The SPD is still needed
Among the few personnel decisions that the SPD So far, one from the second row is the most interesting so far. Former Juso boss Björn Böhning is to become State Secretary in the Ministry of Finance of Lars Klingbeil and coordinate the government work there – A man who has been one of the tight leftists in the party for a long time, who, as managing director in the association of the film industry, has recently got to know and represent the other side, namely that of the economy. If this is an indication of the future course of the SPD, this can only do the new coalition well. Where pragmatism takes the place of ideology, it is more easily and better.
Klingbeil, it seems, recognized that. The government, which he will lead as a vice -chancellor, is also a great opportunity for the SPD despite great concerns in the party. Unlike at the traffic light, where she has rubbed itself between the Greens and Liberals, she is now freed from the compulsion of leading the lead. If she is wise, she can concentrate more on her historical role as a party of work and workers. Motto: Social is what creates work – or at least gets work, which is no longer a matter of course in a rapidly digitizing world.
Gerhard Schröder brought Germany back to the track of success
Björn Böhring Metamorphosis from the class fighter to the leader of a business association is therefore not a betrayal of his own red ideals. Comrades like him can sharpen the party’s gaze to the economic challenges of our time, in which the success of social democratic politics is no longer measured against the amount of social benefits or as possible strict protection against dismissal, but rather at their ability to question supposedly proven things and to think beyond the interests of their own clientele.
Gerhard Schröder That once did when he brought his Agenda 2010 out in 2010 and Germany brought back to the road to success. Now it is Klingbeil who, as Vice Chancellor, has to organize the economic transition promised by Friedrich Metz. As with Schröder, this includes a relentless analysis of the problems, consistency in action and enormous political stamina.
It won’t be easy. On the contrary. The SPD is a proud party, but also a deeply unsettled. Yes, even more: Juso boss Philipp Türmer is already publicly pondering about the threat of the party. Olaf Scholz as a chancellor has harmed her more than used, and Saskia Esken would also damage her more than benefits if she was actually rewarded with a ministerial post for the retreat from the party chair in a social democratic cow trade. In her view, it may be unjust to have to take the sole responsibility for the devastating election result, after all, Klingbeil led the party together with her to the demoscopic misery. However, unlike her, at least a promise in better times, he is not so ideologically, young enough to be able to wait for his chance, and outside, in the country, a lot better.
The party system threatens to further erode
Klingbeil could be the next candidate for chancellor of his party – unless Boris Pistorius is still as popular at the end of this election period as in the beginning. The defense minister would be 69 years old, but that was Friedrich Merz when he moved to the election campaign.
Unlike 2017, as Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, after the failure of the Jamaica negotiations, forced her to a coalition with the Union, If the SPD is now doing this out of freely, grumbling, but the lack of alternative of their trade is well aware. If the German party system continues to erod as in the past ten years, the Union and the SPD will be damn to work for a long time.
