Zum Artikel »So wäre eine andere linke Partei möglich gewesen«
von Karsten Krampitz
In der Nr. 37 des FREITAG vom 14. September 2023
Lieber Karsten Krampitz!
On page 4, all the way to the left (!), there is a column that is somewhat unclear whether it is a comment on the current situation of the LEFT, a call for more financial solidarity, or information about the actions of the KPÖ in Graz (and only there!) – and this article is placed above an advertisement for a book titled „The (Self)-Destruction of the German Left,“ one might find it mischievous to think anything negative about it.
I understand your disappointment, but there seems to be some confusion. Let’s start with the KPÖ: it is not the parliamentarians who fund the social fund in Graz; they finance their party with a significant portion of their allowances, just like in the LEFT party. No, it is the officials (comparable to mayors, ministers, etc.) who manage this social fund, from which usually only 100 euros or slightly more are paid. The purpose is rather to buy some time, for example, in case of rental arrears, to then take action and involve the social welfare office or other providers.
Das sollte man genauso wahrnehmen wie die Tatsache, dass es das in der LINKEN eben auch gibt; Beispiel der Sozialfond der Linksfraktion in der BVV Spandau, in den alle Sitzungsgelder der drei Bezirksverordneten einfließen, um daraus – eben auch mit jeweils 100 Euro – da unterstützen zu können, wo es dringend erforderlich und für Bürokratie keine Zeit ist.
The public presentation of charity checks may seem embarrassing because it appears that one is primarily trying to benefit oneself from it. However, the problem is that if, for example, politicians support artists or social activists from their budget without this „embarrassing public display,“ the media will not be aware of it and therefore some people believe that such support does not exist. But that is not true!
Moreover, the embarrassing thing is that such a thing should exist at all, even though it should be a public, or rather a governmental, responsibility. Therefore, the calculation example with the Left Party in the German Bundestag is completely off: one can argue whether the salaries of the representatives are too high or not; however, it remains true that 2.8 million euros calculated over two years for 13 million people threatened by poverty in Germany (2021) amounts to just under 11 cents per person – per year!
Is the party elite (of the LEFT) in crisis? Yes, that is true – just like with all other parties, and that is not good news. But the party does not consist of its elite, but of its members, and I experience daily how solidarity still works on a small scale – not always with money, where there is none, you cannot pass any on. One also does not talk about it, otherwise one will be defamed as a „do-gooder“. And there is no need to refer back to the spontaneous activists of the ’68 movement – I am now 68 years old, but I have always referred to myself as a „69er“ because my experience with their ’68ers has always been true: lots of hot air and nothing behind it.
Die andere linke Partei wäre nicht möglich gewesen – sie ist existent; man muss nur ein wenig tiefer einsteigen, ein bisschen besser recherchieren – und vor allem nicht auf jedes Trittbrett aufspringen, das gerade durch die Großstadt getrieben wird.