European Tribune - Comments

Exit Clement | 23 comments (23 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)

Münte just can't cut loose and can't see the light:

SPD.de - Aktuell: News - November 2008: Clements Entscheidung zur Kenntnis genommen		SPD.de - Aktuell: News - November 2008: Clements decision taken notice of

"Es ist schade, dass er nicht weiter in der Partei mitarbeiten will. Platz wäre gewesen, zumal nach der vermittelnden Entscheidung der Bundesschiedskommission der SPD gestern. Aber nun wird es auch so gehen", sagte Müntefering am Montag nach einem Telefonat mit Clement.		"It is a pity that he did does not want to continue collaborating in the party. There would have been place for him, after the mediating decision by the Federal Arbitration Commission of the SPD yesterday. But it goes this way, too", Müntefering said on Monday after a telephone conversation with Clement.
Müntefering betonte, die Entscheidung Wolfgang Clements schmälere seine Verdienste in der Vergangenheit um eine zeitgemäße Politik im Sinne der sozialdemokratischen Idee nicht.		Müntefering stressed that Wolfgang Clement's decision doesn't diminish his past merits for a modern politics in the spirit of the Social Democrat idea.

(More later, I'm busy.)

_{*Lunatic*, n.

One whose delusions are out of fashion.}

by DoDo on Thu Nov 27th, 2008 at 04:23:25 AM EST

Re: Reactions 2. (4.00 / 2)

Here is the reaction of Clement's current successor as leader of the Northrhine-Westphalia SPD (now in opposition):

NRWSPD - die SPD in Nordrhein-Westfalen		NRWSPD - the SPD in North Rhine-Westphalia
Pressemitteilung von Hannelore Kraft:		press release of Hannelore Kraft:
,,Die Verdienste von Wolfgang Clement für die SPD und Nordrhein-Westfalen sind unbestritten. Das bleibt.		Wolfgang Clement's merits for the SPD and Northrhine-Westphalia are undisputed. That remains.

So far an apparently agreed formula identical to Münte's. But she follows up in more accusatory tone:

Im Parteiordnungsverfahren hat Wolfgang Clements Anwalt Otto Schily vor der Bundesschiedskommission im Namen von Wolfgang Clement einen Kompromiss akzeptiert. Das Wesen eines Kompromisses sind Zugeständnisse beider Seiten. Nach der Entscheidung der Bundesschiedskommission war ein gemeinsamer Weg möglich. Die SPD hat deutlich gemacht, dass Wolfgang Clement weiterhin seinen Platz in der SPD gehabt hätte. Die Brücke war gebaut. Wolfgang Clement hat entschieden, diese Brücke nicht zu betreten und die SPD zu verlassen. Das ist seine persönliche Entscheidung.		In the party regulatory procedure, Wolfgang Clement's lawyer Otto Schily accepted a compromise on behalf of Wolfgang Clement before the Federal Arbitration Commission. The essence of a compromise are concessions by both sides. After the decision of the Federal Arbitration Commission, walking down the same road was possible. The SPD has made clear that Wolfgang Clement could still have his place in the SPD. The bridge was built. Wolfgang Clement has decided to not step on the bridge and to leave the SPD. That is his personal decision.
Wir bedauern, dass Wolfgang Clement kein Sozialdemokrat mehr sein will."		We regret that Wolfgang Clement does not want to be a Social Democrat anymore.

She exposes the calculated provocateur. But even she, a pragmatist like former federal party boss Beck, seems among those SPD leaders who don't know what hit them.

_{*Lunatic*, n.

One whose delusions are out of fashion.}

by DoDo on Thu Nov 27th, 2008 at 07:20:20 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Reactions 3: SPD Party Left (4.00 / 2)

Of course, they did not show any sadness...

Ypsilanti refrained from a reply.

Federal party vice-chair(wo)Man Andrea Nahles applied dry humour:

: Analyse: Die SPD trauert nur verhalten um Clement \| Frankfurter Rundschau - Dienstag		: Analysis: The SPD mourns Clement only moderately \| Frankfurter Rundschau - Tuesday
"Reisende muss man ziehen lassen"		"Travellers must be allowed to go"

Rudolf Malzahn, boss of the Bochum-Hamme local SPD that originally initiated the party exclusion procedure against Clement, gave a longer interview. He also noted Clement's hypocrisy in going to the Federal Arbitration Court, letting his lawyer [Schröder's former federal interior minister] accept a compromise, and then play pompous before the media. But I quote another part:

Deutschlandfunk - Interview - "Wir hätten auch mit Clement weitergearbeitet"		*Deutschlandfunk [public radio] - Interview - "We would also have continued to work with Clement"*
Schulz: Aber der Austritt Wolfgang Clements ist ein Erfolg für die SPD-Linke?		*[Reporter] Schulz:* But the resignation of Wolfgang Clement is a success for the SPD-Left?
Malzahn: Das kann ich nicht als Erfolg sagen. Ich sage mal, bei uns ist überhaupt kein Hurrah-Geschrei oder Hosianna, dass Clement jetzt aus der Partei ist, aber ich bin froh. Wir haben es versucht, Ruhe in der SPD einkehren zu lassen, mit Müntefering und allen Beteiligten in Berlin, und ich sage mal, es kehrt jetzt Ruhe ein. Nach 14 Tagen, drei Wochen spricht keiner mehr über Clement.		Malzahn: I can not call that a success. I will say that there is no Hurrah-clamour or Hosanna at all among us about Clement now being out of the party, but I'm happy. We have tried to bring about calm in the SPD, with Müntefering and all involved in Berlin, and let me just say, calmness will now prevail. In 14 days, three weeks no one will speak about Clement anymore.

_{*Lunatic*, n.

One whose delusions are out of fashion.}

by DoDo on Thu Nov 27th, 2008 at 07:50:34 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Reactions 4: Greens (4.00 / 2)

The ones willing to use a sharp tongue... Volker Beck, party whip in the federal parliament:

Volker Beck - Clement wie wir ihn kennen: Schadensmaximierung		Volker Beck - Clement as we know him: maximizing damage
Das ist Wolfgang Clement wie wir ihn kennen.		This is Wolfgang Clement as we know it.
Mit seinem Vorgehen hat er den Schaden für die SPD maximiert.		With his approach he maximized the damage for the SPD.
Clement ist kein Vertreter wirtschaftspolitischer Vernunft, sondern nicht mehr und nicht weniger als ein Lobbyist von RWE, dem zweitgrößten Energieversorgungskonzern Deutschlands, der vor allem auf Kohleverstromung und Atomenergie setzt.		Clement is not a representative of economic sanity, but no more and no less than a lobbyist for RWE, the second biggest energy supply corporation in Germany, which bets above all on electricity from coal and nuclear energy.
Wes Brot ich ess, des Lied ich sing. Allzu ernst sollte man seine interessensgeleiteten Einlassungen zur Energiepolitik daher künftig nicht nehmen.		Whose bread I eat, his song I sing. One shouldn't therefore take his interest-guided statements on energy policy too seriously in the future.

_{*Lunatic*, n.

One whose delusions are out of fashion.}

by DoDo on Thu Nov 27th, 2008 at 08:05:10 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Reactions 4: the Schadenfreude (4.00 / 3)

"Sozialdemokrat ohne Parteibuch" - DIE WELT - WELT ONLINE		"Social democrat without a membership card"
Unionsfraktionschef Volker Kauder sagte, der Austritt signalisiere, dass "bürgerliche, vernünftige Sozialdemokraten keine Heimat mehr" in der SPD besäßen. FDP-Chef Westerwelle meinte, der Schritt mache die Regierungskoalition in Berlin "noch wackliger". Der nordrhein-westfälische Landesverband der FDP bot sich dem Ex-Sozialdemokraten als neue politische Heimat an.		Volker Kauder, leader of the CDU/CSU parliamentary fraction, said that the resignation signaled that "centrist, reasonable social democrats no longer have a home" in the SPD. FDP head [Guido] Westerwelle opined that this step made the governing coalition in Berlin "even shakier". The North Rhine Westphalian FDP state party organization offered the ex-social democrat a new political home.

The Welt has a little picture of Schröder in the banner over this story with the caption "the Farewell the the Gerd Generation".

The fact is that what we're experiencing right now is a top-down disaster. -Paul Krugman

by dvx (dvx.clt ät gmail dotcom) on Thu Nov 27th, 2008 at 08:12:53 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Reactions 4: the Schadenfreude (4.00 / 3)

Heh. What a shame we can't autonumber the subject headers.

The fact is that what we're experiencing right now is a top-down disaster. -Paul Krugman

by dvx (dvx.clt ät gmail dotcom) on Thu Nov 27th, 2008 at 08:15:16 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Reactions 4: the Schadenfreude (4.00 / 2)

Westerwelle was really funny: he listed all the prominent neolib deserters and invited them to his party: Clement/ex-SPD, Oswald Metzger/ex-Greens (mentioned in Martin's diary) and now sidelined-in-the-CDU, and Friedrich Merz/still-CDU (see diary on a talk show appearance).

_{*Lunatic*, n.

One whose delusions are out of fashion.}

by DoDo on Thu Nov 27th, 2008 at 08:35:15 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Reactions 4: the Schadenfreude (4.00 / 3)

lol - while secretly hoping that none of them take him up on it. Clement would blow Westerwelle away in a New York minute, and even Merz would give him a run for his money.

Westerwelle's continuing longevity in his party is an abiding mystery to me.

The fact is that what we're experiencing right now is a top-down disaster. -Paul Krugman

by dvx (dvx.clt ät gmail dotcom) on Thu Nov 27th, 2008 at 09:10:25 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Reactions 6: the criminal psychologist (none / 1)

Huh. Amazingly, you get the most biting and most thorough denouncement of Clement... in conservative media flaship FAZ, in an op-ed by Patrick Bahners. I won't quote it because I can't pick out any shorter part.

_{*Lunatic*, n.

One whose delusions are out of fashion.}

by DoDo on Thu Nov 27th, 2008 at 08:43:03 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Exit Clement | 23 comments (23 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)

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