Exerting influence on the judiciary stops. Judges are selected solely on the basis of professional competence. Promotions and judge appointments are decided by secret ballot by original court judges who are themselves best placed to judge the performance of their colleagues. Membership of a political party must no longer be a factor in ensuring the independence of the judiciary.
Media independence will be strengthened. No member of staff or elected member of the legislative or executive branches of government may sit on the Broadcasting Council of public service media. The independence of reporting suffers when those who are supposed to keep an eye on the media are themselves part of the media landscape. The system of toeing the line and exerting influence must come to an end.
Advertising will be abolished in public service broadcasting. This cannot be reconciled with the idea of independent reporting either if advertising revenues actually play a role.
Germany stands for charity and commitment to peace and justice in Germany, Europe and the world.
The failure to provide aid for drowning refugees from Africa in the Mediterranean constitutes a violation of the constitution. Ships must therefore be sent by the German Navy for rescue operations. Procedures for the repatriation of refugees or their justified and unjustified asylum procedures are to be separated from this. Month after month of watching people drown and the weekly dissemination of images by the duty-bound public media for the purpose of deterrence are cynical ploys and only please right-wing radicals and racists.
Germany stands for respect for human dignity. This rules out a policy of exclusion and xenophobia.
Germany stands for compassion and basic security for all those in need who are unable to help themselves because they are pensioners or as a result of social exclusion or major educational deficits. Basic security of EUR 1,500 each month must be available for them.
Germany stands for integration and cosmopolitan attitudes.
Germany stands for equal opportunities regardless of the parents’ origin and income.
Germany stands for innovation and the will to lead the country into the digital world, ameliorate the reservations of the elderly so that they recognise how much the digital world also makes their lives easier. (Unfortunately, we all pay lip service in this respect).
New research initiatives are needed, starting with early education and the discovery of talent in childhood and individual promotion. It continues in primary school and awakens the spirit of research and encourages creativity.
From Year 5 onwards, teaching is conducted using tablets and notebooks. Books for teaching the material are replaced by electronic teaching content, which should be provided with further-reaching sources so that students are able to gain in-depth knowledge of a topic by pursuing their interests.
Learning different programming languages and basic programming know-how will be introduced as a new compulsory subject. Just as writing and reading was learned in the past, programming languages will be the new basis for creative solutions and the implementation of one’s own ideas. To that end, the Federal Government is increasing the school budget for the federal states using federal funds by a factor of 5 in relation to the 2019 budget.