17.08.2022, Baden-Württemberg, Murr: Winfried Kretschmann (Bündnis 90/Die Grünen), Ministerpräsident von Baden-Württemberg, steht bei einem Besuch auf einem Bio-Bauernhof am Rande eines Feldes. Kretschmann informiert sich über die Situation von Landwirten in der derzeitgen Trockenphase. Foto: Bernd Weißbrod/dpa +++ dpa-Bildfunk +++

Confession from the bathroom has become the new virtue. “I only wash cats in the morning,” said Berlin’s green environment senator Bettina Jarasch on Wednesday. By that she meant showering as short as possible. Baden-Württemberg’s Prime Minister Winfried Kretschmann promptly followed suit. In an interview he confesses: “You don’t have to shower all the time. The washcloth is also a useful invention.”

Washcloth, seriously? Aren’t there more pressing issues? The gas crisis? The climate catastrophe? The social division in the country? Sure – but all of these problems come up when Kretschmann talks about the washcloth. The rag should be upgraded, but it doesn’t bode well: the usual standard of living is in danger.

When politicians resort to such private commitments, it is because they want to convince the population of something that is needed: to save. Because they want to prepare them for what is to come. Because they want to make them more crisis-proof. And if you want to convince others, start with yourself.

That’s legitimate. Politicians should be role models. It is in the nature of things that such confessions cannot be verified. What is really going on under Mrs. Jarasch’s shower? And in front of Herr Kretschmann’s sink? That remains her secret.

Politics is a stage on which stories are told. In times of social media, they reach deeper and deeper into the private sphere. If you want to gain attention for your concern, you have to attract attention. FDP man Wolfgang Kubicki calculated no differently when he declared in June that he would take a particularly long shower.

The demand for thrift is not wrong either. No one knows whether there will be enough gas supplies in winter. In view of the extreme dryness, less frequent and shorter showers are appropriate anyway. According to the Federal Environment Agency, showering uses between 12 and 15 liters of water per minute. Even from the point of view of dermatologists, showering is not necessary every day. Cleaning with soap and a washcloth can be just as clean and comfortable: many children will attest to that.

But the current calls for waivers seem inappropriate – because of the inadequate political handling of the extreme price increases. The gas price for new customers has tripled within a year. Most citizens know or guess how many hundreds of euros they will have to pay.

The federal government, which also includes Kretschmann’s and Jarasch’s Greens, acts helplessly. First concocts a surcharge to save gas suppliers, then a reduction in VAT on gas to calm tempers. But the central question remains untouched: Why shouldn’t the burdens primarily affect those who have more money at their disposal?

Many people are worried about how they will make it to the end of the month given the increased prices. You must see the renunciation of people who make five or ten times as much as mockery. Jarasch and Kretschmann have the choice. For them – and other people of their pay grade – giving up is an option. For most others, however, it becomes a bitter compulsion that inspires fear, shame, and anger.

An economist recently criticized “politics based on the watering can principle”. They were seen at the fuel rebate, which – in absolute terms – benefited those whose cars had the largest tanks the most; the same applies to the energy flat rate, which, minus taxes, is also paid to top earners; and now with the flat-rate relief for gas customers.

If society is to go into this winter crisis-proof, then those who can do the most must be held accountable. Olaf Scholz became Chancellor with an election campaign that focused on justice and “respect”. Only then should politicians talk about washcloths again.