mblog

No matter if Fukushima I will be the next Tschernobyl or not, the happening Japanese disaster has already had an impact on german politics.

Until last year all German nuclear plants were scheduled to be shut down by 2020. This decision took place in 2000 when the Social Democratic Party (SPD) and Alliance '90/The Greens (Bündnis '90/Die Grünen) enacted a nuclear power Exit Law, similar to nuclear power phase-out plans of other countries like Austria, Belgium, Italy and Sweden. The phase-out was questioned but survived the coalition talks between the newly elected grand coalition of Germany's two biggest parties SPD and the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) in 2005. Germany in 2009 and until now is lead by a new coalition of the CDU and the Free Democratic Party (FDP). This new buzz for Germany extended the phase-out deadline and taxed the newly created revenues of the nuclear power plant operators. Per year billions were calculated to be raised from that nuclear fuel tax. Billions made out of the, according to chancellor Ms. Merkel, most secure nuclear power plants on earth.

But Huston, currently not only Japan has a problem! No, 2011 is a so called super election year in Germany and since the majority of the people wants to exit the nuclear production of electricity chancellor Ms. Merkel - leader of the CDU - also has a problem. Suddenly Ms. Merkel decided to enact a three-month moratorium, a reconsideration of the phase-out extension (her own decision), to see what we may learn from the Fukushima disaster.

Wow, what an example of clear and straight forward leadership!

What have we learned?

1. Nuclear power plants remain a domestic risk and potential thread to your health.
2. If the situation doesn't change, your assessment should neither.
3. Messy compromises aren't the way of sustainable politics.

Ah and no. 4:

Dear Economist, we are not hypersensitive on that issue, but some of us just don't suffer from amnesia!