The tough way in which Chancellor Olaf Solz spoke on Wednesday night about his ousted finance minister, Christian Lindner, alienated many. The leader of the Christian Democratic opposition, Friedrich Merz, was quick to comment on the incident as rather in poor taste. The truth is that it is not customary to talk about one’s former partner in such a style, even after the worst (political) divorce. But the sensation, caused by the style and content of Scholz’s statements, is also largely due to the huge gap between this behavior and his image during his tenure.

Midfielder instead of forward

These days, many people remembered that the social-democratic chancellor preferred to act as a mediator, rather than as the leader of a government, which, especially in the past few months, seemed completely disparate and perhaps even… ungovernable. He took on a blue-collar role when Liberals (mostly) and Greens had started throwing rockets, turning wholeheartedly to the needs of the election season, which informally opened at least after regional elections in the former East Germany in September.

The war of manifestos

In the last fortnight the Ministers for Economy and Finance Robert Hambeck (Greens) and Christian Lindner (Liberals) each presented their own economic “manifesto”, as it turned out without any prior consultation with Soltz, something that any prime minister, of any other government would not. could only be taken as a complete bypass if not an open challenge to him. And of course these were not the only incidents, which revealed a government of conflicting opinions and cacophony, since the conductor seemed unable to impose himself on the “first violins”.

Lack of support from the party

In defense of Soltz, one must mention the reality, which says that he did not always have the necessary support from his own party. In the state elections his “fellow” SPD prime ministerial candidates preferred to keep him at a distance. Really, what prestige does a chancellor have, that his own political “incumbents” are ashamed to be photographed with him? At the same time, some artfully maintained the debate about his suitability to lead the party in the next election, portraying his then Defense Minister, Boris Pistorius, as much more popular. By the way, this debate has been rekindled in the last twenty-four hours.

The curse of procrastination

Olaf Scholz often seemed to have adopted Angela Merkel’s procrastination model. But only that. She had neither the support that she had, nor the fist that the former chancellor showed in critical moments, even taking unpopular decisions. Merkel would never let her ministers roam channels and events with their own agenda and their own “proposals”. The chancellor’s difficulty in deciding on critical issues was also noted in Europe, leading many to speak of the “German Vote”, when they meant abstention or a blank vote in important votes.

In this context it seems extremely difficult to be able to think how Olaf Solz will now be able to impose his own timetable. After all, it is no longer just a matter of punching, but also of associations. His government is now in a minority and largely dependent on the mood of the opposition. Friedrich Mertz demands an immediate appeal to the polls in order to “help” the speedy processing of some pending legislation.

The question is whether the former Social Democrat President of the Republic Frank-Walter Steinmeier can give him some time, invoking the prescribed constitutional procedures. Even if such a thing happens, the feeling of loneliness, which probably possesses Olaf Solz, will obviously not disappear.