The four regional MP rebels include Dagmar Metzger, the woman whose early declaration of rebellion lengthened the process so much, two more like-minded backbenchers who did speak out on prior party congresses, but voted for Ypsilanti in the test vote -- and Hessen SPD vice-chairman Jürgen Walter.

The rivalry between Walter and Ypsilanti began almost exactly two years ago. In the German state led by the scariest and most ruthless CDU PM, the battered SPD held leadership elections. The centrist-dominated federal leadership favoured someone of their kind, the regional parliament faction leader, a centrist financial expert: Jürgen Walter. But to great surprise of everyone, on 2 December 2006, he lost to an oft-dismissed woman from the party left wing: Andrea Ypsilanti.

As per the section title, Walter became Ypsilanti's vice. He stayed loyal while she ran an unconventional election strategy of unabashed leftism and attacking PM Roland Koch on his supposed strengths -- which in January was enough to eliminate Roland Koch's seemingly unassailable government majority, but not for a desired SPD-Greens majority.

When, after the failure of all attempts to form three-party coalitions, the minority government option came up, Walter stayed silent. When there was uproar from right-wing and centrist politicians and media about reliance on the Left Party, he professed loyalty in the public.

However, now we know that he began the backstabbing already then. Tucked away in the SPIEGEL article on last Saturday's Hessen SPD special congress, at which 95% approved the minority government coalition contract but Walter made his opposition public, I found this passage:

I note that I believe to discover a whiff of journalistic guilty feelings in this revelation, upon realising that they have been had in Walter's personal power games, while the woman they described as selfishly power-hungry in pursuing the PM job turned out to enjoy overwhelming party support. Then again, only a whiff -- since then SPIEGEL rolled out all the heavy guns against (read resident neocon Claus Christian Malzahn's op-ed if you must).

The alienated saboteur

After blowing it for the first time, in no small part at the urging of the Greens, Ypsilanti & co prepared for a second attempt at the PM vote with a marathon plan of asking for the approval of every level of all three parties over the course of two months. It was then that Walter gave the first public signals of rebellion.

At a previous Hessen SPD special party conference a month ago, 98% approved the start of coalition talks with the Greens. Seeing the width of Ypsilanti's support, Walter thought to undercut her by pushing demands unacceptable for the Greens.

However, it came worse for Walter. Not only did the coalition talks run smoothly, but he had to realise he won't get the hoped-for position in Ypsilanti's government: economy minister. Ypsilanti's choice should not have came as a surprise at all: Hermann Scheer drafted one of her key election programmes: a big push for renewables. Walter was offered the faction leadership, which he refused.

Walter still did not retract his promise to elect Ypsilanti. Instead, he attacked the draft coalition contract he himself signed on to as negotiator -- as one threatening tens of thousands of jobs. He repeated that line as his reason today. (Now tell me what the MSM would say about a party leftie blocking his leader on the grounds that his plans threaten jobs and social security and labour rights...) But again only 5% sided with him and the anti-communist conscience rebels.

The situation was not lost on Hessen state Greens, who held their own conference a day later. So they warned potential rebels that hiding behind the secret vote won't be taken kindly, and said (implicitely, but in no uncertain terms) that they should forget about the Greens as coalition partner if they topple Ypsilanti tomorrow.

It was probably this unexpected strong pressure that forced the rebels to come out, in which I can hardly imagine that Walter did not play the crucial role as organisator.

...and behind the scenes, Schröder's ghost laughs

In an article on the Hessen Greens after their own special party conference on Sunday, SPIEGEL notes:

You remember, the Schröderite Old Guard regained power in a semi-coup two months ago. While there is no evidence of their direct involvement in the rebellion of Walter & co, they could have intervened, but didn't.

In fact, Müntefering practised some praise with faint damning. Quoting from an IMO in truth mis-titled SPIEGEL article:

Speak: the problem is only that they waited for so long with stalling the wish of 95% of their party. He also felt necessary to reinforce that there will be no cooperation with the Left Party at a federal level. And, most ominously, it's not the rebels he wants to consult with immediately, their decision the finished past, instead...

Postscript: in SPIEGEL's analysis, contrary to my view, Müntefering & co wished a smooth election of Ypsilanti in Hessen just so that the SPD's internal troubles over it come to an end. But they too think he left Ypsilanti's future open.