With the German Social Democratic Party (SPD) entering into a "Grand Coaliton" with Merkel's CDU/CSU in the Bundestag, the rise of the far right AfD particularly in the former leftwing heartlands of Eastern Germany, and the launch of the Sahra Wagenknecht led new left-wing grouping Aufstehen which aims to gather those from the disillusioned left of the SPD and members of Die Linke, where next for German politics? In this article, originally published in FAZ, renowned sociologist Wolfgang Streeck asks what the platform for a renewed social democratic left in Germany should be, and how this politics find its voice in contemporary political debates.
This article is published alongside a response from Richard Seymour.