Personal commentary
There are scandals that make you wonder how they could have happened. And then there is the CSU. More precisely: Andreas "bankrupt vulture" Scheuer and his forerunner in the Ministry of Transport, Alexander "excuse maker" Dobrindt. I forgot to mention him in my last article. Shame on me.
When I thought of infrastructure projects costing billions that the CDU and CSU Union parties have messed up, the first thing that came to mind was of course the German toll on foreigners and yes, Andi Scheuer is responsible for the resulting damages payments of several hundred million euros. But the head of the whole thing was the other traffic Alex. And above all, he is the one who lolls around Friedrich Merz in anticipation of a ministerial post and allows himself to be invited to every talk show, even though he never has anything to say. Or rather, he likes to keep emphasising what he himself wants to get rid of - without answering the question that was asked. Maybe it's a politician thing.
Honour to whom honour is due.
And of course, federal ministers are not responsible for any mistakes. They are legally excluded for good reasons, even if this may not seem to make much sense at first glance. It leaves a bad aftertaste.
Two names, one total political loss portfolio.
Back in 2013, Alexander Dobrindt had an idea that went down very well at regulars' tables and was on shaky ground from the outset in terms of European law: the "infrastructure levy", better known as the car toll for foreigners.
The plan: foreign motorists should pay, German motorists should be relieved via the motor vehicle tax. Sounds fair? Dobrindt thought so too. But not the EU. The ECJ warned several times that the model would penalise foreign drivers and violate the principle of equality.
Scheuer simply did it. The country needs people like that. Scheuer is a doer. He doesn't look left or right to see if there is agreement. He just does it, even against his better judgement. Fritze Merz should like that.
Even before the judgement of the European Court of Justice (ECJ), he signed contracts with the toll operators. And with millions in compensation payments in the event that the project fails. Spoiler: It failed. The ECJ overturned the toll, the operators demanded compensation. The federal government paid many hundreds of millions of euros from the state coffers. Which seems absurd, as the operators wanted to wait for the judgement. But Scheuer and his CSU wanted it quicker, because they are real doers who get things done. Fuck equality.
In 2020, the Bundestag set up a committee of enquiry into the car toll. What emerged is a textbook example of political irresponsibility. According to the final report, Scheuer had violated basic principles of good financial management. Particularly piquant: he had not fully informed the Bundestag - including about contractual clauses with high cost risks.
Consequences? None, of course.
Scheuer remained minister until the end of the legislative period. He tingled through TV talk shows and spread his view of things - without feeling guilty, of course, but with the self-assurance typical of the CSU.
And Dobrindt?
He is still a member of the parliamentary group in the Bundestag today and plays the unshakeable man. I find that really intense. I have linked to a very recent political talk show as an example in the list of sources, where you can see Dobrindt's eloquence for yourself.
Honour to whom honour is due.
Even his first answer makes me sick to my stomach.
"[grins pejoratively] There was a bit of a misrepresentation in the question. Please don't misunderstand, but the point is..."
It's usually about what the moderator has asked for. As I understand it. The question was also very interesting. Fortunately, the presenter sees it the same way.
Maybritt Illner interjects discreetly, "Did you hear me, I think?".
Counter from Dobrindt: "Yes, but..."
Illner repeats "You haven't forgotten my question?"
Ten exciting minutes of dialogue follow before Dobrindt has his say again. It continues as it ended.
Illner: "Of course, we also ask politicians whether you, Mr Dobrindt, have the citizens on your side. Because why are we talking about all this money? We're talking about all this money because the CDU/CSU didn't actually announce it to the public. Over 70% of people say that the CDU/CSU, that Friedrich Merz, the candidate for chancellor, has actually broken his word with regard to this debt. Is that something you would believe, something that would scratch at him, that would scratch at his credibility in such a way that he will find it difficult to overcome?"
In my eyes, the question is in tune with the times. In my most recent Article series I wrote in detail about why I think it is so dangerous that Merz lied to his voters on such a key issue. Our politics is already suffering a credibility problem of the highest order.
Now, of all times, when the AfD is gaining strength in all ranks. Do we need to add fuel to the fire? I think not.
Dobrindt sees things differently.
He explains to the presenter that this question is also wrong and that people only want to know what the money will be used for. The question of whether Friedrich Merz became chancellor through a lie and is now doing the opposite of what he promised before the election when it comes to the question of all the money is not an issue.
Strange. I just heard the question from the moderator. And I'm a citizen who has to live with this chancellor and yes, I'm asking this question too. That makes two of us.
At the same time, he is also arguing with other guests about the extent to which the federal government is controlling the federal states. I also wrote about this recently and explained why I can unfortunately only answer this question with a clear "yes". And, what did you expect, once again Alexander Dobrindt has his very own, let's call it macroeconomically questionable and somewhat arrogant view.
But wait a minute, this heated debate among the guests on the talk show could be quite entertainingly interesting - point taken for Dobrindt - but that wasn't the question. Not even the topic.
The presenter intervenes and raises her finger in warning - very cool.
"Let me remind you again of the breach of promise. You always remember my questions, Mr Dobrindt? Well, we're still listening to you comfortably. I wanted to ask is this Chancellor of the future a damaged one without already being in office?"
Dobrindt, a cold rock in the surf. "Yes, and that's exactly what I just explained. It depends on how the money is used..."
This time the presenter interrupts immediately: 'I'm talking about this breach of promise, Mr Dobrindt. You also defended the debt brake to the last, right up to the last programme before the election, and said it would stay, it would stand."
Oh, the things I've already written about. Also about the debt brake. Why it was a bad idea from the start, why the way it was implemented is macroeconomically wrong, why it has to go. You can find the article here.
Now would have been Dobrindt's chance to admit a mistake and explain why what is being done is right after all. Because it is. Politicians just need to pick people up and take them with them.
Dobrindt sees things differently.
We are not used to it any other way. The question was formulated incorrectly, as the debt brake is still in place.
Yes, the debt brake is in place. As promised before the election, the debt brake is in place.
Take a deep breath. The man really means it. The debt brake is still in place. It has only been changed so that it no longer applies.
You have to come up with this line of reasoning first.
Honour to whom honour is due.
And so it goes on and on. The entire programme. Dobrindt is an exemplary symbolic politician. Great at making big statements and even greater at wriggling out of responsibility. Never at a loss for an excuse, no matter how far-fetched. He is not above any political U-turn, no matter how hair-raising.
This at least makes him a good fit for Friedrich Merz's new team. As Minister of the Interior, he would fit in perfectly between future Federal Chancellor Fritze "Wendehals" Merz and Bavarian Prime Minister Markus "Dampfplauderer" Söder.
The fact that Alexander Dobrindt provided the blueprint for one of the most expensive political blunders in post-war history with his idea for a legally untenable toll for foreigners is no longer an issue today. The CSU has its own way of dealing with history.
Well, Germany has voted. And what a mendacious bunch we have elected. Despite all the tragicomedy, it can make you a little sad, no, humble. Because at the end of the day, the question is, did they know what they were doing?
1WDR: Toll scandal: Why former Transport Minister Scheuer does not have to pay https://www1.wdr.de/nachrichten/scheuer-maut-entscheidung-gerecht-100.html 2tagesschau: Federal government waives lawsuit against Scheuer https://www.tagesschau.de/inland/gesellschaft/scheuer-pkw-maut-110.html 3 tagesschau: Investigations against former Transport Minister Scheuer https://www.tagesschau.de/inland/innenpolitik/scheuer-maut-125.html 4Handelsblatt: The CSU's car toll disaster costs around 243 million euros https://www.handelsblatt.com/politik/deutschland/schadensersatz-das-pkw-maut-desaster-der-csu-kostet-rund-243-millionen-euro/29238526.html 5List of participants in the coalition negotiations between the CDU/CSU and SPD in 2025 https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liste_der_Teilnehmer_an_den_Koalitionsverhandlungen_zwischen_CDU/CSU_und_SPD_2025 62 July 2024 | Live statement with Friedrich Merz & Alexander Dobrindt https://www.cducsu.de/video/2-juli-2024-live-statement-mit-friedrich-merz-alexander-dobrindt 7Alexander Dobrindt (CSU), Head of the CSU Regional Group, member of the Union's negotiating team at maybritt illner https://youtu.be/UnSZu6sIFjY
