THE EMERGENCE of a Christian-Democrat/ Liberal coalition in Bonn will put paid to any lingering doubts that West Germany will accept its share of the 572 cruise and Pershing missiles that NATO wishes to deploy in John Palmer of the Guardian explained as succinctly as possible why the Social Democratic - Free Democrat coalition in West Germany came crashing down last month after sixteen years in office.
The West German coalition's fall must have been on Michael Foot's mind when he addressed Labour's conference on 28 September. For reason he kept talking 'SPD instead of the 'SDP' The Democratic Party, Labour's sister party in the Second International. The SDP is know what the SDP 1s. well, What do the two parties have in common? CoallThreat If Labour finds itself in the general election, er general even if it secures a majority but is then threatened WIEN MILT Healey will argue.
Foot beside him: why not SDP/Liberals, because at into coalition with the least it will keep Thatcher QUIE:
the exerience of the Germar SPD been COLEONE Not a very happy one. It took office in 1981 with over fifty percent of the vote and by autumn 1982 was showing 31 percent support in regional elec tions.
It demoralised its supporters by backing NATO in the teeth of hundreds of thousands of demonstrators who have been trying to stop cruise missiles; austerity policies have brought unemployment reach of two million; it has cut unemployment benefits and real wages.
The German bourgeoisie judged that Western Europe next year'. With these words the moment had come to ditch the Socialists - and wonderful WIld demonstration of parliamentary democracy in acton it was. ne acco was done by a group of people: FDP ministers in the cabinet.
group of MPs representing at most five per cent of the German people were able government elected by 53 percent of the voters! Moreover SPD leader Schmidt was unable even to force a new elecChristian Democrats introduced motion tor a constructive vote. of no confidence' which unseated Schmidt but did not oblige the incoming government to seek an immediate mandate.
Suicide If Labour were coalition with the SDP it would be subject to exactly the same manoeuvres and you and I, if we relied on parliamentary action alone, do a thing about it.
Moreover the coalition was itself the instrument by which the SPD was induced to commit suicide. It fell when FDP cconomy minister Lambsdort presented "dossier" demanding the reversal of everything the coalition had ever done - DESCE the introduction monetarism in Germany. years the she has then last three the road to such ADITHI ingent austerity budgets in 1982 and for 1983, often using the excuse that it had to keep the FDP in the of coalition. As a result it demoralised own voters, OST support and encouraged the German DOSSCS federations through the FDP, to put the boot in.
All that has happened is that the bosses now want Helmut Schmidt architect of defeat by policies of coalition to farther, rely the SPD because the demonstraand resistance TOTA austerity are starting have an effect inside its ranks.
However, there is good chance manoeuvre can be made to backfire Already SPD's support in the local Hesse Land clections has shot up as workers realise to the FDP-CDU government might have in store for them.
The GIM, a German the revolutionary group and the German secthe tion of the Fourth Interna tional, has called for two measures to deal with the new threat: first, a campaid extra parliamentary extra-parliamentary protest around an acuor programme to save jobs The STOD CrUSe MISCS second, a joint slate in the elections from the • mmunists sociausts and the 'C ecological party LaDOUr good to carefully at wha Dening in Bonn: if Healey has his way, i be our turn next. Socialist Challenge 22 Cetober 1982
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