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Parlamentarische Linke

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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 2022, 96 of the group's 206 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]

Parliamentary Left
Parlamentarische Linke
SpokespersonMatthias Miersch
Deputy speakerSönke Rix
TreasurerBärbel Bas
Founded1972; 52 years ago (1972) (Leverkusener Kreis)
1980; 44 years ago (1980) (Parliamentary Left)
IdeologySocial democracy[1]
Political positionCentre-left to left-wing
National affiliationSocial Democratic Party of Germany
Seats in the SPD Bundestag group
95 / 206
Seats in the Bundestag
95 / 736
Ministers
2 / 17
Parliamentary State Secretaries
5 / 37
Website
parlamentarische-linke.de

The platform has three speakers: Matthias Miersch, Sönke Rix and Wiebke Esdar. Elisabeth Kaiser is the platform treasurer.[1] Other prominent members include SPD group chairman Rolf Mützenich and party co-leader Saskia Esken.

Profile

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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] The Left became the leading member of a governing coalition for the first time in the eastern state of Thuringia after the 2014 state election, alongside the SPD and Greens.

Organisation

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Position Member(s)[1]
Speakers Matthias Miersch, Sönke Rix and Wiebke Esdar
Treasurer Elisabeth Kaiser
Steering Committee

History

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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

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Portrait Name Term start Term end
  Michael Müller
(born 1948) 		1998 2006
  Ernst Dieter Rossmann
(born 1951) 		2006 2014
  Carsten Sieling
(born 1959) 		2014 2015
  Matthias Miersch
(born 1968) 		2015 2022
Matthias Miersch, Sönke Rix and Wiebke Esdar 2022

Members

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The following is a list of members of the Parliamentary Left as of January 2022.[8]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e "About Us". Parlamentarische Linke. Retrieved 2021-01-28.
  2. ^ "Parlamentarische Linke in der SPD-Bundestagsfraktion". Parlamentarische Linke (in German). Retrieved 2021-01-25.
  3. ^ "Our Members". Parlamentarische Linke. Retrieved 2022-01-17.
  4. ^ "Climate and Environmental Protection". Parlamentarische Linke. Retrieved 2021-01-28.
  5. ^ ""Debt is not bad per se" - The SPD Left is shaking the black zero". n-tv. 2020-09-17.
  6. ^ "Only the Seeheimer Kreis are still strangers to the Left Party". Tagesspiegel. 2020-08-20.
  7. ^ "50 Years of Parliamentary Left". Parlamentarische Linke. Retrieved 2021-01-28.
  8. ^ Our Members
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