Former CDU General Secretary Peter Tauber continues to drum up support

Berlin – Former CDU General Secretary Peter Tauber is continuing his efforts to raise his profile. He has now written a guest article for the magazine "Stern," which will be published online on Sunday, in which he advocates for an orientation towards Prussian values ​​such as reason, a sense of duty, and tolerance. "We don't need a dominant culture of exclusion, but rather a guiding principle that fosters cohesion. An attitude that acknowledges reality: Germany is diverse," Tauber writes. This attitude, he argues, could help strengthen social cohesion in an immigration society. A modern German guiding principle must "revolve around what we have in common: language, education, the rule of law, democracy – and responsibility for one another," the former CDU General Secretary asserts. He suggests that Prussia's self-image could serve as a model: "Those who wanted to belong could do so – through participation, not through lineage." The Prussian state defined itself "not by ethnicity, but by attitude." Tauber demands that "religion and origin should neither be overvalued nor undervalued": "The state owes its citizens equal rights – and in return, it can expect equal loyalty." In current debates, fear is too often the prevailing tone – fear of change, diversity, and loss. "This fear paralyzes us," says Tauber: "Yet Germany has always been strong when it has changed: after the catastrophes of the 20th century, after reunification, and in European integration." Germany must understand its diversity as a strength and prioritize shared values. Tauber was General Secretary of the CDU from 2013 to 2018 and Parliamentary State Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Defense from 2018 to 2021. For several weeks now, he has been increasingly present in the media, among other things with demands for a different approach to the AfD. CDU/CSU parliamentary group leader Jens Spahn has already tried to stop this initiative. For the CDU, what Peter Tauber says is "completely irrelevant".