there was no more bus, then the letterbox was removed … And then people are patronisingly told that their car is bad and that they should install a heat pump. It can’t go on like this. In an interview in the Berliner Morgenpost, I talk about the great popularity of the new party, the planned entry in the state elections in Thuringia and our differences in programme with the AfD, which stands for blind faith in the market and has a strong far-right wing, especially in eastern Germany.

Railway strike

End railway strike, replace incompetent railway board 

Many train drivers and train attendants have been on strike again since yesterday [25/1/24]. This is a huge burden for everyone who has to travel to work by train or S-Bahn. I find it unreasonable that millions of rail customers are once again being left out in the cold simply because the federal government, as the owner of the railway, is apparently incapable of mediating in the conflict. The fact that Transport Minister Wissing is now unilaterally blaming the train drivers’ union GDL is a slap in the face for the employees, 97 per cent of whom voted in favour of extending the industrial action in a ballot. Chancellor Scholz must now intervene and end the strike. To do this, he should instruct the railway board to finally negotiate constructively on the train drivers’ demands. Perhaps the highly paid railway board should also be completely replaced, as it clearly does not sufficiently appreciate the hard shift work that train drivers and train attendants do every day on the trains. In any case, it is unacceptable for the railway board to allow the wage dispute to escalate further on the backs of railway customers – instead of reaching a collective agreement with the GDL, as this union has already concluded with 18 other railway companies.

Peace for Gaza – diplomacy instead of weapons!

More than 25,000 people are said to have been killed in the Gaza war, millions of people are living in fear or are on the run, hundreds of thousands are suffering from hunger as urgently needed food cannot be distributed due to the ongoing fighting. Instead of finally putting an end to this madness, Israeli President Netanyahu apparently wants the fighting to continue unabated and has once again clearly rejected calls for the Palestinians to have their own state. While this policy is causing horror and protests not only in the Arab world, the USA and Great Britain are bombing Houthi positions in Yemen, the EU has agreed on a so-called “military mission” in the Red Sea, in which Germany intends to participate with the frigate “Hessen”, and the German government is apparently preparing to supply Israel with tank ammunition. What kind of appalling and stupid policy is this? Why is the Coalition dragging our country into the next incalculable conflict instead of standing up resolutely for a ceasefire and peace? In my opinion, supporting the uncompromising war policy of an extremely right-wing Israeli government with arms deliveries has nothing to do with solidarity, but is a slap in the face for all those Israelis and Palestinians who are campaigning for a life in security, a ceasefire and negotiations to end the ongoing conflict!

Don’t abandon children and the elderly

Around 80 per cent of youth welfare offices in this country are overburdened and, according to a recent survey, this repeatedly puts children and young people at risk. I find it shocking how children and young people who urgently need help because they are exposed to violence or abuse have been abandoned by politicians for years. I also find the ongoing staff shortage in the care sector irresponsible, where every third job is now unfilled due to poor working conditions. The Federal Statistical Office estimates that we could be short of up to 690,000 carers by 2049. To ensure that people can grow up unharmed and receive humane care in old age, we finally need more respect, more money and better conditions for all those who actually care for people in need – in youth welfare offices, hospitals and care homes as well as in families.

Our party in the news

What foreign policy are we aiming for and what is our position on the EU, NATO and Russia? This is what Der Spiegel wanted to know from our candidates for the European elections, Fabio de Masi and Michael von der Schulenburg.  The Tagesschau and MDR [public service regional TV], among others, have reported on the switch of the mayor of Eisenach, Katja Wolf, to our party and her planned candidacy in the state elections in Thuringia. In the Süddeutsche Zeitung, Sabine Zimmermann talks about the spirit of optimism in Saxony and the establishment of structures for the new party. The Süddeutsche Zeitung also reports on the great potential for the BSW in Brandenburg and the hopes of state representative Stefan Roth to offer voters a good alternative to the Coalition, CDU and AfD. On MDR, John Lucas Dittrich and former Left Party member of state parliament Bianca Görke comment on the party’s formation and its planned participation in local elections in Saxony-Anhalt.