"Germany Day" of the Young Union: The Big Bang is Missing

The Junge Union has long been a power factor in the party. Accordingly self-confidently, the youngster presented himself at the "Deutschlandtag" - and Chancellor Merz showed himself turned. Nevertheless, harmony was not felt. The soundtrack to the "Deutschlandtag" of the Junge Union (JU) is of course no coincidence. The director of the JU has selected exactly under which songs the guest speakers enter the hall in Bonn. And these convey a message of the now powerful boys in the Union. When Friedrich Merz arrives, "United through the storm" roars out of the boxes. Coming through the storm together: That was also the promise of the JU Federal Chairman Johannes Winkel to the Chancellor: We support you, but only if you implement the reforms now. And behind this "if" stands, so to speak, a threatening exclamation mark. With noticeable impatience, the Young Union is pushing for the implementation of reforms, especially pension reform. With anger she calls for more assertiveness towards the SPD in the coalition. And with great self-confidence the JU expresses its convictions. Because it sees itself not only as an engine and driver of the CDU, but also as a power factor. In the Bundestag, Merz has a majority of twelve votes. But the young group now consists of 20 members. So if they oppose the Chancellor, he has a problem. Chancellor Merz’s promise knows about this importance and is therefore “more JU-friendly” this year. The big bang is missing. In contrast to the last "Deutschlandtag", when Merz in the pension dispute visibly angrily called the delegates: "That can probably not be your seriousness!" Instead, the Chancellor promised the approximately 300 delegates that he would implement the pension compromise as it is now (for almost four months). So it should be decided before Christmas in the Cabinet. And the first reading in the Bundestag should also take place before the end of the year. Scarce, polite applause That smooths the waves. It is the fulfillment of the minimum expectation that the JU has for its Chancellor, whom it once so frenetically celebrated and from which it is now so disappointed. The revolution remains and Merz picks up a narrow, polite applause. No more, no less. After the conflicts of recent months, this is already a friendly act within the Union. Leading representatives of the JU also make it clear away from the speaker stage: The window of opportunity in which one is now silent is not open for long. Even if ultimatums were not pronounced out loud at the "Deutschlandtag" 2026, one hears: by the spring of 2027 at the latest, the pension reform must be through, otherwise it will pop again. On Friday evening, Hendrik Wüst enters the hall of the "Deutschlandtag". His song is a little hidden declaration of love: "You are the best, more than you know!" The JU wants – after the disappointment with Friedrich Merz – a new Chancellor candidate. It is an open secret that the JU would no longer support Merz as a candidate for chancellor in the next federal election. Wüst is considered a possible - and not unlikely - substitute candidate. He is almost 20 years younger than Merz, and yet does not appear polarizing or even clotting. ACDC for Söder But Wüst is for some among the boys too cautious, too reserved. Therefore, the song was also a message to the NRW Prime Minister: Show yourself, throw your hat in the ring! And Markus Söder? He appears in the hall under the rocking sounds of ACDC: "Thunderstruck". His speech really energized the JU delegates and guests. Söder staged himself as the one who sets the hall in motion without presenting much new content. However, the second possible “replacement chancellor” underlines that the Union must now push through the decisions – and thus the reforms – with power and stresses that the Union is the larger partner of the coalition – much to the pleasure of the JU. Garnished with statements such as "fear sweat stinks" the Bavarian Prime Minister presented himself as a tackler. The sub-level behind it: I don’t get lost in compromises and delays. Together with Merz, Wüst and Söder, the Junge Union is in agreement in the sharp demarcation to the political margins. Remarkable that on the last day and after the successful exploratory talks between the left, the Greens and the SPD in Berlin, Söder says that if you need a firewall, then "more to the left". Angle is strengthened At the "Deutschlandtag" in 2026, a JU is presenting itself, which is brimming with strength and has finally said goodbye to being a brave applause backdrop applauding the Chancellor. At the top is Johannes Winkel, a chairman who has received the best election result that a JU chief has ever received. He will thus strengthen the JU voice throughout the Union. Even if the loud bang failed. Harmony does not come in the tense relationship between JU and Merz. It's just a pause. Or the calm before the storm.