parties
The Left – A party is gaining courage
“We are the left, we are back.” photo
© Karl-Josef Hildenbrand/dpa
The Left party wants to put the ongoing dispute with Sahra Wagenknecht behind it and polish up its core brand. At the start of the federal party conference in Augsburg, she cheers on her co-chair.
Nobody was loudly upset about gender language. Nobody publicly complained about the party leadership. Nobody missed the mark on key issues such as migration and climate protection. After the break with Sahra Wagenknecht, the Left Party prevailed at the beginning of the federal party conference Augsburg unprecedented harmony. One could almost think that the always invoked goals of solidarity and peace now really counted in the party.
“The Left is back,” said co-chair Janine Wissler at the start in the hall at the Augsburg exhibition center. It’s not an easy situation at the moment. But the separation from Wagenknecht is also accompanied by a clarification process. A chapter is closed, a new one is being opened. “My impression is that there is a sigh of relief in the party that the conflicts of the past are being left behind,” said Wissler. A new party logo in bright red, which Wissler presented together with her co-chair Martin Schirdewan, is intended to symbolize the departure.
Classic left-wing themes
It was Schirdewan who gave the big speech of the first day – and made the hall cheer. His all-round attack included everything that defines the left’s self-image: attacks against social cuts at the expense of poor children and poor pensioners, solidarity of the working class, solidarity with minorities and people in need, the demand for redistribution of wealth from top to bottom.
“If someone in this room had earned 100,000 euros every day since the pyramids were built 4,500 years ago, then that person would be half as rich as Elon Musk today,” Schirdewan fumed. That is absurd. And the traffic lights do nothing about the grievances, but rather make the situation worse. “This federal government is a complete mess.”
“Of course we’re wrong too”
Schirdewan also sprinkled in a bit of self-criticism, especially since the Left not only has a series of electoral defeats behind it, but is also below five percent in the nationwide polls. Of course, not all contradictions and points of contention in the party have been resolved. There were also mistakes made. “Of course we are wrong too, that’s human,” said the party leader.
He mentioned a potential point of contention for the left: the Gaza war. According to reports, the party conference leadership found a compromise formula that a majority should support. Shirdewan put it this way: The left’s position includes unambiguous condemnation of the Hamas terrorist attack on Israel on October 7th. But: “The resulting war in the Gaza Strip with its terrible consequences, especially for the Palestinian civilian population and thousands of deaths, must end immediately.”
A bit of self-congratulation
The bottom line for Schirdewan is: the country needs a “strong left-wing party.” Together we will get back on the road to success. “The left has decided to fight, we are the left and we are back!” There was also a bit of self-congratulation.
The former parliamentary group leader Wagenknecht and nine other members of the Bundestag announced their resignation on October 23rd and announced the founding of a rival party called “Alliance Sahra Wagenknecht” in January. While the Left is only at 4 to 5 percent in nationwide surveys, the Wagenknecht party, which has not yet been founded, manages 12 to 14 percent when asked about future voting intentions. These values are not yet meaningful. But one thing is clear: it will be a tough road to a comeback for the left.
The European elections in June will be the first benchmark. And that is the real topic in Augsburg this weekend. The candidates will be nominated from Saturday. In addition to Schirdewan, the refugee and climate activist Carola Rackete, who became known as a sea rescuer in the Mediterranean, will be at the top of the election campaign. The “doctor of the poor” Gerhard Trabert, once the Left’s presidential candidate, also wants to join the European Parliament for the party. Schirdewan spoke of a choice of fate. He meant the fate of Europe, but it probably also applies to his party.