Parlamentarische Linke
![]() | This article relies largely or entirely on a single source. (January 2021) |
Parliamentary Left Parlamentarische Linke | |
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Spokesperson | Matthias Miersch |
Deputy speakers | Sönke Rix Kerstin Tack |
Treasurer | Bärbel Bas |
Founded | 1972 1980 (Parliamentary Left) | (Leverkusener Kreis)
Ideology | Social democracy[1] |
National affiliation | Social Democratic Party of Germany |
Seats in the SPD Bundestag group | 71 / 152
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Seats in the Bundestag | 71 / 709
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Ministers | 1 / 16
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Parliamentary State Secretaries | 4 / 36
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Website | |
parlamentarische-linke.de | |
The Parlamentarische Linke (English: Parliamentary Left, abbreviated PL) is a platform within the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD)'s Bundestag group.[2] As of 2021, 71 of the group's 152 members belong to the Parliamentary Left,[3] making it the largest of the three extant platforms in the SPD group, alongside the Seeheimer Kreis and Berlin Network. The Parliamentary Left represents social democratic positions within the party.[1]
The party's speaker is Matthias Miersch, who also serves as deputy leader of the SPD group. Sönke Rix and Kerstin Tack serve as deputy speakers, while Bärbel Bas is the platform treasurer.[1] Other prominent members include SPD group chairman Rolf Mützenich, party co-leader Saskia Esken, federal Minister of Justice Christine Lambrecht, and Minister of State for Europe Michael Roth.[3]
Profile[]
The Parliamentary Left describes itself as "an association of social democratic members of the Bundestag". It represents the left wing of the Social Democratic Party, "advoca[ting] for freedom, equality and social progress".[1] Their principles are essentially based on the party program that existed until the 1990s. To this end, the platform supports Keynesian approaches to economic and social policy. They were critical of the largely supply-side Agenda 2010 reforms of Gerhard Schröder's government, but officially called for their amendment rather than repeal.
In the area of tax policy, the PL call for a higher inheritance tax and the reintroduction of the wealth tax. They reject proposals for a strict limitation of the national debt, and opposed the introduction of the debt brake. They support efforts to combat climate change, including internationally-agreed climate targets, strong investment in renewable energy, and changes to subsidies and taxes for this purpose.[4] In light of the record debt taken on by the federal government during the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany, the PL advocates a long-term move away from balanced budget principles, pushing for public investment in education, digitisation, and climate.[5]
The Parliamentary Left favours closer ties with the Greens and The Left and the development of red-red-green coalitions; the first such coalition in a western state was formed in 2019 under the leadership of Carsten Sieling, former speaker of the Parliamentary Left.[6]
Organisation[]
Position | Member(s)[1] | |
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Speaker | Matthias Miersch | |
Deputy Speaker | Sönke Rix | Kerstin Tack |
Treasurer | Bärbel Bas | |
Steering Committee | Niels Annen Oliver Kaczmarek Hilde Mattheis Dagmar Schmidt |
Wiebke Esdar Daniela Kolbe Sarah Ryglewski Gülistan Yüksel |
History[]
The Parliamentary Left finds its origins in the "Group of the 16th Floor" (German: Gruppe der 16. Etage, founded by 21 mostly young SPD Bundestag members in October 1969. This group was associated with the Extra-Parliamentary Opposition and pushed for reform within the SPD parliamentary group. The modern platform was officially founded in 1972, then known as the Leverkusener Kreis (Leverkusener Circle). It was refounded as the Parliamentary Left in 1980.[7]
Spokespersons[]
Portrait | Name | Term start | Term end | |
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Michael Müller (born 1948) |
1998 | 2006 | |
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Ernst Dieter Rossmann (born 1951) |
2006 | 2014 | |
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Carsten Sieling (born 1959) |
2014 | 2015 | |
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Matthias Miersch (born 1968) |
2015 | Incumbent |
Members[]
The following is a list of members of the Parliamentary Left as of January 2021.[8]
- Niels Annen
- Bela Bach
- Ulrike Bahr
- Matthias Bartke
- Bärbel Bas
- Lothar Binding
- Leni Breymaier
- Katrin Budde
- Bernhard Daldrup
- Karamba Diaby
- Wiebke Esdar
- Saskia Esken
- Yasmin Fahimi
- Angelika Glöckner
- Timon Gremmels
- Uli Grötsch
- Bettina Hagedorn
- Rita Hagl-Kehl
- Sebastian Hartmann
- Gabriela Heinrich
- Gustav Herzog
- Gabriele Hiller-Ohm
- Josip Juratovic
- Oliver Kaczmarek
- Elisabeth Kaiser
- Ralf Kapschack
- Cansel Kiziltepe
- Bärbel Kofler
- Daniela Kolbe
- Anette Kramme
- Christine Lambrecht
- Karl Lauterbach
- Helge Lindh
- Hilde Mattheis
- Matthias Miersch
- Klaus Mindrup
- Bettina Müller
- Rolf Mützenich
- Dietmar Nietan
- Ulli Nissen
- Josephine Ortleb
- Markus Paschke
- Christian Petry
- Detlev Pilger
- Florian Pronold
- Sascha Raabe
- Mechthild Rawert
- Andreas Rimkus
- Sönke Rix
- René Röspel
- Ernst Dieter Rossmann
- Michael Roth
- Bernd Rützel
- Sarah Ryglewski
- Axel Schäfer
- Nina Scheer
- Dagmar Schmidt
- Johannes Schraps
- Michael Schrodi
- Ursula Schulte
- Swen Schulz
- Frank Schwabe
- Stefan Schwartze
- Svenja Stadler
- Martina Stamm-Fibich
- Sonja Steffen
- Mathias Stein
- Kerstin Tack
- Claudia Tausend
- Marja-Liisa Völlers
- Gülistan Yüksel
References[]
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d e "About Us". Parlamentarische Linke. Retrieved 2021-01-28.
- ^ "Parlamentarische Linke in der SPD-Bundestagsfraktion". Parlamentarische Linke (in German). Retrieved 2021-01-25.
- ^ Jump up to: a b "Our Members". Parlamentarische Linke. Retrieved 2021-01-28.
- ^ "Climate and Environmental Protection". Parlamentarische Linke. Retrieved 2021-01-28.
- ^ ""Debt is not bad per se" - The SPD Left is shaking the black zero". n-tv. 2020-09-17.
- ^ "Only the Seeheimer Kreis are still strangers to the Left Party". Tagesspiegel. 2020-08-20.
- ^ "50 Years of Parliamentary Left". Parlamentarische Linke. Retrieved 2021-01-28.
- ^ Our Members
- 1972 establishments in Germany
- Social Democratic Party of Germany
- Political party factions in Germany