So far, the measures introduced by the government have done very little and will continue to be ineffective in the future, assessed Martine Hansen. This is why the Christian Social People’s Party (CSV) demands stricter rules in the retail industry, public transport, and schools as well as an overall stricter obligation to wear masks.
The opposition party also demands that the regulations regarding schools should be included in the Covid-19 law. However, Hansen did not want to answer whether her party would also vote in favour of a lockdown.
On the other hand, Hansen explained, the current Covid-19 law – which is to be extended in the near future – is neither clear, nor coherent, nor strict enough. The CSV is in favour of banning all Sunday shopping sales before and after the holidays, including during the sales period in January.
Hansen also reiterated her party’s demand for a general obligation to wear a face mask on busy streets. The leader of the CSV parliamentary group criticised the government for shifting responsibility almost entirely to the general public.
Hansen also regrets that the majority parties did not react sooner. She explained that if Luxembourg had introduced stricter measures in September, there was a possibility that people could now be celebrating Christmas differently. While she agreed that in regard to the current figures, any sort of leniency was out of the question, she nevertheless pointed out that her party thinks that the rule of two should be abandoned and that an entire household should be allowed to visit.
In general, Hansen stated, the cooperation between the government and the opposition is “bad” at the moment. The government is practically ignoring the opposition parties and any propositions made by the latter are outright rejected almost every time.
Hansen criticised the Covid-19 law, stating that it contains “a lot of blunders”, which the government should have corrected. Somewhat cynically, she briefly wondered whether it would perhaps be a better tactic to ask the government for changes the opposition does not want in order to get what they do want, before concluding that this was no way to do politics.
The CSV politician added that she would appreciate it if the government could publish more scientific data which would help to explain its decision-making on the pandemic.
She stated that the CSV often has to fight in order to gain access to information but has been open to cooperating with the government since the beginning.
Hansen pointed out that her party has submitted a total of 30 motions regarding the Covid-19 pandemic, but almost none of them have been accepted by the majority parties, which according to Hansen is “extremely sad”.
When asked whether she took issue with the fact that her party colleague Claude Wiseler had become somewhat of the party’s official spokesperson on all matters regarding Covid-19, Hansen replied that this was not the case.
Wiseler, she explained, is a member of the Parliamentary Commission on Health, while she is not even if she still attends all of the meetings.
Hansen stated that she is “a team player” and that the right person should lead the discussion. She added that Wiseler is doing a very good job, and that a parliamentary group leader did not have to do everything. In any case, official positions are always discussed and voted on within the parliamentary group.
Faced with the CSV’s bad results in the last “Politmonitor” poll, according to which the party would drop to a historic low of 17 seats in the Chamber of Deputies, Hansen admitted that this was in part the CSV’s own fault.
The party did not come across as a team, and this was something that needed to be improved. However, she also pointed out that it is always more difficult for the opposition to shine in times of crisis. Hard work is of the essence, and the party needs to sell its accomplishments better.
She admitted that the comments of party president Frank Engel regarding inheritance and wealth tax had been “a gift to the press”. According to Hansen, her party should refrain from making any more such gifts in the future.
Party members should discuss ideas internally first before going public with them. When in doubt, the party should vote on certain ideas and whichever can bring together a majority should become the position the party presents to the public. This, Hansen explained, should be the CSV’s approach in the future.
Hansen stated that it could not be ruled out that someone else could challenge the position of the current party president Frank Engel during the party’s next general assembly. Whoever the next president will be, their main task is to bring people together, consider everyone’s points of view, and then lead both the parliamentary group and the party in the right direction.
So far, there is no date for the next general assembly. It is still unclear whether it will take place digitally or with members physically present.
Hansen refused to answer whether she would be the obvious choice as CSV’s public face ahead of the next national election.
Instead, she suggested that members should think about whether the CSV even needed a single person to head the campaign or if it could simply present a team. Hansen made it clear that this was not her decision to make but stated that it could be a good idea to try out new strategies.
The CSV’s youth section, the Christian Social Youth (CSJ), has accused the main party in the past of not giving enough chances to younger members. Hansen admitted that it was more difficult to bring about a change as long as the party is in the opposition.
Elected MPs have every right to exercise their mandate in the Chamber of Deputies, Hansen stressed, but it is important to maintain a continuous dialogue with the CSJ and consider their view as well.
The CSV initially wanted to discuss a number of policies, but Covid-19 had thrown a wrench into many of those plans, Hansen explained. While the party was able to conclude discussions about family, a number of policy proposals regarding health had been postponed due to Covid-19.
The president of the CSV’s parliamentary group sees her party as “a centrist party” for which the social aspect takes precedent in every decision. As a people’s party, it was the CSV’s duty to represent the people, but also businesses, which had particularly suffered during the crisis.
The CSV was not surprised that the national budget concluded 2020 with a deficit, this was normal after a crisis. Both businesses and the people needed assistance, which was costly but needed to be delivered, according to Hansen.
However, the government had missed the opportunity to set aside funds before the crisis started. The result, according to the CSV politician, is that the country is now lacking options as to how the accumulated debts can be decreased again.
While the CSV has abandoned the issue of inheritance tax for the moment, the party is now in favour of introducing a tax on property speculation. What is currently planned for in the housing budget would certainly not be enough to solve the problem, Hansen argued.
Hansen concluded by stating that the most important thing right now is to maintain the national finances and provide businesses with certainty so that they can plan ahead.
