Andrea Nahles has lost her political fight for Survival. However, the resignation of the party Chairman is not the only Problem of the SPD. What’s behind your constant decay?
Andrea Nahles leaves the Willy-Brandt-house to your resignation as SPD party Chairman
Calm attitude, solid steps. A day after their resignation, Andrea Nahles transferred your Resignation with a brave Smile. “Have a good time,” says the former party Chairman, on Monday in Berlin, and adopted by the press. And with Nahles, also your promise to get the SPD from your survey deeply and to renew from the ground up goes.
Because for some time it looks for the social Democrats in Germany, bad. At the last nationwide vote in the European elections in may, the SPD, with 15.8 percent, their worst result. In the state elections in Bremen, was for the first Time since the Second world war is no longer the strongest force. And also at the top it wobbles Apart from Sigmar Gabriel, it has since the turn of hardly a SPD-Chairman managed to stay longer than five years in office. But what of the steady disintegration of the SPD is based?
No clear messages
“For the last 15 years, we ask ourselves the question: What do I get when I choose SPD? And no one can answer them,” says Olaf Böhnke, an Analyst at the political consulting organization Rasmussen Global. Historically, was able to rely on the party getting the votes of the simple workers. For decades fought the social Democrats, together with the trade unions for improvements in labour law, for more education and more participation. With Success. But today, every second German to the middle layer. The classic SPD’s electorate is broken.
It needs to have the SPD at all?
But on social issues there is no lack in modern Germany: According to the Federal statistical office, every Fifth person in Germany is at risk of poverty or social exclusion. At the same time rising Rents threaten the livelihoods of many people. More than one in Ten feels of his monthly rental costs heavily loaded. But those who live in such difficult circumstances, chooses not the SPD, but the AfD in East Germany, or the Green in the West.
Watch the Video 01:37
The Trio should lead the SPD acting
“The SPD has lost a lot of trust and credibility in the past years,” said Thorsten Faas, a political scientist and Professor at the Free University in Berlin. Especially in the Grand coalition, it had been in recent years difficult to regain that trust. “Here the party had to fight again and again in order to visibility and compromise,” adds Faas.
The beginning of the end?
Exactly, this Grand coalition of CDU/CSU and SPD, seems for many to be the beginning of the ultimate descent of the social Democrats. It had been after the disastrous defeat of 20.5 percent, in the case of the Bundestag elections in 2017, again and again, Trying to define themselves within the party. For example, in the past year, as the SPD strengthened after the summer break, “a socio-political Offensive” to the Federal government demanded. And at the same time the topics: retirement, tenant protection, care, and minimum wage pretended to be. But the SPD can’t make it, that success in these subjects are attributed to her.
Former Chancellor Gerhard Schröder, the former government adviser Peter Hartz in 2002
Others describe the Era of the chancellorship of Gerhard Schröder from 1998 to 2005 as the beginning of the end. “Since its end, as Chancellor, the SPD has suffered a lot,” says Olaf Böhnke. Particularly controversial is its “Agenda 2010”, which liberalised the labor market and state services to cut was at the time. Since then, it did not manage the party, “to represent a majority opinion to Hartz IV, whether this Reform was good or bad,” says Böhnke.
The European Left
But the German social Democrats are not the only ones to struggle with a shrinking electorate have. In France, the list of former left people’s party “Parti Socialiste” came in the European elections little more than six percent. In Austria, the SPÖ 2017 was voted out from the government. Even in the former social democratic model country of Sweden the labour party in 2018 with under 30 percent as bad as ever.
This Böhnke also looks at the European level, no shortage of social democratic issues. But the sales strategy towards the voters had to be: “The policies work, you are not out of date. But it is a matter of how it’s packaged and who it personnel in the party are represented.”
The Question Of Staff
This is a staff question, the SPD is now. Transition is led by a team of three, with Manuela Schwesig, Malu Dreyer, and Thorsten Schäfer-Gümbel. After that, is open. The new tip will then have to decide whether For a continuation of the Grand coalition with the Union, or a more radical, left course of the party. The party might be credible, however, only from the Opposition control. And who knows, you might find there for possible new elections at the end of this year, Yes more, left and green allies.