Germany: Left/Die Linke breakthrough in state parliaments

[Fisher_Gate]

The Left Party/Die Linke have made a breakthrough in elections to two state parliaments in former west Germany, winning representation in Hesse (5.1%, 6 seats) and Lower Saxony (7.1%, 11 seat) for the first time. In Hesse they hold the balance of power. This builds on their success in Bremen in 2007, when they won 8.4% in a highly urbanised 'city state'.

There will be further elections next month in Hamburg where they can hope to win further seats, and Bavaria (very conservative)

 

[goldenecitrone]

When do you reckon you'll get Chancellor Gysi, then?

 

[Fuchs66]

I quite like "Die Linke" they are really making the right noises as an (slowly but surely) opposition that should be taken seriously, and they offer a much better recipient of "Protest votes" than the far right. I do however have reservations about them coming out of the opposition as a few of their policies dont seem to be thought through eg where is the money coming from?

I think they will do even better in Hamburg where they have quite a good amount of support (at least I've observed more support there than here in Lower Saxony, or at least it was a lot more vocal there). In Bavaria? We'll have to see but as you said they're extremely conservative down there, scary people.

 

[Fuchs66]

When do you reckon you'll get Chancellor Gysi, then?

Never (but I'd like to see the reaction from the CSU if it did happen)

I do like what he has to say though on many issues.

 

[goldenecitrone]

Never (but I'd like to see the reaction from the CSU if it did happen)

I do like what he has to say though on many issues.

I saw him give a speech in Magdeburg about ten years ago. Very charismatic, sharp and entertaining. He makes Merkel look like Boris Becker.

 

[Fuchs66]

I saw him give a speech in Magdeburg about ten years ago. Very charismatic, sharp and entertaining. He makes Merkel look like Boris Becker.

He is definately a thorn in the side of the CDU/CSU here and Die Linke have seemingly taken, to a large degree, the place of the SPD who have (Despite what the FDP have been saying) slid to the right to cosy up in the coalition. Lafontaine becoming the conscience of the old SPD.

 

[goldenecitrone]

He is definately a thorn in the side of the CDU/CSU here and Die Linke have seemingly taken, to a large degree, the place of the SPD who have (Despite what the FDP have been saying) slid to the right to cosy up in the coalition. Lafontaine becoming the conscience of the old SPD.

It's good that you actually have a left-wing party in Germany. We can only dream of such things here auf der Insel.

 

[Fuchs66]

It's good that you actually have a left-wing party in Germany. We can only dream of such things here auf der Insel.

I'm only a (long term) guest here myself, and unfortunately couldn't vote in the Lower Saxony election as I haven't been at my new address long enough (not allowed to vote in the Federal elections as an Engländer). I would like to see Die Linke getting a bit more power and a bit more to say it would be interesting to see how they handle it, I'm still seeing it in a sceptical "power corrupts" sort of way but I would like to be pleasantly surprised. There is also the "worry" whether real or media/politically generated that the old east German SED members still have their fingers in the pot through Die Linke.

 

[santa klaus]

they're extremely conservative down there, scary people.

Haha, I´m one of those scary people down there.

Die Linke in Bavaria´s parliament would drive the CSU nuts. Enough reason to vote them!

 

[goldenecitrone]

Haha, I´m one of those scary people down there.

Die Linke in Bavaria´s parliament would drive the CSU nuts. Enough reason to vote them!

Hast du 'go trabi go' gesehen? Ossis in Bayern. Sehr lustisch. Na ja, ein bisschen. My uncle's from Kaufbeuren. I liked Bayern, very hospitable people with lots of food and beer.

 

[santa klaus]

Nö, hab ich nicht gesehen.

Bayerische Landtagswahlen sind schön. Man braucht sich keine Illusionen machen. Die CSU gewinnt sowieso. Man kann also wirklich wählen, was Spaß macht.

 

[Squatticus]

Mein Gott: german75!

 

[goldenecitrone]

Nö, hab ich nicht gesehen.

Bayerische Landtagswahlen sind schön. Man braucht sich keine Illusionen machen. Die CSU gewinnt sowieso. Man kann also wirklich wählen, was Spaß macht.

Konnte viel schlimmer sein. Wenigstens haben die DVU keine Chancen da unten, oder? Ich wohnte fruher in Sachsen Anhalt in Magdeburg. Damals schaften die DVU fotzen fast 15 prozent.

 

[shagnasty]

Oh come on guys you know i can only translate one or two words of german.As for something like die linke happening in britain would okay if we had P.R.But glad to see they have made progress

 

[HackneyE9]

Two left wing parties in Germany, surely? The Greens as well.

 

[Idris2002]

If the Greens were ever left wing, they ceased to be so long ago.

 

[Fuchs66]

If the Greens were ever left wing, they ceased to be so long ago.

Yep, there are lots of old-school Greens that are bitterly disappointed with how the party has mutated in the last decade or so.

 

[HackneyE9]

'Left' compared with any of our three leading parties, though.

 

[Fuchs66]

Well according to Forsa polls a fair amount of support is going to Die Linke

CDU 35% (-5%)
SPD 25% (-2%)
and Die Linke 14% (?)

and CSU boss Erwin Huber has labled the SPD as a "stirrup for the communist left" (I get the feeling everything left of the CSU is seen by them as communist) so looks like a bit of trouble at t' mill.

Source: The Hamburger Morgenpost on my desk.

 

[durruti02]

..

 

[durruti02]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saarland_state_election,_2009 2.3% to 20% for Linke bu this is oscar lafontaines area and they have done well in other elections here
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thuringia_state_election,_2009 26% but seems to be the same as previously
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saxony_state_election,_2009 down 2% to 20%

 

[sihhi]

The Left Party/Die Linke have made a breakthrough in elections to two state parliaments in former west Germany, winning representation in Hesse (5.1%, 6 seats) and Lower Saxony (7.1%, 11 seat) for the first time.

In five years they've done precious little in electoral politics in Lower Saxony except help through a few cross-party budgets, then they promise a coalition with the SPD and Greens, at which point voters return to vote for the Greens and SPD.

So now "the breakthrough" in Lower Saxony state is a now dive back into the ground. Comprehensively voted out desperately weak scores even in the working-class suburbs of Hanover apparently.

For number fans in 2008 they had 243,106 votes they've managed to halve that to 112,215 even though electorate is up - a shade over 3% of popular support in a completely PR system.

Note also how the conditions for coalition at federal level have been eroded.

http://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2013/01/17/left-j17.html

Meanwhile, several newspapers have reported on an internal paper issued by the two co-chairs of the Left Party, Katja Kipping and Bernd Riexinger, putting forward a “power perspective for a leftist coalition on the national level”. The document calls for “substantial cooperation” with the SPD and Greens and no longer sets “any conditions for a coalition at the federal level”, the newspaper Osnabrück Zeitung writes.

Up until now, the two leaders of the Left party had made collaboration with the SPD and Greens conditional on four prerequisites: No military operations abroad, a ban on the export of armaments, a minimum monthly income of €1,000 for all and increased taxes on the wealthy.

Now, the Left Party leadership has dropped these conditions and claims that the SPD and Greens have adopted their own positions since the latter have spent time in opposition at a federal level. The internal document states: “Their [the SPD’s and Greens’] hints on basic social security, minimum wage, pensions and protection against poverty in old age, or for banking regulation indicate a shift towards the positions of the Left Party”.
In fact, the opposite is the case. On all major policy issues, the SPD and the Greens have moved to the right. In parliament, they have consistently supported the Angela Merkel government regarding both European policy and German army interventions in Afghanistan, the Middle East and Africa.

Do any admirers of the Die Linke approach wish to comment upon recent events?