SPD veteran Renate Schmidt discusses the traffic light alliance. - "That's where I access my thoughts"
Renate Schmidt realized the significance of politics for women and families at a young age when she became pregnant at 17 and was kicked out of school in 1961. The reason for her expulsion was, "You've disgraced our school."
This experience fueled a lifelong desire to ensure nobody would ever tell a young woman she'd dishonored something by conceiving and planning to give birth.
Schmidt found herself in a more politically arduous situation in her later years; at one point, she said, "It's much easier when you rule with two partners instead of three. And these three partners weren't particularly close." The balance of power was more evident in their era. With the SPD clearly stronger, Schmidt could've easily expressed envy about not governing under today's conditions. "I'm sometimes glad I don't have to govern now."
As the Family Affairs Minister, Schmidt dealt with a nursery safety scheme proposed by the Green Minister Lisa Paus, which she considered to be less than successful. She said, "I never would've dared to come forward and mention needing 5,000 new employees for this. I'd be dizzy even suggesting that."
Schmidt once governed under chancellor Gerhard Schröder alongside notable figures such as finance-man Hans Eichel and Wolfgang Clement (economy). Schröder had dismissed family policy as an overrated concern. Schmidt even faced internal struggles to make headway: "When we didn't have a penny for resources, I still managed to pass the daycare expansion law. I had to pester Clement and Eichel non-stop to achieve this victory." She bypassed objections from the federal states and got the law through the Bundestag and Bundesrat unanimously, albeit with the CDU abstaining.
Schmidt commented on Schröder's perceived "vassal loyalty" and a "preposterous friendship" with ex-Soviet Union leader Vladimir Putin. As the party kicked him out and she reached his 80th birthday, her distinct approval of his accomplishments stood out: "I think he's accomplished more than what he's being criticized for." Schmidt further rejected the idea of ousting the ex-SPD leader from the party, believing the move to be "nonsensical."
A man like Schröder, according to Schmidt, could win today's elections with his charisma. "He reaches the people with his charisma. The way things are now is different."
After 2009, Schmidt distanced herself from her political career and stopped campaigning for the SPD. "My options for movement are too limited. I have arthritis - the wear and tear of my joints is catching up to me. When I need a cane, I use it. When I need a walker, I use it. But I can still drive an Audi Q3 with a combustion engine." However, she was frightened by towering figures like Brandt, Wehner, and Schmidt in the past. "I know those who have something to say today from the start. I wasn't a nobody back then."
One current figure Schmidt respects is chancellor Olaf Scholz. She appreciates his efforts to keep Germans safe "in this precarious situation" in Ukraine and prioritize German interests. "I'm very pleased with that, and it earns my respect."
When discussing Scholz, Schmidt found him "too party-political. He's unwilling to set aside his party's interests to focus on the nation and the coalition's needs. It can get tiresome." While she credited him for doing well in his role, she found fault with his amateurish preparations in the heating law and the flawed preliminary agreements. "It would've been better to finalize those first."
Schmidt expressed a wary attitude toward a demanding version of moral foreign policy. "We can't demand morality and then ask Saudi Arabia for cheap energy or green hydrogen. Or mock China's leader as a dictator one day and agree to a close economic relationship with them the next, asking for their rare earths."
What, then, was her assessment of today's politicians?
Schmidt: "You're doing great, apart from your use of the term 'war capability.' I prefer 'defense capability.'"
"For her, 'pacifism' remains a clean word, but the coalition government needs to arm Ukraine - with caution, keeping in mind how Putin might respond: 'I'm not sure they're trying to get into Putin's head,' but Scholz and Pistorius should think about Russia's potential response, he believes."
Schmidt: "I think a lot of people don't feel like their concerns are being addressed. The concerns of the average citizen who can't live in Munich due to high rents and has to commute 60 kilometers to work. They won't be convinced to buy an expensive electric car now. How are they supposed to afford it? They're forced to drive their old gas-powered vehicles into town and back because there's no public transport. These people often feel overlooked. It would benefit us if we spent less time catering to those in major cities and more time addressing those keeping the country running. There are many of them, and they deserve better attention."
In Nuremberg, Schmidt started a "democracy pact": "Zammrüggn" (working together) aims to collect 100,000 signatures from all parties (SPD, CSU, FDP, Greens) by the end of the year - for a unified front against extremists from the right or left.
Much of what the politician states sounds a bit like "the good old days." However, those days were not without their flaws. Back then, women in politics had to rely on men's goodwill. Renate Schmidt spoke out - with charm and, if necessary, with a fiery tongue: "I'm not a fan of peace, happiness, and pancakes." Sometimes you have to argue and fight.
Today she says about men: "At 20, I wanted to please men. At 30, I wanted to be better than them. At 40, I didn't care about them..."
So, really? "Of course, I still want to please my husband. Men aren't my role model."
Her suggestion: "We should aim to be competent, respected women. Perhaps suggest we use women as a benchmark for men."
It's almost been an hour, and Schmidt knows this without checking her watch: "I've never needed watches, I always instinctively know the time to the nearest five minutes. And even at night: if I need to wake up at 7 a.m., I'll get up at 6.55 a.m." Union simplicity: her handbag (not designer), her cell phone (Samsung) with a few apps.
For 52 years, Renate Schmidt has been an active member of the SPD. She retired from politics 15 years ago - she wanted to "disappear." Now she has seven grandchildren and two great-grandchildren - and one certainty: the parental leave she introduced as a Federal Minister (which her CDU successor Ursula von der Leyen took up) made it easier for her children and grandchildren to choose to have children. But more importantly: "They've received confidence from home, a belief in their ability to manage life. Without that confidence, you can't raise children." [SR5]
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Source: symclub.org
