By Gunnar Schupelius
The Social Democrats simply cannot compete with their coalition partners, the Greens and the Left. But if you only lose, you don’t want to vote, says Gunnar Schupelius.
The Berlin SPD under Franziska Giffey went into a coalition with the Greens and the Left a year ago. Since then, the Social Democrats have not been able to assert themselves against the two partners.
The latest example of this is the dispute over migrants from Moldova, which ended with a sweeping victory for the Greens and the Left.
Interior Senator Iris Spranger (SPD) wanted to deport 600 of a total of 3,200 Moldovans who are required to leave the country but do not want to leave Germany. That was nothing but her duty, which she must fulfill in her office.
But the Greens and the Left fell into her arms. They used the beginning of the election campaign for an effective intervention: “For humanitarian reasons, deportations to Moldova are not justifiable,” claimed MPs Niklas Schrader (Left) and Vasili Franco (Greens).
They referred to a vague wording in the coalition agreement of 2021, which states: “In winter, deportations should be avoided if weather conditions make this necessary on a humanitarian basis.”
The weather conditions there are not defined and played no role at all last winter, when 139 Moldovans were deported in January and February, without any protests from the Greens and the Left.
But now they wanted to know – and lo and behold: Spranger caved in immediately, Moldovans are allowed to stay. So little can the SPD still assert itself in the simplest things.
Spranger buckled because she lacked the support of her own party. She is not alone with this problem. Here’s an example: On November 4, the SPD MPs Florian Dörstelmann and Tom Schreiber demanded that the public prosecutor’s office should take consistent action against the climate stickers, that the dangerous intervention in road traffic be punished. The party remained silent, especially co-chair Raed Saleh.
Incidentally, Dörstelmann had all the windows in his constituency office smashed that same night – the perpetrators unknown.
In transport policy, too, the SPD cannot or does not want to oppose the superior power of its coalition partners, in this case the Greens. Let’s just take the famous example of Friedrichstrasse, which was illegally closed by Green Senator Günther and Jarasch. Now, according to Jarasch’s will, it will even be turned into a pedestrian zone.
The Governing Mayor Giffey is against it, but does not speak a word of power. She fell into the trap set for her by her own party. The path to an alliance with the FDP or CDU, which she had indicated during the election campaign, was blocked for her. Since then, she has retreated from the radical power of her coalition partners and bowed to their dictates.
But if you never win in such fights, you don’t want to be elected either. He loses the next election.
Is Gunnar Schupelius right? Call: 030/2591 73153 or email: [email protected]