Chialo presents himself as a martyr, leaving the dirty work to others – a commentary

Berlin is finally getting rid of Joe Chialo , but not in the way expected: Not because he's becoming Minister of State for Culture , but because he's resigning . "Today I asked the Governing Mayor to release me from my position as Senator for Culture and Social Cohesion," he announced. The reason for this was criticism of the far-reaching budget cuts for the capital's cultural sector .

The justification for this step sounds implausible: Last year, he reluctantly supported the required cuts in the cultural budget – aware of his shared responsibility for the city, Chialo said. "However, the further cuts now planned interfere too deeply with existing plans and objectives, alter key professional requirements, and thus lead to the imminent closure of nationally renowned cultural institutions." It is just as dramatic, but these words come too late.

One would have expected this from a combative Senator for Culture, which Joe Chialo never was, and not from one who will now no longer play a role in Berlin's state politics. This is a 180-degree turnaround. Chialo has long defended the austerity plans, admonishing cultural institutions to take greater economic responsibility, advising them to develop a new mindset in these difficult times. This isn't fundamentally wrong, but to accuse the desperate institutions of this in the context of massive budget cuts was heartless and demonstrated a lack of knowledge.

Chialo also complains: A constructive discussion about the situation has recently become more difficult because public criticism has increasingly focused on him personally. "In this situation, I see it as my responsibility to create space for new perspectives."

No longer in Rocky mode: Joe Chialo

That's supposed to sound magnanimous, like a martyr: I'm sacrificing my office to pave the way for better times. But it seems more like someone is cowering at a task that he himself described as a Herculean task back in February. Because the next few years will get really dirty, really painful in Berlin's culture. Chialo is avoiding that. And yet, in an interview with the Berliner Zeitung last December, he said that the austerity measures were putting him in "Rocky mode." That's over now. Others can deal with the coming catastrophe. Joe Chialo is fed up.

Perhaps he's reacting this way because he sees how his chances have slipped away. His relationship with the governing party, Kai Wegner (CDU), is said to have cooled; Wegner is already partly doing Chialo's work by initiating dialogue with cultural institutions. Chialo doesn't mention it, but it's safe to assume he's bitterly disappointed that he won't be moving into the Federal Chancellery as Minister of State for Culture after all—a position he was long considered a foregone conclusion until it was announced on Monday that Wolfgang Weimer would take over . And now that the Senate Department for Culture is no longer a stepping stone, Chialo is jumping ship.

The bare, bitter numbers remain: After Berlin's cultural sector has to cut €130 million this year, it will be around €149 million in 2026 and €164 million in 2027. Moreover, all reserves will be exhausted by then. Sure, everyone has to cut costs—the total for the state of Berlin is €3 billion—but culture has been disproportionately affected. It's bitter that, in a situation like this, no one is there to fight for their department and their wards.

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