Seeheimer Kreis
The Seeheim in the SPD ( Seeheimer circle) is an association of members of parliament of the SPD. They are next to the Parliamentary Left and Network Berlin one of the three political currents within the SPD parliamentary group. The Seeheimer call themselves undogmatic and pragmatic in political reporting they are usually referred to as right or conservative wing of the SPD.
The circle has been named after his longtime venue Seeheim on the mountain road ( South Hesse ).
History
Since the 1950s, there were within the SPD Parliamentary Group, an informal group under the name "Channel workers" who was conservative - traditional set and was assigned to the former right- wing of the SPD. She was one of the most powerful groups within the party as a whole.
The most prominent heads were Egon Franke (1913-1995) and Anne Marie Renger ( 1919-2008 ). About Annemarie Renger the Seeheimer stand in the tradition of a national wing of the SPD, who by her boss Kurt Schumacher (1895-1952) about his doctor father Johann Plenge (1874-1963) through to Lensch - Cunow - Haenisch group during the First World War handed.
Parallel to the sewer worker structures there were in 1969 in the Bundestag faction, one after the initiator Günther Metzger ( 1933-2013 ) named Butcher circle in its place in 1972 the ' working group left center ' occurred, which as an organized forerunner of today Seeheim Circle may apply. In September 1969, a general election was held, in which there was a narrow majority for the SPD - FDP coalition. Willy Brandt ( who was a candidate in 1969 for the third time for the post of Chancellor ) was Chancellor.
For various reasons ( for example, " left turn " of the Young Socialists 1960s/beginning end of the 1970s) strengthened the Left within the SPD content as well as personnel. It is a reform socialist wing had been formed for the Johano Strasser ( b. 1939 ), Karsten Voigt ( b. 1941 ) and Norbert Gansel (* 1940) were a " antirevisionistischer " wing, and the Stamokap wing, the social democratic government as an agent of monopoly capital saw. Gerhard Schröder ( born 1944, Chancellor 1998-2005 ) was a time of the spokesmen of the anti-revisionist wing. The MPs wanted as Ruhnau and Hans- Jochen Vogel oppose something that went beyond the approach of sewer workers. Together with prominent social democrats like Helmut Schmidt ( * 1918 ) and Georg Leber ( 1920-2012 ) understood it as " Godesberg wings" of the SPD ( see Godesberg Programme. ' Godesberg ' symbolizes the transformation of the SPD of a socialist workers party towards a People's Party ).
A meeting at the Dorint hotel in Lahnstein in December 1974 is regarded as the founding date of the Seeheim. Already in the previous year, for the first time met there at the invitation of Hans -Jochen Vogel, a group of about 40 Social Democrats to come out against the left from the " theoretical and ideological defensive ." The founding members include Richard Lowenthal (1908-1991) and Gesine Schwan ( born 1943 ).
The Seeheimer presented the claim to their circle to occupy an intellectually superior position in the core values discussion of the SPD. The group achieved success in the personnel policy of the SPD and in the enforcement of group decisions. They performed successfully in the footsteps of the sewage workers, whose motto is " nothing runs without us " had envisaged.
From 1978 to 1984, first as Lahnsteiner circle became known group met at the Lufthansa Training Center in Seeheim on the mountain road. This gave rise to the still popular today called " Seeheimer ".
During his reign ( May 1974-October 1982 ), the then Chancellor Helmut Schmidt took some Seeheimer on in his cabinets.
- Cabinet Schmidt I from 1974-1976
- Cabinet Schmidt II from 1976-1980
- Cabinet Schmidt III from 1980-1982
They were backing him in intra-party disputes over the strong expansion of nuclear energy after the oil crises (1973 and 1979 ) and the NATO Double-Track Decision.
After the end of Helmut Schmidt's chancellorship (1 October 1982), the sewer worker, the more likely represented the traditional non-academic trade unionists went on quite the Seeheim Circle, who was regarded as comparatively "intellectual".
The Seeheimer were in dispute direction of the SPD in their opposition time in the 1980s, opponents of the alliance between the SPD and the Greens. In addition, they are not presented, unlike in particular the left wing of the SPD end of the 1980s, the reunion as a policy objective in agreement. After the reunification Stephan MoP occurred (* 1956 ) and Markus Meckel ( b. 1952 ) at the Seeheim Circle. MoP counted in October 1989 of the founding members of the SDP (Social Democratic Party of the GDR ), was elected as the first speaker and was from Februar by July 1990 at secretary of the SPD in the GDR. Meckel was from April 12 to August 20, 1990 Secretary of State of the GDR in the cabinet of Lothar de Maizière.
In the reign of Gerhard Schröder ( autumn 1998 to autumn 2005) of the circle whose Agenda 2010, which led to cuts in many social benefits supported.
Personnel
This is a circle of Petra Ernst Berger, Johannes Kahrs and Carsten Schneider. In addition, Doris Barnett, Fritz -Rudolf body, Edgar Franke, the Sports Committee chairman Dagmar Freitag, Rolf Schwanitz, the defense committee chairman Susanne Kastner and John plow belong to the speaker circuit. Prominent members of the extended line of the circle Seeheimer are the SPD chairman Sigmar Gabriel, Ulla Schmidt, Wolfgang Tiefensee, chairman of the SPD parliamentary group Thomas Oppermann. The former finance minister and chancellor candidate for the SPD, Peer Steinbrück, is attributed to the Seeheimern.
Political content
The Seeheim Circle focuses on social, financial and economic policy. He explains that the welfare state should be based on the financial possibilities, propagated the so-called " promoting and demanding " in social policy as well as the power company, points to the national debt, stresses that " act pragmatically " must and reforms are needed. The globalization stand the Seeheim Circle " open " towards. Moreover, this circuit looks at the demographic change as a central task and is ready to go in social policy paths that may lie away from social democratic traditions. This orientation is not in contradiction to the party program of the SPD, but also does not necessarily follow from it and is special point of view.