Inflation at “Hard but fair”
“A Difficult Future Awaiting Us”
By Marko Schlichting
1/10/2023 3:13 am
It’s a successful premiere. Louis Klamroth will lead the ARD talk show “Hart aber fair” for the first time on Monday evening. His topic: inflation – and how the citizens can cope with it.
“First of all, I congratulate you on the successful premiere,” says “Tagesthemen” presenter Caren Miosga at the end of the program “Hart aber fair” this Monday evening. It is the premiere of the new host Louis Klamroth. First of all, the new tune for the show is striking. She’s quiet, not quite as intrusive as before. Klamroth himself leads the show with confidence, interrupting his guests less often than his predecessor Frank Plasberg. At 33, he is by far the youngest talk show host on the public broadcaster.
But he already brings a lot of experience with him, which he gained at ntv and ProSieben, among others. You can tell: he doesn’t let himself be put off, listens to his talk guests and gives them a lot of freedom. He focuses less on himself than his older colleagues, giving his editorial staff more space – and thus also the viewers. His colleague, who was previously only responsible for viewer comments during the show, first asked people near a shopping center in Erkrath near Düsseldorf about the current topic.
Overall, Klamroth seems much more relaxed than his colleagues. So it’s fitting that the ARD non-word “shit” even escapes his lips when he’s asked a question. You can tell: there is someone who really enjoys his job. The information does not suffer a bit. One can easily agree with Karen Miosga’s congratulations.
In his first show, Klamroth tackled a difficult topic. The prices for electricity and heating rose sharply for many Germans at the beginning of the year. Inflation is currently at 8 percent. However, food prices have skyrocketed by an average of a good 20 percent. Basic foods in particular have become really expensive.
“It’s a tough future”
Metalworker Engin Kelik says on the show that he can feed his family of four with the 2,300 euros that he earns net per month. But he often has to resort to discounters’ own products that are cheaper. Still, he has to turn over every penny. For Christmas, for example, he was unable to fulfill larger wishes for his two daughters. The presents in his family were in the ten euro range, says Kelik. He’s afraid of the future.
“I don’t know if you can still do it at all, if you might have to look for a third job in addition to your second job. It’s a difficult future that awaits us.” Kelik has two daughters aged 10 and 13. Fulfilling the wishes of his children is becoming increasingly difficult for him. He no longer has any reserves. They died during the Corona crisis. He recognizes that the federal government is making an effort and wants to help. But with the many measures of the last year, he has not been able to get through for a long time.
The head of the Economic Wise Men, Monika Schnitzer, can understand Kelik’s concerns. “We see that the lower income groups are particularly hard hit by the high prices,” she says. For 2023, she expects inflation to fall to 7.4 percent, and prices could fall further in 2024. Schnitzer expects a significant relief in two years. That’s taking too long for Kelik. “In two years the ship will no longer be about to sink, then we’ll have to try to salvage the wreck,” is his pessimistic prognosis.
Spahn’s praise and criticism
Blame for the crisis is “the war that has come over us and has brought with it a massive loss of prosperity,” explains CDU economic politician Jens Spahn. But the federal government is also to blame for having discussed far too many topics for far too long. “How is trust then supposed to develop when measures are decided upon for which no one knows who they actually apply to, and when the government is constantly arguing?” he asks.
Of course, SPD leader Lars Klingbeil doesn’t let that sit on his back. The federal government made mistakes last year, but around 100 laws were passed. Several 100 billion euros have been put aside to support the population. “And we managed to set up LNG terminals in 200 days,” says Klingbeil. Applause from the audience – and from Jens Spahn.
“You have to acknowledge that,” he says. “Nobody would have thought that in 200 days in Germany, not just having an idea, but also doing something like this, from the idea to planning to construction. When the federal government acted pragmatically and pushed all other questions aside , it worked. Unfortunately, she quickly lost this spirit again,” said Spahn. The two politicians agree that other projects, such as the expansion of train routes, should be carried out at the same pace.
Schnitzer calls for rich solos
All guests at “Hard but fair” agree on one point: the burden on citizens must be further relieved. In order to implement this requirement quickly, VAT on everyday goods could be eliminated for a certain period of time. This was what Federal Minister of Agriculture Özdemir called for from the Greens. But Klingbeil, Spahn and Schnitzer didn’t get much out of this idea. Relief must be targeted. But that cannot work in Germany at the moment.
That is why the economists demand that those who do not need relief should be burdened for a certain period of time. Schnitzer: “One could double the solidarity surcharge for those who are currently still paying it. This would allow the state to collect a two-digit billion sum. This measure could be limited to one year.” The additional income could then benefit low-income earners.
Lars Klingbeil gets a lot out of the idea, even if he doesn’t want to agree. But he promises: “We have to talk about financing and we want to have this discussion.”