On Wed, 3 Jan 2001, Dennis Robert Redmond wrote:
> The Greens are not "in power". They got 7% of the vote and a minority
> position with the much larger SPD, which means they can push a few issues
> against the neolibs.
Dennis, the Greens are now more neolib than the SPD, not less. Have you been following them over the pension debates?
> They've done some fine things in terms of local planning, transport,
> and eco-development
They definately changed the way Germans think about the environment, but in support of Nathan's argument, they did much more in opposition and on the streets and in local government than they ever accomplished as part of a ruling coalition (which is what Nathan means by "in power") which seems in all these fields to have been a step backwards.
IMHO, the Greens' biggest progressive contribution since they've been part of a ruling coalition was in pushing hard to change the German citizenship law. That was a good thing, and their effort counted.
Michael
__________________________________________________________________________ Michael Pollak................New York City..............mpollak at panix.com