Overview
- The 16 November ARD episode featured Ferdinand von Schirach, Ricarda Lang and Martin Machowecz discussing Germany’s trust crisis.
- Von Schirach proposed a seven-year chancellorship, synchronized state elections and up to three court-reviewed “chancellor laws” enacted without a parliamentary vote.
- On an AfD ban, he judged current intelligence assessments insufficient and called a ban undemocratic, as Lang backed initiating proceedings and Machowecz questioned the political calculus after Steinmeier’s remark.
- The panel clashed over political TikTok tactics, with von Schirach calling clips embarrassing while Lang defended reaching young audiences and flagged the power of platform owners.
- Pension tensions surfaced as Lang and Machowecz pressed sustainability and fairness debates—covering retirement age and who pays in—while commentary noted that a one-hour format left complex issues largely sketched.