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Claudia Roth: From “No Power for Nobody” to the Berlin power center

Admittedly, her short time as manager of the anarcho band Ton Steine ​​Scherben was a long time ago. Nevertheless, it is a remarkable path that Claudia Roth (Greens) has covered. Once she danced to “No Power for Nobody”, in the future she will guide culture in the Bund.

When Rio Reiser’s band Ton Steine ​​Sch towards politicized the cultural scene with anarcho songs like “No Power for Nobody”, Claudia Roth was still standing next to the stage as manager. A few decades later, the 66-year-old moved into the limelight of German cultural policy with the cabinet list of the new Ampel coalition. The Green politician should move into the then SPD-led Chancellery as Minister of State for Culture – a surprise in the personnel table of the future traffic light government, as political observers have stated. Roth will replace Monika Grütters (CDU) in office.

It is, of course, anything but a direct jump. Roth’s time at Rio Reiser and Co. lasted from 1982 to 1985. A lot has happened since then. The controversial Green has long had a long party career. To this day she is one of the most prominent faces of her party. She is either the heart, soul or mother of the Greens. She was at the top for more than eleven years. Self-deprecatingly, she made her image as a politician who is sometimes difficult to deal with as the title of a campaign for more women among the Greens: “Who is more annoying than Claudia?”

Claudia Roth: A red rag, especially for rights

Roth was a foreign politician, human rights expert, committed to cultural policy, minorities and questions of democracy. Under the then Chancellor Schröder, she was the Federal Government Commissioner for Human Rights Policy and Humanitarian Aid for two years. Roth has been Vice President of the Bundestag since 2013, when she was elected with the worst result. At the post it has only just been confirmed again – now very clearly, with great approval. This, her most important position so far, will now have to be given up.

Roth hits the right note in refugee camps as well as in the football stadium. Especially on the far right edge it is seen as a red rag. She is regularly the target of hate messages and threats.

Roth, who was born in Ulm, has her professional roots in the cultural sector. So your future task is also to return. She studied theater studies in Munich, then worked as a dramaturge at stages in Dortmund and Unna. During her time as the manager of Ton Steine ​​Scherben at the beginning of the 1980s, she and Reiser & Co. also moved from Berlin to a farmhouse in Fresenhagen, Frisia.

Traffic light parties: Culture should be included in the Basic Law as a state goal

In Germany, cultural and media policy is actually the competence of the federal states. The institution established at the federal level under the then SPD Chancellor Gerhard Schröder has only existed since 1999. Michael Naumann and Julian Nida-Rümelin were the first to take up positions for the SPD. The subsequently acting non-party Christina Weiss already campaigned for a ministry. Bernd Neumann was the first CDU man in office, and Grütters took over from him.

There are some big chunks waiting for the new Minister of State for Culture. The SPD, Greens and FDP want to make culture a state mandate. For the inclusion of culture as a national goal in the Basic Law, however, votes from the opposition would also be necessary.

Under Grütters, the power and influence of the office were enormously expanded, also vis-à-vis the federal states. The budget recently rose by 155 million to a good 2.1 billion euros this year. The comprehensive Corona aid in the cultural area also ran largely through the house.

Cultural policy: Everything depends on the relationship between Roth and Scholz

In the Chancellery, the Green Roth will probably have to deal with SPD Chancellor Olaf Scholz in the future. Her predecessor Naumann described how important this relationship can be. “It works if this office has the goodwill of the Federal Chancellor. But if that is not the case, then it is just bad luck for cultural policy.”

The Hamburg Senator for Culture Carsten Brosda (SPD), who is highly regarded for the Grütters successor, paid tribute to Roth, although he now has to stand back. The 66-year-old is “interested, passionate, empathic”. On Twitter, Brosda wrote on Friday: “If an open, diverse society is important to you, you can look forward to Claudia Roth as Minister of State for Culture and Media. I am pleased that our cooperation is continuing.”

The managing director of the German Cultural Council, Olaf Zimmermann, said that with Roth a political professional would take over this important political office. Good cooperation between Scholz (SPD) and Roth is essential for a successful cultural policy. “We are excited to see how Claudia Roth will lead her position and look forward to working with her.” The pianist Igor Levit sent a heart for Roth on Twitter – in green.

Source From: Stern

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