Christian Lindner

Christian Wolfgang Lindner ( born January 7, 1979 in Wuppertal ) is a German politician ( FDP) and former entrepreneurs of the new economy and business consultant. Since May 2012, he is, as before, from 2000 to 2009, member of the state parliament of North Rhine -Westphalia. He is also Chairman of the national association and the parliamentary group of the FDP NRW. From October 2009 to July 2012 was Lindner Member of the German Bundestag, from December 2009 to December 2011 also general secretary of the federal FDP.

On December 7, 2013 he was elected to an extraordinary federal party chairman of the FDP.

2.1 Religious Policy
2.2 Education Policy
2.3 Economic, energy and social policy

Career

Origin, study and military service

Lindner was born in 1979 as the son of a teacher in Wuppertal. After separation of the parents Lindner grew up with their mother in Wermelskirchen.

After graduation in 1998 at the Municipal Gymnasium in Wermelskirchen Lindner did his community service as a janitor at an educational institution from in order to continue to do business in their own words can. From 1999 to 2006 he studied political science as a major subject and state law and philosophy as subsidiary subjects at the Rheinische Friedrich- Wilhelms-Universität Bonn. After eleven semesters, he acquired the academic degree of Master of Arts (M. A. ). In his master's thesis at the Institute for Political Science, he worked on the topic: tax competition and fiscal equalization. Can the financial constitution be reformed? In 2006 he began writing his dissertation at the political science professor Frank Decker, he has so far not completed due to his political activities.

While studying Lindner suggested a reserve officer's career in the Air Force. For this he had to do without the formal recognition as a conscientious objector claims to be. In 2002 he was promoted to lieutenant of the reserve. About four years made the two-week reservist military exercises as an insert diary leader in the Air Force Command in Cologne -Wahn from. 2008 he was assigned as a liaison officer to the Land Command North Rhine-Westphalia in Dusseldorf. Since September 2011, he dressed, upon promotion by German Defence Minister Thomas de Maizière, the rank of captain of the reserve. He is among other things a member of the German Atlantic Association and the Association of Reservists of the German Bundeswehr.

Entrepreneurial activity

From 1997 to 1999 and from 2002 to 2004 Lindner worked as a freelance consultant and electricity trading. These activities, he was run out in the course of his election to the North Rhine-Westphalian FDP General Secretary.

From 1999 to 2002, Lindner was Managing Partner of the consulting company he co-founded stick Lindner communications GmbH, which was first registered in the commercial register under the kingmaker GmbH. The company exhibited no major business activities and was disbanded in 2003.

In May 2000 Lindner founded together with three other partners, the Internet company Moomax GmbH. The initial financing of approximately € 1 million was carried out with public funds by the Reconstruction Loan Corporation. Lindner was CEO from 2000 to 2001 and then left the company, which filed for bankruptcy shortly thereafter.

Political career

With 16 years Lindner joined on the advice of the Father of the FDP. From 1996 to 1998 he was state chairman of the Liberal Students NRW and board member of the Young Liberals NRW. Since 1998 he is a member of the North Rhine-Westphalian Board of the FDP.

In the state elections NRW on 14 May 2000, the FDP party succeeded in gaining the state parliament of North Rhine-Westphalia ( she received 9.8 % in May 1995 it was only 4.0% have been ); The 21 -year-old Lindner moved as youngest member in the history of the Landtag of North Rhine -Westphalia into a state parliament. This he was from June 2000 until November 2009. 2005, there were in NRW to a historic change of government: after 39 years of SPD government received the CDU and FDP together a slim majority of parliamentary seats; Jürgen Rüttgers formed the Cabinet Rüttgers. Lindner was from 2000 first ' spokesman for Generations, Family and Integration, 2005-2009 vice-chair of the FDP faction in the parliament and spokesman for the areas of innovation, science and technology.

Since 2002, Lindner Chairman of the FDP district association is Rheinisch- Bergisch District. From 2004 to 2012, he was also Deputy Chairman of the FDP district association Cologne. From November 2004 to February 2010 Lindner was the General Secretary of the FDP Association NRW. The FDP Federal Executive Council from 2007 until December 2011.

In the federal election on September 27, 2009 Lindner was elected on the regional list in North Rhine -Westphalia to the German Bundestag. In December 2009 he became Secretary General of the FDP; In December 2011 he resigned from this office. In his capacity as General Secretary Lindner led from June 2010 a commission to draw up a new FDP Basic Programme, whose first draft was presented in September 2011.

On 14 March 2012, the NRW state parliament dissolved unanimously; an early state election was necessary. In April 2012, an FDP party convention Lindner chose the top candidates for the state election on May 13, 2012 At an FDP party convention in May -. Shortly before the state election - Lindner was elected state chairman. In the state election the FDP received 8.6 % of votes. Lindner was also in the choice of direct candidate for the parliamentary constituency Rheinisch- Bergisch District II; there he received 11.6 % of the primary vote. In May 2012, he was elected Group Chairman of the FDP in North Rhine-Westphalia state parliament and renounced the succession to his seat in parliament. On March 9, 2013 Lindner was elected as one of three deputy FDP national chairman ( the other two are Sabine Leutheusser -Schnarrenberger and Holger Zastrow; party leader Philipp Rösler was since 2011 ).

After the parliamentary election in 2013 announced FDP leader Rösler and the executive board of her resignation. At the same time told Lindner to want to run for the office of the FDP party chairman.

Between the 6th and 8th December 2013, a extraordinary party congress was convened in analyzing the causes of the defeat and a completely new bureau was elected. The 34 -year-old Christian Lindner was elected the youngest chairman of the FDP history and called on the members to rebuild from now on the party " from the base from ". As a guiding principle, he spoke in his presentation speech of a return to a holistic liberalism:

"Our market confidence is not faith in the market. The market needs rules so that he can work. [ ... ] If you ask a liberal, what it is about him, he replies, to you. To your right, in the here and be happy now. "

He also criticized the " second vote campaign" and warned of a departure from the previous policy on Europe.

Private

Lindner is since August 2011 married to the time - journalist Dagmar Rosenfeld - Lindner, with which he was already romantically involved since 2009. Lindner is non-denominational.

Since 2007, Lindner committed to the children Regenbogenland in Dusseldorf. He is a member of the Association and, since September 2009, an official " ambassador " of the facility. In addition, Lindner member of the Friedrich- August-von - Hayek -Gesellschaft eV

Political positions

Religious Policy

In a commentary for the BBC Lindner competed in 2010 a " republican identity " because the world is ordered by secular laws, but not by religious commandments. Nevertheless, the FDP was " not anti-clerical and anti-religious as in earlier times ": A modern liberalism is " post-secular " to deny in principle a right to truth for individuals without religious precepts and beliefs.

Education policy

Lindner 2008 was one of the initiators of the Children Education Law in North Rhine -Westphalia and demanded, among other things, a right to a nursery place from the age of two. He advocates tuition costs, but in favor of the principle to finance a part of the course on a loan repayable later. In a 2011 by Lindner significantly elaborated main motion also he demanded, inter alia, a reform of the educational federalism, strengthening early childhood education and reforms in the field of teacher training and in-service training.

As part of North Rhine-Westphalia state election 2012 Lindner said the education policy to one of the main themes of his campaign. He called in this context could include a modification of the adopted SPD, Alliance 90/The Greens and the CDU in NRW school consensus, because this is a disadvantage to high schools and secondary schools favoring one side.

Economic, energy and social policy

Lindner described the reduction of public debt as a new priority of the FDP. He rejects demands for tax increases and suggests instead the reduction of bureaucracy. It also requires the introduction of a debt brake for the social system. New laws and social benefits should only be adopted if the consequent burdens for future generations are portable.

In the wake of the Fukushima nuclear disaster Lindner demanded the disconnected during a three- month moratorium seven German nuclear power plants after the end of the same not to be taken back into service. In the discussion about a nuclear phase-out, he spoke out against a rapid withdrawal. He demanded that the coal power plant is put into operation in dates.

Lindner defended the attitude of the FDP to reject a state guarantee for a transfer company, which should be made for the employees of Schlecker.

In August 2011, Lindner proposed to shorten the eligibility period for unemployment compensation for older workers back to a maximum period of 18 months, which came through all parties to reject, but found support at the German Industry and Commerce.

In the context of surveillance and espionage in 2013 and parliamentary elections in 2013 Lindner asked in an article published by the FAZ Guest Post more government regulation of the market data.

Controversies

Bankruptcy of his company

In 2000, Lindner came up with the business idea to bring internet avatars on the market. On 29 May 2000, the heyday of the New Economy, he founded together with Hartmut stick and Christopher Patrick Peterka the Internet company Moomax GmbH. Stick was one of the founders of the Young Liberals and the primary sponsor Guido Westerwelle. Following the insolvency of Moomax GmbH Hartmut moved stick first as head of PR for Dresdner Bank before 2008 he was Managing Director of the German Derivatives Association eV ( DDV).

The Moomax GmbH was founded with 30,000 euros share capital and received on the Risk Capital Fund EnjoyVenture additional capital. Lindner, who until 2001 was Managing Director from 2000, left the company after a year and reduced parallel his capital contribution to a share of 8%. Said Wolfgang Lubert of EnjoyVenture that at this time the insolvency had already become apparent, which was actually filed in October 2001. EnjoyVenture lost its own means about 600,000 euros, the KfW Banking Group - and federal and state governments - lost another 1.4 million euros. At this height EnjoyVenture had successfully applied for a public development credit for Moomax GmbH. Due to the insolvency of Moomax GmbH, the repayment claim went under and were also related to the liability of EnjoyVenture. In an interview with the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung Lindner said that the funds had been " very prevalent " used in order to create skilled jobs. He hinted that Moomax many jobs have created the said number was not on demand but authorize. The last Moomax CEO Wolfgang Lubert, however, identified a number of much less than ten full-time employees, this number was also called from another source. The research of the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung concludes that a considerable part of the 2 million euros must have flowed as salaries to the three Moomax CEO.

Internal membership referendum

In December 2011, Lindner was criticized within the party in his capacity as Federal Secretary for the implementation of a decision by the members of the FDP. When organized by Frank Schaeffler decision dealt with the question of how the party should continue to stand for Euro - bailout policy of the Federal Government and in particular the ESM. So criticized Schaffler that "some members have no voting records " would get. He complained also that "the participation numbers " on the membership referendum " only the party leadership " are known. Lindner also had already said before the end of the vote, he would keep the initiative failed. FDP local politicians called in this context the resignation of Lindner.

Awards

2008 Politics Award (Category: young politicians of the year ) of the magazine Politics & Communication
2010 speakers and dialogue Price ( category: Best political speaker) of the think tank Institute for Future policy re: public
2014 Medal for Combating Deadly Seriousness of the Aachen carnival association

Writings (selection )

With Hartmut stick ( ed.): The stock as a brand. How Businesses should communicate with investors. Frankfurter Allgemeine Buch, Frankfurt am Main 2000, ISBN 3-933180 X -83.
(Ed.): avatars. Digital speaker for business and marketing. Springer -Verlag, Heidelberg et al 2003, ISBN 3-540-43992-7.
With Philipp Rösler ( Eds.): freedom. felt - thought - lived. Liberal contributions to a discussion of values . VS Verlag für Social Sciences, Wiesbaden 2009, ISBN 978-3-531-16387-1.
With Hans -Dietrich Genscher: building bridges. Two generations, one passion. Hoffmann und Campe, Hamburg 2013, ISBN 978-3-455-50296-1.

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