Latest from the German parlamentarian 'left'

["Johannes Schneider" <Johannes.Schneider@xxxxxxx>]

German Greens and PDS hold their party conventions this weekends. The Greens
passed a new programme, replacing the old 1980 programme. In an effort to
take the space the Greens evacuated on the left the PDS passed its election
platform for the next general elections to be held in September.

For those interested in the German variant of parlamentarian cretinism. Here
are the links to articles in todays English edition of conservative daily
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. (BTW: the original URLs are much longer, the
links beleow have been produced with the help of
http://makeashorterlink.com/
nice service, thanks to Magnus for the tip)

Greens Finally Endorse Market Economy
By Heike Göbel
BERLIN. Alliance 90/The Greens has finally endorsed the market economy. In
the new party platform, "Green 2020," which was adopted at their party
conference on Sunday, the Greens for the first time explicitly endorsed an
"ecological and social market economy."
The party accepted competition as the driving force for growth and wealth.
In the new platform, the party wrote that the social-market economy combined
economic freedom with a social and ecological framework. "We want
functioning competition in favor of consumers," the platform stated.
"Now, we also have a plank on the market economy," said party financial
expert Klaus Müller. Just how huge a step has now been taken after more than
20 years is demonstrated by a comparison of the new platform with the
party's 1980 program, which had been valid until now. Competition there was
blamed for "those exploitative growth imperatives" which caused "the threat
of total pollution and destruction of the basis of human life." The 1980
program also contained a clear rejection of economic growth: "We are in
principle opposed to quantitative growth of any kind."
Full text at:
http://makeashorterlink.com/?U1DA41B8

Greens Party Conference Stumbles Over Security Policy
F.A.Z. BERLIN. Disagreement over security policies caused a rift inside
Alliance 90/The Greens at a party platform conference on Sunday, with the
party leadership and government ministers suffering one defeat and narrowly
avoiding another complete disaster.
Defying Foreign Minister Joseph (Joschka) Fischer and party coleader Fritz
Kuhn, about half the delegates voted in favor of a motion questioning the
wisdom of a "long-term American presence in Europe" and calling for a
passage supporting the U.S. presence to be removed from the party platform.
But it was not clear whether the votes in favor constituted a majority, and
after turbulent debate, Environment Minister Jürgen Trittin put forth a
compromise proposal to include the continuing presence of U.S. troops in the
basic platform, but add a passage stating that "dismantling military
capability will remain the ultimate goal."
Full text at:
http://makeashorterlink.com/?S21B20B8

PDS Adopts Antiwar Platform for Elections
F.A.Z. ROSTOCK. In a platform approved at a party conference here over the
weekend, the Party of Democratic Socialism said its primary issues in the
campaign for September's national election would be continued opposition to
the deployment of German troops in Afghanistan and to the current
government's "neoliberal" economic policies.
Delegates of the PDS, the successor party to East Germany's communists,
accepted the election program unanimously, undermining efforts by the
party's left wing to strengthen passages concerning security and economic
policy. However, a proposal by delegate Rainer Rupp calling for Germany's
immediate withdrawal from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization was
rejected 160 to 129. Mr. Rupp was a former agent of the East German secret
police who was convicted of treason in 1993 for handing over NATO secrets to
the communists prior to reunification.
Party Chairwoman Gabi Zimmer and the PDS parliamentary group leader, Roland
Claus, emphasized the role of the PDS as an "antiwar" party, but warned
delegates against assuming fundamentalist views on the issue.
Full text at:
http://makeashorterlink.com/?F12B22B8







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