“Maybrit Illner”: “People, sanitize your mouths”

METERThe beginning of the discussion in Maybrit Illner sounded sinister: the grand finale is yet to come and the moment of truth is near. The program focused on the “economy of at-risk patients”, which is currently in the “deepest crisis since the end of the war.” The thesis: Politicians are still buying business time with loans, relaxed bad debt, and reduced employment benefits. But with the end of the measures, layoffs, bankruptcies and budget holes could threaten.

The debate consisted of the prime minister and head of the CSU, Markus Söder, the candidate appointed by the SPD for chancellor and federal finance minister Olaf Scholz, Monika Schnitzer, the hygiene specialist Klaus-Dieter Zastrow, the mechanical engineering businessman Karl Haeusgen and the organizer of exhibitions and events Sandra Beckmann (Söder and Zastrow were lit). The panel thus balanced between politics, business and science.

What caught the eye:

The uncertain consequences of part-time work

The yo-yo word on the show was “short-term job benefits.” The term kept popping up throughout the discussion. So what can the reduced-time work allowance, which the businessman Haeusgen called a “big help”, do? And where are the risks?

For Scholz, this “experiment” had already proven its worth during the 2008 crisis and is now doing it again, also and especially since it is designed for the long term with a two-year term. The Finance Minister emphasized how many short-term workers will end up unemployed.

Schnitzer’s economy dared to make a forecast and estimated that not much more than three million people would lose their jobs. “Not all the short-time jobs we have now will become unemployed.” The reason is the positive development of the economy.

But: Long-term short-term job benefits don’t help much in those industries that were already facing structural changes before the Corona crisis, the economist warned. By that he meant the automotive or retail industry.

Such measures shouldn’t stop modernization here, Schnitzer said. Better to invest in future models and create new jobs.

The suffering of the event industry

Sandra Beckmann provided the case study of how Corona hurts people financially. The autonomous event organizer was completely frustrated by the Crown crisis, according to her information she has to complain about 120,000 euros in lost sales this year alone and currently has to make ends meet with unemployment benefits.

Representing the entire events industry, he called for more efficient measures than before. “First of all, we only need financial help because we have simply been completely deprived of our work base.”

In view of Beckmann’s – as he acknowledged – bad situation, Söder pointed out that the health argument should not be lost sight of. “I’m not ready to say that just because some people want to have fun, we are now risking human lives.”

In return, Beckmann claimed sensitive concepts that reconciled his return to work with the protection of the population. “We want to do everything sensibly and as safely as possible.”

Always think about your health

Contrary to the economic focus of the debate, hygiene expert Zastrow kept recalling the culprit for all the misery: the corona virus. He repeatedly invoked the effectiveness of simple protective measures, such as the mouth and nose mask. You just have to wonder where the virus really comes from. Answer: from the nasopharynx.

And of course you can also disinfect your mouth with mouthwash to lower the viral load, Zastrow recommends. This is already common practice in clinics, the specialist explained, shouting, “People, disinfect your mouth.”

Scholz’s surprise at the end

At the end of his broadcast, Illner wondered twice. First, it prepared Söder to criticize Scholz and the SPD as a debtor. But the Bavarian prime minister eluded. Instead, he preferred to point out that politics as a whole had given “a very, very good test” in recent months.

“So the Social Democrats are not accused of not being able to handle the money,” summarized the moderator and described this possible “duel of foreign ministers” as “somehow interesting.”

So Illner turned to Scholz and confronted him with Wirecard’s commission of inquiry, which is now at the time of his application for chancery. He asked if he was giving Söder an advantage. Scholz’s surprising response: “I look forward to the commission of inquiry.”

“Really?” The moderator asked, amazed.

Scholz: “Yes.”

Illner: “You are the first.”

Scholz’s reasoning: “If the commission of inquiry were not there, then I predict that in a month and a half the resistance of the pressure groups will be so great that we will not achieve any of the necessary reforms. That is why I have the investigation commission as an ally. “