Germany – workers punish Schröder

FOLLOWING THE catastrophic, though not unexpected, election result in
the region of North Rhine Westphalia, the German social democrat (SDP)
Chancellor, Gerhard Schröder, announced an early general election for
September 2005.

Tanja Niemeier

After thirty-nine years in power, the SPD will no longer be
represented in the government of its former heartland and most populous
regional state. The CDU (Christian Democratic Union), the main
opposition party, benefited most from the more than 6% increase in
turn-out. (63%, compared to 56.7% in 2000) With 44.8% of the vote, they
gained an extra one million votes.

This by no means reflects high hopes for a CDU-led government but
rather a determination to make the SPD reap what they have sown – the
implementation of the most vicious and anti-working class policy since
the end of the Second World War and the dismantling of the welfare
state.

While the SPD’s total vote only went down by 83,373 they were not
capable of mobilising enough voters to prevent the dramatic squeeze in
votes percentage-wise. While their share of the overall vote dropped by
5.7%, it dropped by 9% amongst workers and trade unionists.

Many working-class people welcomed the SPD leadership’s adoption of a
more anti-capitalist rhetoric in the last few weeks, attacking greedy
"locusts". But at the same time, they did not trust the SPD.

Future attacks

THE SPD is facing a severe crisis, stumbling from one electoral
defeat to another, and they have come under pressure from various sides.

The bosses in Germany want to see further attacks on the welfare
state and in the workplaces. They want to create an even larger low-wage
sector and get rid of the labour laws which they still regard as too
rigid.

In the eyes of the bosses, the SPD is no longer their most reliable
ally to push through any further attacks.

The SPD has also come under pressure from the
so-called left within its own ranks. Oskar Lafontaine, former finance
minister of the first term Schröder government who resigned from that
post as a consequence of Schröder’s neo-liberal policy, is openly
saying he would join a new formation which involved both the PDS/WASG
parties (see below)
. He has a lot of authority amongst wide layers
of the working class.

Further attacks

Given the dire economic situation and a further drop in tax revenues,
the government knows that they have to implement further attacks. By
autumn 2006, the initial date for the general election, they would have
been even more exposed and hated. Such a time delay would have given the
WASG enough time to develop more of a national profile and to develop
into more of a substantial force, which the SPD clearly does not want to
see happening.

The SPD, and trade union leaders will campaign on the basis that they
are the "lesser evil", but this does not at all take into
account that the biggest drop in post-1945 living standards has been
brought about by this SPD led government!

On the other hand, Schröder and Co. think that by going back into
opposition, it will give them some breathing space to get the party back
under control.

Even if taken by surprise by Schröder’s decision, the CDU stands
every chance of winning these elections. In opinion polls, they are
receiving up to nearly 50% of the vote.

But the ruling class could underestimate the the huge anger and
dissatisfaction that exists amongst the working class with any of the
established parties.

A CDU government would attempt to increase attacks on the working
class and would undoubtedly be confronted with an increase in struggles
including major clashes with the trade unions. Unlike under a SPD
government, the trade union leadership would find it difficult to keep
workers in check as a CDU-led government attacked living standards.

The economic situation will lead to greater turmoil and instability.
As these elections have shown, events can and will change very rapidly
in the near future. This will provide the workers’ movement with great
challenges and big opportunities.