Just In: Red Oskar's Out

[Johannes Schneider]

Doug Henwood wrote
>So will the German left (I don't feel quite so justified saying "such as it
>is" in this case as I would with the U.S. left) now fall dutifully in line
>behind Schröder in the interests of pragmatism and "access," on the Clinton
>model?
I dont know how you define the German left. But I dont think it will rally
behind Schroeder now.
First, besides the SPD there are still the Greens and the PDS as an
organizational alternative. No matter what you think of them, they still
have some attraction for leftwingers.
At the moment it looks that the left inside the SPD is shocked and paralyzed
because they lost their idol. Quite opposite to what Doug is suggesting it
might be that we will see some opposition to Schroeder, now that Lafontaine
is no longer there to keep them checked. As Trittin has been doing inside
the Green party, Lafontaines job  was to contain the leftwingers and
organnize support for her the more right (Schroeder and Fischer) leader.
Second and most important, Lafontaines left pose was to some extent a
reflections of union pressure on and inside the SPD. You have to keep in
mind that the German unions are still intact and never suffered defeats like
in the UK during Thatchers time.


>Were the markets right to buy the euro on this news?
Did the fundamentals change in anyway? I dont think so. Lafontaines former
wife has been telling he shortened the Dollar yesterday morning. But he
covered in the evening.
Johannes