Dennis Robert Redmond wrote:
>
> On Thu, 4 Jan 2001, Johannes Schneider wrote:
>
> > But when it comes to the economy and neoliberalism the Greens are the
> > neoliberal wing of the government. They are the ones who are arguing for
> > lower taxes for big capital, flexibilization of working times, a low
> > wage sector,introduction of a private pension system, calling union
> > leaders 'insincere' etc.
>
> Hardly. The Greens have a range of positions, some fairly neolib, some
> neosocialist.
But what counts is the mainstream. All the speakers for economics, finance, pensions etc. in the parliamentary groups are neolibs (Metzger, Wolf, Dückert). What you call neosocialist I would call Keynesyianist. But it seems in US-newspeak everything to the left of Ronald Reagan and Margret Thatcher is socialist.
> Flexibilization has a different cast in Germany, where
> Ladenschlusszeiten means that shopping after 6 pm is pretty tough
> (everything closes down);
It looks as if you have not been in Germany for over ten years at all. All major shops are open till 8pm.
> the state heavily regulates labor markets,
> unlike the US. They floated some minor make-work proposal, in
> terms of a low wage sector, which would've changed nothing.
Dennis, this is simply rhetorics to deceive a North-American audience. Its the same like praising China for beeing liberal compared to North Korea. The issues are quite important for anyone active in the unions. Please stop your capitalist propaganda here.
> And plenty of
> union leaders deserve criticism for being more neolib than the bosses
> themselves.
>
Especially when they are calling for higher wages and pensions?
Johannes