Bochum. SPD leader and Federal Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil wants to bring his party forward again with issues such as affordability of life, good education, fair inheritance tax and the fight against right-wing extremism. He said at the meeting that he was taking a lot of good ideas from the grassroots from the Ruhr-SPD membership convention in Bochum, as well as critical tips on what the federal leadership could do better. At the same time, the Vice Chancellor left it open whether he would run for party leadership again.
No matter who is elected to the top, “the solidarity of the entire party is needed,” appealed Klingbeil. Later, after the end of the event, he added to media representatives that he was very happy to be party leader, but that he was aware of criticism of him. "We are in very difficult times. We are in a situation that is incredibly difficult economically, in terms of the budget, economically and also in terms of foreign policy and the SPD needs the best positioning."
He doesn't make the decision alone. This is currently being discussed internally. He couldn't yet say when the proposal would come. “But for me the important thing is that it is the best possible lineup for the SPD and I’m not sticking to my seat, but rather saying: I will do my part to ensure that this best possible lineup is achieved in the end.”
After Bärbel Bas resigned as Federal Labor Minister and co-chair in mid-October, the party leadership is to be re-elected in January. "We are now in a very special situation. I also know that there is criticism, I also invite this criticism," said Klingbeil.
The SPD in the Ruhr area accused the black-red federal government of “uncoordinated bickering” and “open disputes”. People are annoyed by this and want solutions to their problems, said Martin Murrack, chairman of the Ruhr SPD. There is a lack of respect in dealing with each other in the coalition, including from the SPD.
Murrack demanded that the party political maneuvering in Berlin must come to an end. Arguments and struggles for solutions must take place behind closed doors. Compromises are needed in a coalition, but the SPD lacks a clear positioning and must not “lose its common thread,” warned Murrack. The reforms need to be improved. The Ruhr SPD doesn't just want to comment, but also make its own suggestions.
Based on a Ruhr position paper, members in Bochum developed central “heart chamber theses” in workshops. The paper with a lot of criticism of the federal government and especially of Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) was presented a few weeks ago and was signed by top SPD representatives from the Ruhr area. At the convention, the 200 participants selected ten theses - with the aim of ensuring that they are heard in Berlin.
These include the demand to give municipalities 30 billion euros in start-up aid, to make more efforts for training and work or to create additional affordable housing. These are important suggestions that he will take with him to Berlin, said Klingbeil.
The coalition is fighting hard for compromises. The federal government must tackle the major issues of pensions, health and care. But: “There are situations where there is so much going on that you have to argue,” Klingbeil appealed for understanding. If, for example, Economics Minister Katharina Reiche (CDU) presents a draft for a fuel price cap that doesn't work, the SPD must say so so that oil companies don't enrich themselves, he emphasized.
The welfare state and the affordability of life are central to him. The SPD wants to convince the Union that a ban on the AfD should now be introduced. But it is also clear that the SPD is the smaller coalition partner. Klingbeil admitted self-critically: “We need an idea of the future of the country.” As SPD chairman, he is partly responsible for this. The base can criticize him harshly. With only 14 percent approval for the SPD currently in surveys, it would be fatal if the SPD did not look critically at itself, said Klingbeil.
NRW party leader Sarah Philipp campaigned for a policy change in North Rhine-Westphalia, where the CDU and the Greens govern, a good five months before the state elections. The Ruhr area is not the SPD's problem child, but rather one of its greatest strengths.
Parliamentary group leader Jochen Ott, the top candidate for the North Rhine-Westphalia election, called on the federal government to make more efforts in education policy. More and more young people are being pushed into the social security system, and around 2.7 million people between the ages of 18 and 25 do not have a school qualification. Berlin must push for educational reform. Education is a “question of fate for our country”.
