SPD parliamentary group leader Miersch rejects recommendations for the Berlin SPD in a possible left-wing coalition

SPD parliamentary group leader Matthias Miersch does not want to give the Berlin SPD any recommendations on how to deal with the Berlin Left Party. “No, I don’t presume to do that either,” said Miersch in the WELT TV format “Hard Talk with Gordon Repinski”. Miersch also left it open whether the Berlin SPD could just tolerate a government led by the left. “I can imagine everything at the moment and I can’t rule anything out,” said Miersch. He was convinced that the Berlin comrades would “consider the situation very, very carefully.”

Parts of the Berlin Left Party have been criticized for anti-Semitic positions and proximity to Islamist activists and clan criminals. In the Berlin House of Representatives election, the Left was the strongest force with 25.7 percent. An alliance under left-wing leadership is considered likely if the concerns of the Greens and the SPD regarding anti-Semitism and the lack of differentiation from Islamism in parts of the party can be dispelled. It remains to be seen whether the Left will be able to achieve such a demarcation in the eyes of the leadership of the Greens and SPD in Berlin and at the federal level. An alliance of the CDU, Greens and SPD would also have a majority, but this would be extremely narrow.

The Berlin SPD declared on Thursday evening that it was fundamentally ready for exploratory talks to form a government with the election winner, the Left Party, as well as with the CDU. The SPD top candidate and state chairman Steffen Krach made this clear.

He believes it is necessary for parties to talk to each other and explore things, he said on the sidelines of an SPD parliamentary group meeting in the state parliament. According to the SPD, this doesn't just apply to the left. "If the CDU invites us, then of course we will also discuss it. This also applies to the other parties," he said. However, there is no official invitation yet.

Jusos for left coalition

The federal chairman of the SPD youth organization Jusos, Philipp Türmer, does not share the concerns about a possible coalition between the Left, the SPD and the Greens in Berlin. “Berlin is a progressive city and also needs a progressive coalition,” said Türmer on the news platform “The Pioneer”. "In the end, it is a decision of the local parties, but the doomsday scenarios that are now being invoked everywhere if red-green-red were to govern seem to me to be greatly exaggerated. I believe this coalition could also be an opportunity."

The Juso boss said he was not closing his eyes “to the anti-Semitism problem” in Berlin. “Anyone who wants to seriously combat anti-Semitism must recognize that the problem is bigger than a district association or a single party,” said Türmer. “There are Neukölln leftists who offer anti-Semitic rappers a stage.”

According to the Juso federal chairman, all parties have a responsibility for Jewish life. “I am convinced that a red-green-red alliance can also make it clear that progressive politics also include irrefutable protection for Jews,” said Türmer.