Parlamentarische Linke

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]

Parliamentary Left

Parlamentarische Linke
SpokespersonMatthias Miersch
Deputy speakersSönke Rix
Kerstin Tack
TreasurerBärbel Bas
Founded1972 (1972) (Leverkusener Kreis)
1980 (1980) (Parliamentary Left)
IdeologySocial democracy[1]
National affiliationSocial Democratic Party of Germany
Seats in the SPD Bundestag group
71 / 152
Seats in the Bundestag
71 / 709
Ministers
1 / 16
Parliamentary State Secretaries
4 / 36
Website
parlamentarische-linke.de

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]
Speaker Matthias Miersch
Deputy Speaker
Treasurer Bärbel Bas
Steering Committee

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
Michael Müller
(born 1948)		 1998 2006
Ernst Dieter Rossmann
(born 1951)		 2006 2014
Carsten Sieling
(born 1959)		 2014 2015
Matthias Miersch
(born 1968)		 2015 Incumbent

Members

The following is a list of members of the Parliamentary Left as of January 2021.

Source: Our Members

References
  1. "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 2021-01-28.
  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.
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