Lafontaine rules?

[John K. Taber]

Carl Remick wrote:
> 
> I've been surprised to see no discussion here of the news that
> entrepreneur Jost Stollmann will not become the German economics
> minister.  Seems to me that this is one of the clearest indications to
> date that Schroeder (willingly or not!) will not preside over just
> another ho-hum centrist government in the Clinton/Blair mold.  Following
> is from today's NY Times:
> Choice for Economics Post Spurns Offer by Schroeder
> FRANKFURT, Germany -- Throughout his campaign for chancellor, Gerhard
> Schroeder portrayed himself as a pragmatic "new" Social Democrat who
> would promote economic growth while strengthening Germany's generous
> social welfare system.
> But hopes for that kind of happy balance collided with reality Monday,
> when Schroeder's candidate for economics minister turned down the job on
> the grounds that the ministry was being eviscerated.
> The exit of Jost Stollmann, a self-made millionaire who started a
> computer company, is the strongest sign that the new government will be
> more left-wing than pragmatic.
> The move also suggested that much of the political power in the
> government lies with Oskar Lafontaine, the more left-leaning chairman of
> the Social Democratic Party who will head the Finance Ministry, which is
> acquiring new responsibilities from the Economics Ministry. [end of
> excerpt]
> Carl Remick

That's not clear yet. Please excuse me if I don't remember the German
names, and if I have the posts garbled. I think the details can be
found at http://www.ft.com/ so this is just an overview.

Lafontaine tried to get his man appointed to an important post (sorry,
I don't recall either the man or the post) and Schroeder succeeded
in blocking it. But Schroeder tried to get his man (Muenterfing? 
something like that) into the post, and that too was blocked.

To me, it looks like the beginnings of a power struggle for
supremacy in the SPD. The outcome simply isn't clear. And to me
does not bode well for the new Koalition's stability.

BTW, Lafontaine is the proud author along with his wife of 
"Keine Angst vor der Globalisierung" (Nothing to Fear from 
Globalization). 

It sure makes me wonder just how left the new government will
be.

-- 
I've been able to string more words into fewer ideas than anybody I
know, and I'm continuing to do that.

     - Alan Greenspan to the Senate Budget Committee, Sept 23, 1998