Jens Spahn is regarded as a conservative adversary of Chancellor and more recently as a right nuisance in government. As for evidence, news agencies are delivering exactly those headlines at almost daily intervals, which are n used by SPAHNS critics as proof that Union is moving to right with such a Spahn.

The latest case shows why this interpretation is not right – why Angela Merkel can even rejoice to have one like Spahn in cabinet.

In an interview with Neue Zürcher Zeitung, Spahn demanded more money and staff for Border protection agency Frontex. He is by no means alone, even SPD wants that. But when Spahn says it, left-bourgeois public is foaming: again such a Zäunebauer! Then he also had audacity to praise Viktor Orbán for his rigorous border guarding. In doing so, Spahn is right: Hungarian transparently implements EU law to secure its borders, and or countries, Spain and Bulgaria, for example, have long been relying on fences.

Not only in this case is true difference between Spahn and what Chancellor (and a silent majority of SPD ministers) has been saying and doing for years is not in content. But in form. "Frontex needs 100,000 men and is really supposed to protect border." Subject, predicate, Object – The German language can be wonderfully simple and direct.

Very different from Chancellor. It has raised nominal style and passive constructions to distinguishing feature. On subject, she said a few weeks ago in her Government statement: "That is why staffing of Frontex needs to be greatly improved. (...) But re is still a great deal to be done in this area. " She means same thing as Spahn. But ir sentences are as often unclearly formulated. What y mean for government action can only be guessed. In Merkel's rhetoric, her sobriety and constraints and dignity of office meet. This is no more reprehensible for a thoughtful head of government at end of her career. But re must also be a different political language. And it's good that Spahn and ors are talking to you.

Spahn, but also Markus Söder or Christian Lindner, avoid abstract phrases and prefer to choose catchy phrases and easy-to-understand images.

Spahn is a Verstandenwerder

The state was very meticulous in tax decision, but could often not get through to drug dealers who would be caught 20 times, says Spahn. What's wrong with it? Spahn is also not fundamentally against abortions. He is only sceptical about a softening of advertising ban. Something else has not been passed down by chancellor. But at Spahn it sounds immediately shrill: "When it comes to life of animals, re are some who now want to promote abortions, uncompromising."

Politics is always also language. With such sentences, Spahn borders, disturbed and polarized. He shares company in camps, serves moods of one and ors he brings against him. But does politics not also work on stock formation?

Yes, its sentences fit in picture headlines and are often under complex. But he's not a legal populist. Because in terms of content, real politics, Spahn and Co. seldom dare to cross programmatic limits of Union. "The announcement is not ' here no one comes in ', but ' we want to know who wants to go in, and n decide if he can come in ', he says NZZ. In same interview, Spahn also talks about nursing emergency, shares AfD, praises integration performance of refugees and Muslims and commits itself to Europe. That's how a conservative, not a right or Populist is talking.

Spahn is less about a different policy, but rar a different language and a different habit with which he wants to sell this policy. Yes, he sometimes tilts in bugbear and self-marketing, like his rants against English-speaking big-city hipsters or "Arab muscle macho" who shower in shorts in gym.

But he is understood. The Union needs people like him who clearly, sometimes talk about clearly polarizing issues. Spahn is refore a good addition to prudent and contoural Chancellor. Only toger do y create internal tension that people's parties need.

Date Of Update: 06 April 2018, 12:02