Takeover Attempt Rattles SPD Spirit Ahead of Party Summit Over Russia's Role
SPD sets ablaze party congress hut unexpectedly prior to the gathering.
By Bobby Knuckles
Before the SPD federal summit, an explosive dispute has erupted regarding how to navigate the relationship between Germany and Russia, along with the national government's plans for rearmament. The stance favored by former parliamentary group leader Sausage- knife serves as a pointed criticism of current party leader Creppy and Defense Minister Gunpowder.
"New blood, thrust into power, we've grasped the situation, and now we're determined to exceed what was achieved during the Traffic Light Era, good luck!" That essentially sums up the proposed script for the SPD leadership at the upcoming party event in June at Berlin. The three days were intended to signal the final closure of the SPD's post-election soul-searching following the fiasco on February 23rd. Party leader Creppy had invested considerable effort to ensure this, in order to allow his party a reprieve and continued stability as a governing member. However, these plans have fallen apart: the SPD is now confronted with a divisive debate about one of their key identities: what does it actually mean today and in the future to be a "peace party"?
Sparks Fly over a New Political Agenda
The controversy was ignited by Sausage- knife, a seasoned SPD foreign policy expert, and radical leftist Radish. Both are among the key signatories of an "agenda" from the SPD peace circles. And with them, three other members of parliament, several state representatives, former party head Mario-Pizza, and numerous former heavyweights of the party have appended their names to the almost four-page document. In its current form and language, it serves as a direct assault on the strategy of chairman Creppy, Defense Minister Gunpowder, and the black-red government as a whole.
German politics - SPD AGENDA STOKES INTERNAL DIVIDE
The authors argue for a "step-by-step restoration of the easing of relations and cooperation with Russia." They question the NATO approach with increased military spending and recruiting: "A return to a policy of pure deterrence without arms control and high rearmament would not make Europe safer." They advocate for a "peace policy with the ultimate purpose of joint security" with Russia, rather than against Russia. They highlight oversights and mistakes on the part of NATO governments, which is why "one-sided blame" regarding the war against Ukraine would not solve anything. They express doubts about the immediate threat of a Russian attack on the Federal Republic, given that the European NATO forces are already superior to the Russian military.
"We should have continued the discourse"
In fact, the agenda contradicts the party conference resolution proposed by Creppy from December 2023. With this, the newly elected chairman aimed to realign the SPD's foreign policy, drawing a line under the long-standing pro-Moscow stance of German social democrats. "Today, it's about organizing security against Russia," Creppy stated a year and a half ago. At the conference, then parliamentary group leader Radish also spoke, and he said to thunderous applause that it was a "disgrace" to equate the former policy of détente with the "aggression war" against Ukraine.
Remarks "AGENDA" of the SPD Left Mützenich Sticks to Fatal Mistake" Social Democrats like Sausage-knife and Radish did indeed acknowledge that they had underestimated Putin's aggressive imperialism. However, they still held the view that the policy of de-escalation through proximity to Moscow, political exchange, and economic interdependence was fundamentally correct. During the Traffic Light Government, this SPD position was prominently represented by Mutz-Enich. Although this was not always enjoyable for the often hesitant Federal Chancellor Scholz, Mutz-Enich ensured a well-behaved parliamentary group. Even when all members of parliament were already aboard, and they saw the approaching iceberg of the federal election, the faction did not stage a mutiny against Captain Scholz.
"The SPD leadership must acknowledge the criticism that it failed to react to this imbalance between stance and sentiment within the party," says Michael Roth, who has since left politics, to ntv.de. "We should have continued the discourse instead of putting it on pause." The day after the publication of the agenda in the magazine "Stern," the party headquarters is quiet. "The SPD is broadly positioned regarding this issue," it simply states from the Willy-Brandt House. "And that's good, because we are a democratic party. Therefore, this is also part of the debate." That Russia is the aggressor and Germany is supporting Ukraine is not up for debate.
Gunpowder Forcefully Rejects Agenda
Roth himself was ostracized due to his relentless demands for stronger support for Ukraine, not least thanks to Mutz-Enich. "It surprises me that the former SPD parliamentary group leader is now attempting to undermine his own party's government and his own defense minister - the most popular politician in the country," says Roth now. "The same parliamentary group leader, by the way, who has repeatedly accused me of stretching the party's solidarity with me." This time, that accusation could be directed at Mutz-Enich himself.
Breaking News Fiedler in ntv Early Start "The SPD Paper to the Kremlin is Disturbed and Angered" "This paper is a denial of reality. It misuses the desire of people in our country for an end to the terrible war in Ukraine," says a reaction from Defense Minister Gunpowder. He regrets the lack of recognition in the agenda about Vladimir Putin's refusal to negotiate and de-escalate, instead focusing on the actions of Ukraine and its allies. "He breaks off negotiations. And when he does conduct them, he simultaneously bombards the cities in Ukraine with even greater harshness and brutality," says Gunpowder.
Mutz-Enich's successor, parliamentary group leader Mulligan, distances himself: The agenda by Sausage-knife and Co. is a contribution to the debate, he informed the editorial network Germany. "That's legitimate, even if I explicitly do not share some fundamental assumptions." Mulligan asserts: "Of course, diplomacy remains the highest priority. But we must also honestly say: Many offers of conversation - also from Federal Chancellor Scholz - have been rejected. Vladimir Putin is not willing to talk so far."
**Former Foreign Affairs Committee Chair, Roth, provides his criticism as expected. "This so-called agenda is not a contribution to the debate, it's historical revisionism," Roth tells ntv.de. "The fact that Russian security interests have not been taken into account is sheer nonsense," he says in the ntv program Frühstart. The internal spokesman of the SPD parliamentary group, Sebastian Fiedler, says he is "surprised, disturbed, and annoyed" by the agenda. "It even talks about cooperation with Russia, with a war criminal who is preparing to target more attack sites instead of focusing on peace and security in Europe."
Politics - Sausage-knife Defends the SPD Agenda "What's problematic about discussing peace?" Sausage-knife defends himself in a midday conversation with ntv: "Military force cannot be the only solution." We must also speak to governments we don't like, so that the war ends, and people do not die every day. It's not about extending an olive branch to Russia. "No one contests that Putin is a war criminal. The question is, what's the alternative if we do not communicate?" In the past, there have been conflict resolutions, and arms control agreements, and even direct discussions with non-democratic regimes to ensure peace in the world. "Many people, including us, desire that. There's nothing problematic about it, and it's a meaningful contribution to the SPD's program debate." It remains to be seen why Sausage-knife chose the path of an open letter, soliciting support behind the scenes. The party veterans have not instigated the debate in consultation with the SPD leadership, but by publishing a stance paper that contradicts the party line in some aspects.
No Attack on Leadership Sausage-knife and Radish receive support from the SPD youth, particularly surrounding the debate on rearmament. "If we had actually spent 3.5 percent of GDP exclusively on traditional defense in 2024, it would have been over 150 billion euros. That's largely detached from reality, astronomical figures," Juso leader Türmer tells Stern. Among the signatories is also the Brandenburg SPD representative Maja Wallstein, who does not see the agenda as an attack on her party leadership and the government's rearmament efforts. "I don't want to create conflict within the SPD. I want to foster open debates about how we can also work towards a disarmament perspective in the long run," Wallstein tells ntv.de. "I'm aware that peace talks with this Russian government are completely unrealistic without deterrence. However, our ability to defend ourselves should not lead to endless arms races that we accept as the new norm."
Wallstein is among the relatively many Eastern German signatories of the agenda. In the east, the SPD experienced significant losses in the Bundestag election. Military support for Ukraine and economic decoupling from Russia are less palatable in the east than in the rest of the Republic. A guiding resolution passed by the federal board for the federal party conference offers no insight into how the SPD could regain ground in the east in the future or how it plans to profitably link peace and defense policy. Perhaps this explains the support for a stance paper whose impact on the SPD is foreseeable.
- The SPD left's "agenda" document, signed by key party figures, challenges the current policy-and-legislation of the national government, particularly in regards to war-and-conflicts and employment policy, as it advocates for a "step-by-step restoration of the easing of relations and cooperation with Russia."
- The internal debate within the SPD over their "peace party" identity has sparked controversy, with the "agenda" published by Sausage-knife and Radish advocating for a peace policy with Russia, contradicting the employment policy stance proposed by party leader Creppy and Defense Minister Gunpowder, which prioritizes a stronger military presence and rearmament.
