Frank Plasberg discusses with his guests in the ARD talk “Hard but fair” about the topic “Cost trap energy – how are we supposed to do it?”
Frankfurt – Last Monday (August 15) it was still suspected that Frank Plasberg’s listlessness after returning from the summer break was due to the “holiday jetleg”, which was taught better during the week: It was the beginning of a long goodbye. Because the 65-year-old is retiring after 22 years “Hard but fair” and leaving from January 2023 to Louis Klamroth, “Germany’s youngest political talker” and winner of the German TV Promotion Prize 2018 (for his political talk show “Klamroths Konter”. n-tv), his place.
After the first two countdown rounds, one has to fear that Plasberg will not find his way back to his old form by then. But maybe it’s just the ongoing topic of the “energy crisis” that’s paralyzing, for which the headlines seem to be running out.
“Cost trap energy – how are we supposed to do that?”, It was said this time not very original – and also got the guests excited only slowly – but then violently!
“Hard but fair” (ARD): The guests on August 22 at Frank Plasberg
| Christian Durr | FDP parliamentary group leader |
| Amira Mohamed Ali | Group leader Die Linke |
| Michael Huether | Economist, Director of the Cologne Institute for Economic Research |
| Udo Sieverding | Energy expert of the consumer advice center NRW |
| Renate Roennau | pensioner |
The 74-year-old pensioner Renate Rönnau, who has to make a living with 1200 euros, first beat Winfried Kretschmann’s “washcloth” advice around the ears before she described her current situation: “You can only save with targeted shopping. I can no longer afford to go to the theater or café.”
And she talked about her volunteer work on the “senior phone” of the Diakonie Düsseldorf, where a 92-year-old asked her how she should wrap herself in two sweaters and a blanket when she can hardly move: “Why does the citizen always pay mine while the governing coalition runs around like an excited flock of chickens instead of trying to find solutions?”
“Hard but fair” (ARD): Christian Dürr (FDP) talks his way out
Michael Hüther predicted a loss of prosperity for society, but also called for targeted relief for lower income groups, with Udo Sieverding jumping to his side: “Don’t give me the money, give it to those who need it.”
A through ball for the parliamentary group leader of the FDP to show a heart for the “little people”. But Christian Dürr made more bad than good excuses with the relief packages 1+2 decided by the government, referred to the increase in housing benefit from January 1st, 2023. Not a word about ignoring the pensioners with the energy flat rate and the disaster with the gas levy, which Sieverding considers a total design flaw, both technically and politically.
Amira Mohamed Ali went one step further and accused the government of only levying the gas levy so that companies could enrich themselves: to a certain extent, aiding in over-profits.
ARD Talk “Hard but fair”: Frank Plasberg does not dig deeper
The buzzword was said, but instead of digging deeper, Plasberg let Dürr get away with the argument, insulting to every intelligent person, that Biontech would then also have to be taxed more heavily. And when Dürr also accused Ali that the left would demonstrate together with the AfD and accused them of populism, one wonders whether this party of social indifference is no longer aware of its clientele “populism”, while its voters: inside 54% are now in favor of an excess profit tax.
Unfortunately, Plasberg also showed little sense of justice, simply let Dürr’s lies stand in the air and denied Ali the opportunity to defend himself. Worse still, he provoked the offended with the question: “Are you the splitter?” But that too remained rhetorical and was not discussed further. Somehow Plasberg, like some viewers, seemed more concerned about the dimming of the Christmas lights that evening than about the “fair” and fact-seeking course of his talk show. (rrh)
