>On Mon, 15 Mar 1999, Johannes Schneider wrote:
>
>> BTW are you now turning to the Stalinists after the Greens have
disappointed
>> you so badly.
>
>No, no, eco-socialism is alive and well. The new eco-taxes are a step in
>the right direction, and the coalition is reducing lots of the tax breaks
>for the big corporations (Germany's official 45% tax rate on corporate
>profits is actually much lower than this).
Dennis you are living in a dream world. The red-green government has already
reduced the corporate tax rate to 40%. The economics minister has proposed
25%. Yesterday the green chair of the Bundestag budget comitee demanded 20%.
To me socialism means something else than lower taxes for big business.
Another problem withe eco-tax reform is that its not ecological at all.
Corporations using a lot of energy only pay a reduced rate for their energy
consumption. As a result coal mining profits most.
> My point is that the German
>Left is still thinking nationally instead of on a European level.
Thats a valid point. But the Euro is going to change it.
>You seem to dislike Gysi.
Not personally. He is a smart politican and the PDS is doing its best within
the frame of parliament politics.
>Why? Did they refuse to throw Molotov cocktails
>into the Bundestag or something?
Hey, hey, hey. but there are a few problems with the PDS. Just to name a
few:
- Their constituency consists mainly of the old GDR-bureaucrats. Thus a lot
of their politics is backward looking and centers around the lost workers
paradise. Its really no fun going to their meeting and having to endure a
discussion about the pros and cons of the Berlin wall.
- In the East they have a mass basis, but they dont do anything to mobilise
their members against rascism. They only pay lip service to anti-racist
policies in parliament.
- To sum it up they are not able to conduct political campaigns, but are
just looking forward to a cooperation with the SPD in parliament ( which
wont happen on the federal level ).
Johannes