Franziska Giffeys nomination has been celebrated, but perhaps not enough yet. The SPD has unexpectedly created a whole series of political opportunities with its appeal. It is unclear wher party itself has fully understood this. But that’s anor problem.
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Giffey is a pretty good politician, maybe even a great one. In hotly contested German town of Neukölln, it must be possible to make icon Heinz Buschkowsky almost forgotten. Giffey made it. In comparison to him, she lost some of voters ‘ approval, but still lies far ahead of SPD in Berlin as a whole. It did not deviate from Buschkowkys demands for harsh action by police and courts against offenders. In se days, big raids in Neukölln betting pubs and Shishabars are taking place again.
What Giffey, however, is Buschkowskys flat-rate skepticism towards Islam and multicultural presence of District. Giffey has spoken out against headscarves on offices, she wants to let criminal Arab young men move ir muscle carts, but she does not designate multiculturalism as a failure. It does not lead a cultural struggle with Islam, its point is law-abiding. “It is not reprehensible if re are different cultural circles in a city,” says Giffey some time ago. It will be difficult “if people no longer feel obligated to our democratic basic order.”
Law and order plus multiculturalism
With this attitude it does not only come in conservative-bourgeois circles, but also in multicultural, student. Giffey shows: Law and order and multiculturalism are not opposites. If you will, y even condition mselves. This is one of biggest political gaps in market. Especially for an outgoing people’s Party who loses voters to right margin, but also to Greens. Illusory? No. In Rotterdam, Muslim mayor Ahmed Aboutaleb, born in Morocco, ruled with strict law-and-order policy for almost ten years.
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Secondly, Giffey could speak with her East German biography and her Neukölln experience about and for two segments of Germany’s society, which are not only under-represented in cabinet, cautiously speaking. East Germans and people with a migration background put toger about 40 percent of German population, and as different as se groups are: y have few strong speakers and y are generally interested in public only as being treated Problem case. The Federal Republic is still a white, Western-German-influenced community. With West German children’s fairy tales and white heroes. Giffey would be someone who reports from East German life worlds and could also describe an urban feeling of life in which diversity of religions and skin colours does not cause fear, but of course belongs to it. Giffeys perspective is, in any case, not abstract, left-Pädagogenverständnis, but a firm, own view.
Families at social cliff
In family ministry, Giffey could open up entirely new political spaces. Each of ir last four predecessors – from Leyen, Schroeder, Schwesig, barley – used ir family policy above all to serve middle classes. Parental benefits, parental benefits plus or part-time arrangements are mainly aimed at middle-income professionals. The unspoken family-political dogma of last decade is: more children, but please also of right parents.
What is benefit of a family minister who, without resentment, appeals to life realities of substrata? What does a woman’s parents ‘ money at penny checkout help? How do you lead a family to social cliff? When do we end scandal of a proportion of children in poverty of 21 percent? Giffey, who knows two great Prekariatspole of German society, is trusted: to speak for growing segment at bottom. And with him. Not authoritarian, not naïve, not just monetary, but above all not in pessimistic-pityingly-patronizing tone of previous German social policy.
Perhaps none of this is what Personalie Giffey promises. But even n, ir calling would have shown: municipalities, large and smaller, are becoming more and more important as arenas of German conflicts. And more important y become, more cities will also become junior pool of Ausgelaugter people’s Parties. Mayors understand how social contrasts have a concrete effect, and y are much more often forced than big policy to compromise across party borders. Possible that Franziska Giffey soon shows how refreshing this can be.
