Dispute over turbine: Germany's leader Scholz is preparing for the winter

"The chancellor Scholz does not inspect the serviced turbomachine for the gas pipeline in order to punish Putin. It's about chancellor's image in Germany.

So why turbine at all? The answer can be found in a letter from East German mayors to the federal government as well as in the most recent interview by Gerhard Schröder. Schröder, like the mayors, act as if there really is a problem that could be solved by putting Nord Stream 2 into operation. Schröder, who is fighting on the Russian side in the ongoing economic war, does not even shy away from claiming that the Kremlin has made no political announcement to curb the flow of gas. Rather, it is a "technical and bureaucratic problem" on both sides. In doing so, he is only pursuing one purpose - to increase social pressure on the federal government and his successor, Olaf Scholz.

Scholz is addressing a message to the Germans, not to Putin

That's why the chancellor went to Mülheim. Not to Putin, but to show the Germans: look, this impeccably maintained turbine is not the fault. The Russians would just have to let it into the country. 

Not only does the country's economic prospects depend on this, but also the chancellor's political ones.

For this reason, Scholz constantly emphasizes how much and, above all, how early - namely before the sanctions on Russia - he began preparing for the impending gas shortage. Scholz obviously prepares for all eventualities here. If it hits Germany as badly as feared or even worse, it should at least not have been due to the Chancellor's lack of foresight. If things go smoothly, everyone should know who is to thank for it.

Scholz referred to everything that has already happened or will happen soon - the ordering of liquid gas and the construction of terminals, the legally prescribed filling of the gas storage facilities, which were absurdly largely left to Russia at the time of Angela Merkel, coal-fired power plants that have started up again and savings. Seen in this way, the chancellor's turbine appearance was also a first attempt to break out of the doomsday spiral of the past few weeks. 

 

In the necessary effort to make them aware of the seriousness of the situation, the federal government has scared many people. 

 

"We can do it," Scholz didn't say in Mülheim. But he would like the Germans to believe it."