Could Germany Go Green?
The Briefing Room
BBC
4.8 • 731 Ratings
🗓️ 22 April 2021
⏱️ 29 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
The German Chancellor Angela Merkel bows out of politics later this year after 16 years at the head of the German government. She seems likely to be replaced by one of two people; the man Merkel’s party, the CDU, has designated as her successor, Armin Laschet; or the relative political novice, Annalena Baerbock, from the Greens, a party with its origins in the environmental movement. Most commentators agree that however the cards fall after the September election the Greens will be in government, whether at the head of a coalition or as its junior partner. David Aaronovitch asks how the Greens have gained ground so dramatically in such a short time and what a Green German government might mean for Britain.
Producers: Tim Mansel, Paul Connolly, Kirsteen Knight Sound Engineer: James Beard Editor: Jasper Corbett
The German flag flying in front of the Reichstag, home of the German parliament (Bundestag), Berlin, Germany. Credit BBC.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | BBC Sounds, Music, Radio, podcasts. |
| 0:06.7 | Welcome to the briefing room with me, David O'Ronovich. |
| 0:09.7 | It's the virtual space where you and I come together with the top experts and take 28 minutes to understand one of the big issues of the day. |
| 0:17.5 | In this edition, if polls are to be believed, Germany could go green at the next election this autumn. |
| 0:23.4 | But who are the German Greens? |
| 0:35.4 | It's been getting politically interesting in the EU's biggest state, Germany. |
| 0:40.6 | There are elections in the autumn, and Angela Merkel, Chancellor for 16 years, will not be taking part. |
| 0:47.0 | And right now, polls suggest that the party which is surging is the German Green Party. |
| 0:52.7 | So today, I want to find out who they are and what they want. |
| 0:57.3 | Step inside the briefing room and together we'll find out. |
| 1:03.5 | This week, the governing CDU chose as its candidate to succeed Angela Merkel, a man called |
| 1:09.7 | Armin Lashit. But there was just as much interest |
| 1:12.9 | in the woman who the Greens chose as their Chancellor candidate, Annalina Beirbock. That's because |
| 1:19.0 | for three years the Greens have been rising in the polls and in one or two have actually |
| 1:23.7 | overtaken the CDU. So to begin with, let's hear more about Ms. Beirbach. |
| 1:30.4 | Joining me in the briefing room from Berlin is the journalist Helena Bobrovsky. |
| 1:34.7 | Helena covers the Greens for the Frankfurt at Zeyt-Algermain at Zaitung. |
| 1:38.8 | Helena Boobrovsky, you met Annalena Berbock yesterday. |
| 1:43.0 | How does she come across? Well, she was in a very good mood yesterday. |
| 1:47.5 | Of course, she's now in the very center of attention in Germany. So right after the interview, |
| 1:53.3 | I did with her, she had another photo session. So people want to hear what she has to say and want to see her. |
| 2:01.8 | And she is always very well informed. |
... |
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