Unleashing the SPD's Potential: Striving for the Reboot Button
Written by Florian Schillat
- ~4 Min
SPD seeks the booster switch - SPD Seeks Boost Function Button
Norbert Walter-Borjans, with a sweep of his sculptor's hand, flip-flops the stones as he chats on the phone. A passionate sculptor for about 25 years, the former SPD party chairman knows well that patience, persistence, and meticulousness are vital to craft a masterpiece worth admiring.
The current SPIessblitz, as the SPD seems to be in the public eye these days, features a somewhat hazy and improper portrayal. The German Social Democrats are regularly dismissed as nothing more than a "party of functionaries" and the infamous "hyphenated words." This is the harsh evaluation of an internal party commission, drawing initial conclusions from the disastrous federal election result of 16.4 percent. They call for a "Future Program 2040", a new grand vision for the SPD.
Norbert Walter-Borjans, age 72, concurs. "There's a lot to be gained from a broad, open discussion on a revamped SPD foundational program," the former party chair (2019-2021) tells stern. The Social Democrats need to break away from being a mere nutritional supplement for conservative politics.
The demand for a personality shift within the SPD has been growing louder, as calls for a ruthless analysis of the election debacle intensify.
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As the leadership of the SPD faces potential turbulent times in the Willy-Brandt House, pent-up stress might find an outlet at the premature party congress at the end of June. Many party members are demanding a new foundational program, but can it be a smooth process: discarding outdated notions without disintegrating the party in the process?
The CDU invested more than two years in crafting its new foundational program, sometimes heatedly debating formulations. In a recent interview with the stern, Rolf Mützenich, former SPD parliamentary group leader, issued a ** heads-up** : "You shouldn't lose yourself in a foundational debate, but at the same time, governing alone is insufficient." He has expressed doubts as to whether the current SPD foundational program is "still relevant." Armand Zorn, the new SPD parliamentary group deputy, has also called for a foundational discussion about "how we envision work in the 21st century."
The last SPD foundational program dates back to October 2007. At that time, artificial intelligence was still in the realm of science fiction, populist parties had yet to enter parliaments, and flexible work arrangements seemed almost exotic. "I'm not sure if the term 'digitalization' even appears in it," commented Stephan Weil, the former Lower Saxony Minister President, in March, browsing the "Hamburg Program" of 2007. Indeed, the word does not show up in the 79-page document at all.
Even the Jusos are advocating for a revamp of the party surpassing the personnel table. The SPD's youth wing is known for its rebellious spirit and lack of fear when speaking their minds. At the state party conferences in Schleswig-Holstein and North Rhine-Westphalia, they particularly accused party chairman Lars Klingbeil of an overly self-serving attitude.
Former party chairman Norbert Walter-Borjans, Klingbeil's predecessor, is no stranger to identity debates. In 2019, he was elected, together with Saskia Esken who will not run for chair again at the party conference, as the first joint leadership of the SPD. At that time, the party was in a state of upheaval, having once again forced political circumstances into a black-red coalition, which resulted in a historically low 20.5% in the previous election. A new, overarching narrative was needed, also to boost morale.
Walter-Borjans and Esken launched the "Programmwerkstatt", resulting in the "Future Program". They placed a premium on clarity: the text, originally crafted in the program commission with many contributions from the party base, was transformed into concise, comprehensible language by an external editor, and finally, the final version was tailored.
"Lost touch with the working class"
"The SPD was most successful when workers felt the party stood by their side." says Walter-Borjans, and that broad sections of society also recognized the need for a strong social democratic force in the country, standing for the environment, culture, and peace, among other things. "How can these themes be reconciled and pulled out of the increasingly intellectual realm?" That could serve as the starting point for a programmatic discussion. However, it's essential that the final product does not just become a folder-filler gathering dust.
Following the lost federal election, there's no question that a fundamental debate about the SPD's identity is needed. The self-proclaimed workers' party is no longer seen as such by voters. Its traditional core constituency has drifted towards the AfD and the Left Party. "We've lost touch with the working class," Klingbeil conceded. Rolf Mützenich, the former faction leader, summed it up this way: "We're in a double threat, losing ground to the Left and the AfD." This poses a danger, and answers are needed.
These answers will be, in part, provided by the working group established by the party leadership. However, the SPD leadership, led by Klingbeil and Barbara Bas, aspiring to succeed Saskia Esken, must lead the programmatic restart. Can the new joint leadership muster the strength to also reposition the SPD substantively? Reports suggest that the SPD party presidency and executive could establish the initial course for this as early as this Monday.
- The SPD's demand for a personality shift and a revamped foundational program indicates a need to break away from being a mere supplement to conservative politics, as they aim to create a new grand vision for the party, relevant in the 21st century, considering the advancements in technology and changes in work arrangements.
- Norbert Walter-Borjans, former SPD party chairman, emphasizes the importance of reconciling traditional SPD themes like workers' rights, environment, culture, and peace, and pulling them out of the increasingly intellectual realm, as a starting point for a programmatic discussion, to ensure the final product does not become a mere folder-filler.
