(Virtual Parliament)

211th Session of German Parliament

Bonn, February 25, 1994

Page 8 of 10

the next speaker is congresswoman Eike Ebert. - Excuse me congressman Eike Ebert.

Eike Ebert (SPD):

Mrs. Speaker! Ladies and gentlemen! As in the past, I am still fighting for the fact that "Eike" is a North German man's name, although the Federal High Court has decided differently in the meantime.
(Laughter)

Ladies and gentlemen, it is not easy after Wolfgang Schäuble to plead as a Social Democrat for the rejection of the wrapping of the Reichstag.
(Applause from the CDU/CSU MPs)

It is not easy for the reason one runs into the danger of being identified with the conservative superstructure which Wolfgang Schäuble has delivered here.
(Applause from the SPD MPs)

Ladies and gentlemen, I speak in spite of this for the many Social Democrats in my party who are of the opinion that this undertaking should not take place. The arguments have been exchanged here sufficiently. I have ten minutes to speak and think that I should not make complete use use of these ten minutes.
(Applause from the SPD and the CDU/CSU MPs)

I understand this shortening also as a contribution to the argument that I consider it unsuitable that this parliament with this large amount of parliamentary members in attendance and with this long discussion is occupied on the whole with this topic.
(Applause from the SPD and the CDU/CSU MPs)

The people in this country do not understand it.
(Applause from CDU/CSU MPs)

The people in this country do not understand it for example, dear Peter Conradi, because they would have no understanding that art also has to be supported in times when money is tight, instead they do not understand that a parliament can disregard the entirely evident opinion in the country. Then it is certainly not populism when one ascertains that 70% of the population in this country rejects this experiment with the German Reichstag.
(Applause from the SPD, CDU/CSU and F.D.P. MPs)

I am somewhat concerned Mrs. Speaker that you, in the development of this entire subject, did not take the initiative upon youself, with a stroke of the pen and the authority of your person to decide: I as mistress of this house will not tolerate this here! That would have been, in my opinion, the right decision.
(Shout from the SPD: No!)

Then we would not have had to carry out this debate here.
(Applause from CDU/CSU and F.D.P. MPs)

Ladies and gentlemen, it has become clear that we are not debating on art here, instead on whether one may and should make a building such as the German Reichstag the theme of such an experiment.
(Peter Conradi [SPD]: "No experiments"!)

Thus, ladies and gentlemen, although I do not subscribe to the arguments of Wolfgang Schäuble in this enormous superstructure, I am of the opinion: one does not do such a thing!
(Call from the F.D.P.: Why not then?)

Ladies and gentlemen, one plainly and simply does not do such a thing! I think all of them are correct who make reference to the fact that no one could imagine a Western democracy in which such a topic would be even roughly discussed at such length the way we are doing.
(Applause from the SPD, CDU/CSU and F.D.P. MPs)

Ladies and gentlemen, I am very concerned about this and I think that we should bring this to a quick conclusion.

Many historical moments have been spoken of which are connected to this building. I would like to remind the Social Democrats that this building was for decades the background in front of which the 1st of May celebration of the German Federation of Trade Unions, the organized employees' association in this country took place.

I am reminding you my dear friends that Ernst Reuter appealed to the peoples of this world to look at this city in front of this background in view of this terrible wall.

I believe that you should reflect somewhat more deeply on this topic and also on how our voters - I speak from experience within my constituency - will judge this plan. I would like to ask you to go outside and exchange your blue cards for red ones.

Colleague Ebert, will you allow an interim question from colleague Weiß?

No! I would like to gladly carry forth the tradition of speaking without interruption. I also did not ask Mr. Weiß.

I would like to ask the colleagues who are here in the room to please sit, because how ever you stand for the debate, you should listen quietly.

Ladies and gentlemen, it has, I believe become clear that that this entire aesthetic, causing talk about what will exactly be made with this wrapping does not help any further. It is only being presented because one has an inner problem himself that this building should be the theme of this event. Ladies and gentlemen, please think this over again as supporters.

There was a competition many months ago on how the reconstructed Reichstag should look. I would like to gladly remind you that Sir Norman Foster won first prize. I would like to gladly remind you of the model with which he won first prize. It is foreseen that although they will reconstruct the Reichstag interior, the facade will remain unchanged and that they will put a large glass roof on top of it. I think this is the right symbolism for this building, because it makes it obvious that something should be preserved here, namely German history. We should not cover this German history. I find it bad that we are helping an artist to make publicity free of charge for himself. Thank you very much.

(Applause from the CDU/CSU and F.D.P. MPs)

Colleague Ebert, I am making it clear that I proceeded from a decision of the steering committee. But I as Speaker also have to respect majorities in parliament, when they decide to put the question to a vote in full session.
(Applause from the SPD MPs and MP Konrad Weiß [Berlin] [BÜNDNIS 90/DIE GRÜNEN])

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Translation © 1995 M. S. Cullen

Foto: Aleks Perkovic © Wolfgang Volz