IF GERMANY’S centre-left Social Democrats (SPD) have a future, it probably looks like Carsten Schneider. The dynamic 41-year-old MP grew up in a tough Plattenbau, or communist-era tower block, but says he was made by the local school: “That’s social democracy,” he tells a crowd in Weimar. “The risk of poverty is especially high among single parents,” he explains, “and 90% of the time that is single mothers.” He goes on to describe how he successfully pushed to raise the age limit for certain sorts of child benefit payments. Polite applause greets him.
Around the corner, amid the sausage stands of Weimar’s bustling marketplace, voters seem unappreciative. Asked about the SPD, one woman sipping a beer replies: “They are not so bad…but they bring too little. They don’t have enough imagination to get things done.” “Too obstinate”, adds her neighbour.
The SPD has been in a “grand coalition” with Angela Merkel’s Christian...Continue reading
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