Gesine Schwan, the chairwoman of the SPD’s Basic Values Commission, sharply criticized the party’s leadership and German politics generally. Speaking to the “Tagesspiegel” on Thursday, she argued that many political parties, including the Social Democrats, were confusing political concern with mere supervision, suggesting that citizens were being treated as incapable ward cases. She particularly objected to the phrase “the common people”.
Schwan also criticized SPD Chairman and Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil. She asserted that in his recent talk at Bertelsmann, he failed to adequately address the underlying reasons why some citizens are currently unable to take on additional work. She stated that if Klingbeil had simply advocated for more jobs-and assured people that the SPD would do everything to help those who “want” to work more, such as single mothers lacking childcare-it would have been a straightforward issue. However, she dismissed the argument that Germans needed to work more as an incorrect and offensive premise.
She found the dual roles of Klingbeil and Bärbel Bas-as both SPD leaders and federal ministers-to be precarious. While acknowledging that Klingbeil needs to perform his duties as Finance Minister, Schwan deemed his efforts to win back voters ineffective. She argued that simply rolling out specific policy packages is insufficient.
Instead, Schwan demanded a more robust and vibrant culture of debate within the party. She called for a comprehensive revival or “overall drive” within the SPD. According to Schwan, the Social Democrats lack “imagination, varying concepts, and heated debate about how we want to live in the future-not arguments about people and careers”. She emphasized that the party leadership must understand that the party cannot function merely as a group of cheerleaders.