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It is just after 10pm, in fact discussion round at city Hall of Berlin-Pankow should have ended long ago. But still eight comrades are on list of speakers. The frustration is great, longing for pronunciation also. And because Simone wants to channel se emotions for a long time, she still sits candles on her chair on podium on Monday night and listens attentively. It’s been like this for hours. Simone Lange fixed questioner firmly with her friendly blue eyes. She needs angry and disappointed party members because she wants to become SPD chief.
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A few hours earlier, a long-tempered Volkswagen bus had risen and purposefully approached clinker. Her daughters crawled from back seat. Long and your baggage train have many highway kilometers behind you in last few weeks. In fact, 41-year-old has been ruling city of Flensburg for just over a year as mayor. But now she is touring all over Germany. It is presented in Social Democratic Party of SPD, because it needs its support in order to be elected leader at party congress on 22 April.
She has no chance – and can still become a problem
The town hall in Unhip Berlin North is full this evening. Around one hundred SPD members sit on eight rows of chairs in hall decorated with dark wood and ornaments. In entrance re are comrades who have not found a seat. After a first short introduction, he took a long seat behind a white wooden table.
On her left sits a comrade of local SPD. The right place remains empty. That would have been chair of Andrea Nahles. The SPD Pankow had invited both candidates for party presidency to a duel. But Bundestag group chief of Bundestag SPD had or appointments.
Nahles, who has secured support of all important leaders as a candidate of party board, has not yet had chance to arrive at a meeting with her competitor. Anyway, it’s probably a long time against Nahles: at party Congress, delegates sent by districts vote on new party chairman, not all party members. And delegates are more likely to follow advice of board.
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And yet re is a long time here in Pankow with comrades. It could become a problem for SPD, no matter how much approval for Andrea Nahles at party congress in Wiesbaden will fail.
Come out or compete?
Many comrades ask less questions to candidate than to raise monologues. They complain about state of country and SPD. Too much has accumulated over last few weeks, months, maybe decades. “For me, SPD is unselectable because I am affected by Hartz IV”, an elderly woman in bulging sweater reports in last row. “I’ve worked all my life and now I only get 100 euros on basic security,” says anor. “It is we who create riches in this country.” The comrades applaud mselves.
Long sits forward and nods eagerly. Because y are not just complaints, but accusations to SPD board. That’s why she wants to run. “For three days I wrangled: do I step out of SPD – or do I enter?” says Lange. It means days in February, when SPD was just steering coalition with Union. Also long was one of many Groko opponents.
Then Martin Schulz also wanted to become foreign minister, closest SPD leadership Circle chose Nahles to his successor – both plans failed. Nahles was not allowed to take over holding after protests of many members. But she has to wait until party congress. Meanwhile, Olaf Scholz leads SPD.
Three steps back
The fact that your application for party presidency was a spiteful reaction, for a long time no secret: party leadership should not feel victory-proof with its internal personnel agreements. But for a long time re are also some ideas that fit well into atmosphere in Pankow and beyond: “15 years ago, SPD had 40 percent left in elections. In meantime, we have halved our earnings, “she says. Your recipe: “We have to go back three steps and look at where we were wrongly bent back n.” Should mean: Away with Hartz IV. “We need to replace Hartz system as a whole. And not just to reform edges. “
