Martin Schulz: won but not convinced

The SPD chief had to take the delegates with him at his daring turn from opposition to grand coalition. He could not inspire, in the end, reason prevailed.

Martin Schulz: won but not convinced
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  • Page 1 — won but not convinced
  • Page 2 — more than a hundred speeches
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    Martin Schulz was passable footballer in his youth, left defender at SV Rhenania Würselen 05. There he could have learned turn that he took as team captain of SPD in last weeks: if re is nothing left to lose, you throw everything forward, even goalkeeper n plays scorer in opposing area, one last upwards, no protection, maximum risk.

    So Schulz was dragged through Republic last week and tried to capture his zaudernde, dubious base and to inspire a new edition of Grand coalition. The grand finale was now extraordinary federal party congress in Bonn. 642 delegates should vote on wher SPD is allowed to start coalition negotiations with union. If that had gone wrong, so much was clear, Schulz would be gone. Large parts of his party board would be at least badly damaged.

    With him advertised also people who might orwise have been more likely to be held back: Bundestag group leader Andrea Nahles (formerly self-Juso boss), Matthias Miersch, spokesman for parliamentary left, until last opponent of coalition, was finally negotiations. Sigmar Gabriel, Olaf Scholz, trade unions, Emmanuel Macron, self-ancient like Gerhard Schroeder, Erhard Eppler and Kurt Beck, stand for Schulz – no last man, no defensive line. This attack of party leadership had to succeed.

    Lamento about missing Lighthouses

    At Federal Party congress in Bonn, Schulz tried with last strength. Since exploratory paper was published last Friday morning, hardly a day has passed that comrades did not speak publicly about outcome of consultations. Schulz had called paper "excellent". And thus a little more credibility under his base gambled. A common Lamento of many: re were missing "lighthouses", i.e. major projects like last coalition of minimum wage or rental price brake.

    Schulz did not want to let this accusation sit on his own in Bonn. He even reads two of m in paper: "The biggest educational offensive in history of Federal Republic, this is a lighthouse that we can be proud of." Toll-free Kitas, a legal claim to full-time school places, at least a softening of cooperation ban, which now allows confederation to spend more money on schools, a little more money for Bafög – party decision and electoral programme are one thing One thing, Schulz found. Jamaica would have "wrongly ruled" country. He announced that he would talk about non-standard time limit in coalition negotiations, as well as a rule of hardship for family reunification and improvements in two-class medicine.

    His second manoeuvre was so predictable that even many delegatess twist ir eyes. "Yesterday Emmanuel Macron called me," said Schulz. In run-up to party congress, SPD chief had repeatedly looked at this: he wanted to sharpen vote at party Congress to a decision on future of continent. In case, according to his calculus, base could hardly say no. That may be true. But Schulz came with Europe so clumsy that not only Jusos laughed.

    Schulz, on or hand, found: "The exploratory paper is manifesto of a European Germany." This would include more investment, a strengning of economy and a European Monetary Fund. "We must overcome spirit of neo-liberalism in Europe," Schulz cried

    Appeal to center of Reason

    The base clapped at designated places. At end, party chief received most important speech of his career-friendly applause – more not, no standing ovations. Real enthusiasm looks different. Schulz appealed to head, center of Reason for party – emotions were put on ors.

    Accordingly, result was: The delegates raised ir hand when Conference Bureau asked for approval of party leader's request. But so timidly, that Heiko Maas insisted that he should be recounted again. In no-votes, half-Tribune applauded again. After agonizing minutes, party chief Schulz followed with petrified mien, number of votes: Yes: 362. No: 279. A abstention.

    Almost motionless, delegates took result when it was read out. At best a polite handshake, so that Heiko Maas had to switch quickly to next program point: A guitarist sat on stage and agreed to social-democratic classic: if we have been ' on since '. The first delegates without emotion left plenary.

    Date Of Update: 22 January 2018, 12:02
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