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What Angela Merkel had to announce on this Monday after several hours of deliberations with Bureau and Board of her party was no surprise: “We are ready to hold talks with SPD,” said chancellor. For this, she now has ” single order” of her party.
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The fact that union would not deny talks with SPD about a formation of government had already been fixed before meeting of party bodies. After all, it was union politicians who had repeatedly called on SPD since Bundestag election not to take exploratory negotiations from outset.
From Union’s point of view, aim of talks now being made is clear: people expected ir problems to be solved and this is best done with a “stable government,” Merkel said. Not a minority government tolerated by SPD is refore what Merkel has in mind, but continuation of Great Coalition, that government Alliance, with which it has been quite successful for eight years (with four years of black and yellow interruption) Has ruled.
No time-out
Indeed, young union had tried to torpedo such an alliance on weekend by calling for it to be negotiated before Christmas. But this unrealistic timetable was quickly rejected by party’s leaders: one had to give time to SPD, to find its way in new situation, for example, demanded Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere or Merkel’s deputy Julia Klöckner.
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Finally, a week ago, SPD categorically rejected a renewed grand coalition by party decision and corrected its position only after federal president’s intervention. However, Union will not be able to make quick concessions to SPD. The exploratory talks are only to begin after SPD party congress next week.
There is consensus in Union that one does not want a new edition of grand coalition at any price. The most pronounced is also young Union on weekend. However, re should be different ideas about how high price you are willing to pay.
What remains of union?
Merkel’s critics, in particular, are now driving fear that union’s handwriting in next major coalition could be even less than in past. Especially since SPD is in an even better negotiating position this time: as urgent as Merkel needs a coalition partner at moment, SPD will have to pay its approval expensively. It can also threaten that in end its members would have to decide on a coalition agreement. And after 20 percent result in Bundestag election this time y have even less desire for a grand coalition than last time.
Initial proposals on how to pay for Groko have long since been put into circulation by SPD side: a minimum pension is included, right of return from part-time to full time or even introduction of a citizen’s insurance in health care system, which is Union has been rejected for years.
So far, Merkel has done little to appease CDU’s concerns. At National Party Congress of CDU in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern at weekend, she called a balanced budget and a reduction of solidarity impact as Union’s guidelines. On Monday, however, it only referred to government programme of CDU and CSU in general. Each party has points that are important to it, but of course one must also forge compromises. She herself did not want to participate in general game to put preconditions, she said.
Red lines
From a negotiating tactical point of view, this may be wise. Internally, however, red lines are formulated in CDU, which should not be exceeded: refugee compromise, which CDU negotiated with CSU and had massively defended in Jamaica negotiations, for example. In terms of internal security, too, Union must carry out its issues, it says. And citizens ‘ insurance, as Social Democrats have in mind, is likely to be an absolute no-go for most of union’s politicians.
On or hand, re are issues in social policy that could be met: in improving pensions of low-income workers, for example, or in increasing benefits for families and children, both Union and SPD in partly slightly different In ir JF. The same applies to discharge of sub-and medium-income.
There was also a growing awareness in Union that one had to do more for social cohesion, said a CDU board member on Monday. As far as European policy is concerned, in which SPD had developed more far-off ideas than union in election campaign, Merkel pointed to past. The Social Democrats in this field have still found a solution.
