Die Linke - The Left party , History and current debates

[GregTimo]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Left_(Germany)

Though mainstream media refer to them as 'far left', IMO Die Linke are essentially a left social democrat to populist left party (which I like), though they allow real far leftists to join (who seem strongest in the West, esp NRW-quite an achievement maintaining such a coalition). Reading the history of the PDS makes this clear when Stalnism was clearly denounced "We break irrevocably with Stalinism as a system!" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Party_...lism_(Germany)

Linke now are in open debate over migration policy (on the associated 'New Germany' Berlin newspaper site). Chancellor candidate Wagenknecht (not long ago seen as from a hard left faction) was denounced as a racist by a seeming politically correct element for some outspoken comments (she called for the deportation of sex offender refugees among other stuff). She is fully supported by her partner Lafontaine (ex SPD Finance minister) who was reported for some time as questioning the refugee policy among other things . 3000 members have signed a petition supporting her https://www.neues-deutschland.de/art...d-bartsch.html

The debate has little to do with East or West as some Eastern Linke politicans have criticised the pair https://www.neues-deutschland.de/art...en-falsch.html

Google translate gives a rough idea of what's going on, but not perfect of course

Lafontaine himself has written an article worrying about the lack of support amongst the unemployed https://www.neues-deutschland.de/art...aft-setzt.html

The argument might be seen as one of pragmatic populism v unyielding principle but as Lafontaine points out only the luckiest (and in some cases wealthiest?) refugees made it, so this is as much about making noise to re-assure the old voter base that they are not forgotten ? But I really cant be sure given my very poor German

[GregTimo]

Todays headlines in The Left Party associated paper cover a seeming intensified internal Linke power struggle . One the one side Bundestag party heads Wagenkenct and Bartsch who are worried about the loss of an estimated 400,000 voters to the AFD and Party co-chiefs Kipping and Riexinger . The translations are not great, but kind of worrying . I have long being almost surprised at how they have kept the coalition together, but hopefully this is just a phase . If there's a split it is not between old PDS and ex SPD

https://www.neues-deutschland.de/art...dergarten.html
https://www.neues-deutschland.de/art...gfriedens.html

[pluralist]

Thank you for this analysis.

though they allow real far leftists to join

I suppose the question that springs to mind for me is why would real far leftists want to join Die Linke?

Relatively recently in Germany, there was a degree of support among the youth for revolutionary leftist campaigns such as Baader-Meinhof.

[GregTimo]

Thank you for this analysis.



I suppose the question that springs to mind for me is why would real far leftists want to join Die Linke?

Relatively recently in Germany, there was a degree of support among the youth for revolutionary leftist campaigns such as Baader-Meinhof.

Nutter rich kids (and some mislead by them) back in the 70s was among the analysis wasnt it ? Better forgotten really .
And why do 'real far leftists' join British Labour and Podemos, why the Militant tendency historically , etc etc . Well, the only big electoral sucesses for such on their own was in France around 2001 , Long receded . And more limited here . And in Denmark with the Red Greens and the Left Bloc in Portugal, but they got pragmatic , so it is more a tradition I'd say

[GregTimo]

Few will read the whole weighty article which starts off reeling off facts then get a bit ingenious . The thing about the police argument I think is dodgy . As to the migration thing , they may be partly right in that Wagenknecht, Bartsh? and Lafontaine may have gone too far but that argument cuts across old Right/left divides . Thing is gains among the leftish middle class in the west and the shrinking unionised working class will not compensate for the loss of old voters in the east and that is a really tricky problem affect the left all across Europe now (in the loss of the old left in de-industrialised and poor areas) https://jacobinmag.com/2017/10/die-l...erman-election

[GregTimo]

A month later, Migration issues continue to appear in Neues Deutchland the Left party associated paper https://www.neues-deutschland.de/art...ngsgesetz.html

Now Wagenkench and Lafontaine may be going too far on refugees in reaction to the loss of poorer votes to the AFD (500,000 lost in the East and Die Linke getting hardly more than average among unemployed) but the thing that strikes me is how did Die Linke make 'Open Borders' a policy in the 1st place ? Is this a conflict of pragmatism going too far versus Political Correctness gone too far ? This particular spat is about immigration law

[GregTimo]

And what is going on within the German Left party itself now (Die Linke) ? (clicking to the left if the pay-wall comes up will allow reading the article still, google translate does German pretty good)
The 'open-border' supporters of party chairs won in the party conference of June but federal parliament co-leader Wagenknecht hasnt given up on her pragmatic view (she wants a more populist left , leaning toward a Melenchon like position) . She is supported by the other co-leader Bartsch as well as Lafontaine her husband and ancient left social democrat defector
'.. "There must be open borders for the persecuted, but we must by no means say that anyone who wants to come to Germany can claim social benefits and look for work here." ... ' https://www.neues-deutschland.de/art...-debatten.html