Dhe thought that our politicians could do something in secret has actually always electrified people. And when a Bundestag debate is broadcast on Phoenix and the camera pans through the plenum, the members of parliament actually do something that cannot do without secrecy. Many, very many even, have their mobile phones in their hands. But they don’t do it openly, they do it a little bashfully at the edge of the table, so that the President doesn’t scold and the public doesn’t think they’re secretly playing Candy Crush like Bodo Ramelow in the Prime Ministers’ Conference. The deputies type discreetly, they swipe around, and when their heads disappear under the table, the naive, trusting citizen might think something has fallen or their shoes need to be tied. In reality, voice messages are secretly recorded.
Some politicians wouldn’t be able to work without their mobile phones, and they say that without a wink, in all seriousness. During a Bundestag debate, the important things sometimes happen on cell phones. Members of Parliament are summoned to the plenary session via chat groups if the quorum of the Bundestag or the majority of the traffic light coalition is at risk. Then the SPD MP Leni Breymaier writes “Hammelsprung!” in the faction group. The deputies are already rushing in to secure the majority – even if it is already in the middle of the night. When someone speaks in plenary for the first time, Breymaier mobilizes friendly listeners in the chat. Others give research assignments to the offices just before their speeches. They then check whether what the previous speaker said is nonsense. It constantly vibrates and beeps in my pocket. At party conferences, every current and every national group has its own group, the delegates are told how to vote and what agreements there are. So political life takes place a lot in chats, and because chats have their own form, there are emojis, hearts and smileys here too.