Independence from traffic light politics
Left wing of SPD protests against Scholz and Co.
15.06.2024, 15:47
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Although it is the head of government, its latest election results are not very impressive: the SPD is in a deep approval gap. The party’s left wing is therefore considering a member petition to bring the core issues of rent, work and education back into focus.
After the debacle in the European elections, the SPD party left is considering a membership petition about the direction of the party. “In social democracy, we must once again discuss what our society should look like in the future, more independently of government policy,” said the co-chairman of the SPD party left “DL21”, Jan Dieren, to the “Tagesspiegel”. “We are therefore thinking intensively about a membership petition.”
The party’s left wing wants to raise substantive questions in the debate. “The next budget is something where we can discuss very fundamentally whether the Social Democrats should participate in austerity policies, especially in these times,” says Dieren. Questions in the areas of work, rent and education policy are also conceivable. “This can bring more dynamism to the discussion, which can only do the SPD good on its core issues.”
“One advantage is that all members can really participate and the party can be mobilized across the board,” believes the Bundestag member. The party’s left wing hopes that this will revive some of the discussions within the party. “During the election campaign, many of us noticed that many people, and in some cases even comrades, are increasingly shrugging their shoulders at the SPD’s actual work.”
The party’s left wing also recalls the result of the 2019 European elections, which led to the resignation of the then party leader Andrea Nahles. The subsequent membership vote on the new party leadership led to broad mobilization within the party.
Combating wealth inequality
According to Dieren, the weakness of social democracy and the strength of right-wing parties are connected. “Working people in particular have the feeling that they can no longer trust the SPD.” Therefore, social democracy must once again address economic issues more strongly: “The SPD must stand up more clearly and credibly for better wages, fight for more democracy in the world of work, enable affordable housing, and identify and combat wealth inequality,” says Dieren.
At the summer meeting of the party faction in Berlin, the next steps will be discussed under the motto “Our recipe against the shift to the right”. The “DL21” has around 1,200 members and around 30 members of the Bundestag. A membership request would first require around 4,000 supporters from ten sub-districts of the party. Within three months, 20 percent of members must then agree on an online platform.