The “Firewall” Against the AfD—and Its Weaknesses

The so‑called “firewall” against the AfD cannibalizes itself through an involuntary “marriage” of partners who have hardly anything in common—until it eventually breaks. Unfortunately, that reminds me of 1939.

Rejection of Migration: Causes and Consequences

We have to accept—and acknowledge—that people in Germany no longer want immigration. There are various reasons for this: the country being overwhelmed by more than 2.5 million refugees over the last ten years, the emergence of parallel societies, and the erosion of people’s sense of fairness and justice.

Political Failure and the Erosion of Fairness

That this sense of fairness has eroded is the responsibility of the political actors of recent years. Under the grand coalitions, action against precarious employment conditions happened only in “homeopathic” steps for a long time. Meaningful improvements for those who have the least are not broadly supported, because the working middle feels overburdened—by inflation, the heating law, and the threat of job loss. The impression is spreading that work no longer pays off in this country.

Bureaucracy and Hostility Toward Business as a Brake on Growth

Businesses get stones thrown in their way instead of tailwinds, and every year they’re burdened with even more bureaucracy. Anyone who wants to build a new production hall should beware: if you’re not Intel or Elon Musk, you have to wrestle with pointless rules and excessive regulations on fire safety, energy retrofits, archaeology, and more. This snail’s pace is only surpassed by government projects. Today we build bridges at a speed at which entire neighborhoods used to be constructed. We need a clear‑cutting of our jungle of laws and regulations, and a massive slimming‑down of bureaucracy.

The Danger of Simple Solutions—and the Way Forward

The “simple solution” promoted by right‑wing parties is to kick downward. That may briefly satisfy an enraged middle, but it endangers social peace. The solution must be to improve conditions in the low‑wage sector and for the middle of society—for example by raising the minimum wage.

Loss of Trust in Governing Parties

In the face of all these problems, it currently feels like almost all parties are closing their eyes. People have simply lost trust that the governing parties of the last decades are capable of solving these issues.

So What Now?

Germany stands at a crossroads, and radical measures are required immediately. The paralyzing mills of bureaucracy must be dismantled without further delay. Laws must be streamlined to remove the bureaucratic superstructure that hinders business and innovation. Penalties for violent crimes must be tightened drastically, and we need more funding and staff for our police to guarantee public safety without curtailing civil liberties.

A stepwise increase of the minimum wage is urgently needed to restore social justice and economic fairness. Necessary innovations to protect our planet must be accelerated through significantly higher CO₂ taxation. This will only be accepted if every cent is paid back out as a climate dividend (energy money), with additional support for lower‑income groups.

On migration policy, immediate action is required: asylum procedures must not take longer than a few months, and taking up work in skilled trades and healthcare must be enabled right away. At the same time, consistent measures must be taken against rejected asylum seekers if they reject our societal values—this includes consistent deportations, so that those who truly enrich our society, or who genuinely need our protection, can stay.

It’s high time we implement these necessary reforms. Germany can’t afford to keep hesitating.