For a week or so I've been reading rumors of disgruntled SPD members threatening to
found their own party. Here's a recent write-up from the Süddeutsche:
Nach Medienberichten verfolgen zwei Initiativen die Gründung einer neuen Partei links von der SPD. Dazu sollen Gewerkschaftsmitglieder und Sozialdemokraten gehören...Allerdings bemüht sich die SPD auch, den Konflikt herunterzuspielen und ihren parteiinternen Kritikern entgegenzukommen. Die Partei müsse klarstellen, „dass wir immer wieder Brücken bauen, auch in das Lager von Kritikern hinein“, so Schartau.
Nicht jeder Kritiker der SPD wolle jedoch „gleich eine Partei gründen“, fügte Schartau hinzu. Vielmehr gebe es insbesondere in Bayern „einige wenige“, die zur Gründung einer neuen Partei aufrufen.
So: how likely is this? And what are the possible consequences for the SPD, for the German political landscape in general were it to happen? I remember reading that the PDS wanted to change its image after its awful defeats in the last election...is there room for another left-wing party? How would its goals be different from those of the PDS, the SPD, the Greens? Or any other smaller, left-oriented parties?
I suppose this is all totally speculative, since no one has yet (that I've read) come out and stated their intentions formally. The SPD has declared that anyone who does so will be kicked out of the party. Well, duh.
According to press reports, two groups within the party are pursuing the creation of a new party to the left of the SPD. The groups are said to consiste of union members and social democrats...
The SPD is making an effort to downplay the conflict and to respond to the party's internal critics. The party needs to be clear "that we will always build bridges, even into the camps of our critics," says Schartau [head of the SPD in NRW].
And not every critic of the SPD wants "to go out and found a new party," continued Schartau; rather there are, especially in Bavaria, "a few" people calling for the foundation fo a new party.
Posted by Heather at March 15, 2004 12:16 PM
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