ʃˈaɪli wʌzɐ mˈɛmbɚɹ ʌvðə sˈoʊʃəl dˌɛməkɹˈæɾɪk pˈɑːɹɾi ʌv dʒˈɜːməni ˌɛspˌiːdˈiː, bˌʌt ɪn tˈuː θˈaʊzənd θɹˈiː hiː bɪkˌeɪm ɐ mˈɛmbɚɹ ʌvðɪ ˌɪnəvˈeɪʃənskɹˌeɪz ˌɛnˌɑːɹdˈʌbəljˌuː lˈɪbɚɹəl, ɐ θˈɪŋk tˈæŋk ʌvðə sˈɛntɹɪst pˈɑːɹɾi fɹˈiː dˌɛməkɹˈæɾɪk pˈɑːɹɾi ˌɛfdˌiːpˈiː.
Schily was a member of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD), but in 2003 he became a member of the Innovationskreis NRW liberal, a think tank of the centrist party Free Democratic Party (FDP).