Honoring the Legacy of Former NRW Minister Friedhelm Farthmann
Veteran Politicians Kraft and Müntefering Reflect on Former Minister Farthmann - Former Minister Farthmann Honored with Tribute by Kraft and Coinage
Here's the lowdown. The reigning ghost of NRW politics, Hannelore Kraft, along with SPD stalwart Franz Müntefering, paid a solemn visit to the state parliament last Tuesday. The gathering aimed to pay tribute to the late social minister of NRW, Friedhelm Farthmann, who kicked the bucket on December 9, at the ripe age of 94.
The memorial service was attended by Farthmann's loving wife Ragnhild, former parliamentary group leaders like Norbert Römer, and buddies such as former parliamentary president Carina Gödecke.
In honor of the departed, SPD parliamentary group leader Jochen Ott, who himself held the position of parliamentary group leader from 1985 to 1995 (just like his buddy Farthmann), called him "a shining beacon for us all." According to Ott, Farthmann was an intellectual with his feet on the ground, a "hallo-professor blend" as Heinz Kühn once described him. If you ask me, that sounds pretty darn cool. He spent his entire political life championing the values and goals of the labor movement, standing up for folks whose biggest, and sometimes only, asset was their hard work.
Farthmann had quite the impressive political career. He served as Minister for Work, Social Affairs, and Health in NRW from 1975 to 1985, then as parliamentary group leader. He was also an ally and adversary, depending on the situation, of the long-serving SPD Minister President and later Federal President, Johannes Rau (1931-2006).
Now, about the SPD, Hannelore Kraft, Franz Müntefering, and what exactly Farthmann did for NRW - that's where things get a bit hazy. See, there's limited info floating around about Farthmann's specific contributions to the state and the party. But from what we can gather, the SPD-Fraktion im Landtag NRW hails him for his significant role as their former chairperson[1][3].
Farthmann was also a member of the German Parliament (MdB) and served in the 6th and 7th Bundestag terms, starting from January 26, 1971[4]. That suggests he was involved in various political initiatives at both the state and federal levels, although the nitty-gritty details of his contributions aren't explicitly outlined in the search results.
But hey, folks like Farthmann usually have a hand in shaping local policies, fighting for social justice, and guiding party strategy. However, with scant details, pinpointing his exact impact on NRW and the SPD is a tough cookie to crack. But hey, we're just here to share the news, not solve every mystery, right?
References
[1] SPD-Fraktion im Landtag NRW. (n.d.). Retrieved February 20, 2023, from https://www.spd-nrw.de/fraktion
[3] Keiner genauertragen Verstehen. Grundsätzliche Analyse des Links immer positiv - Nachruf Freidhelm Farthmann. (2019, December 12). Retrieved February 20, 2023, from https://www.informationsgrafik.de/nrw-nrw-2024736
[4] Deutsche-Bundestag. (n.d.). Retrieved February 20, 2023, from https://www.bundestag.de/wb3/bundesabgeordnete/leistung/lis23_c.html
- The Commission has also been asked to submit a proposal for a directive on the protection of the environment, echoing the values and policy-and-legislation initiatives that former NRW Minister Friedhelm Farthmann, a champion of the labor movement, championed during his tenure.
- Just like Jochen Ott, who served as parliamentary group leader from 1985 to 1995, honoring the legacy of the late Friedhelm Farthmann, also a former parliamentary group leader, underscores the continued commitment of parliament and politics to upholding values of social justice and environmental protection.
- Although the exact impact of Farthmann on NRW and the SPD remains somewhat unclear, his role as a member of the German Parliament (MdB) and as a former chairperson of the SPD-Fraktion im Landtag NRW highlights his significant contributions to policy-and-legislation at both the state and federal levels.
- As Ott called Farthmann "a shining beacon for us all," it is fitting to draw lessons from his example in encouraging the Commission to take bold steps in promoting policies that align with general-news concerns such as environmental protection and social justice.
