New Political Dynamic Story

This morning, the political hype in Germany, via ARD (public TV, Channel One) is the 'Welfare State Paper'.

Basically, the SPD Party (now down to around 14-to-15 percent in polling) has reached a level where they need to get the center-of-the-left voting crowd to come back, so this 'paper' is the magnet that they are going to use.  It came out over the weekend. 

Somewhere in the mix is the move to put current minimum wage ( 9.19 Euro per hour) up to 12 Euro per hour.  Of all of the ideas, this one might be the one more achievable....but this would likely end up as a 1.50 Euro rise, with a 3-year delay before another 1.00 Euro rise was allowed. 

Added onto this is an incentive to companies to open up mobile work (meaning taking your work home for some hours of the week).

Dismantling the Hartz IV program, and bringing in a Burger-Geld program?  More costs, but the public would agree that the current welfare program is a failure.

The general motto of this new SPD 'program'?  The government should be seen as a partner, not a controller.

Journalist response?  If you go and read across the dozen-odd journals, sites, and news networks in Germany.....it's fairly mixed.  At the top of the negative list.....how these costly pieces will be covered is missing entirely (taxes would have to go up somewhere or massive cuts upon other programs).  The idea that the CDU-CSU folks would agree to these ideas as part of the coalition?  Most political folks are say an absolute 'no'. 

On the amusing side of this....these ideas probably should have been brought up back a decade ago, and the party missed their big opportunity and chances by waiting til they were this 'weak'.  The money for the bulk of these ideas simply isn't there, and the only way to achieve any success is to bring the German Bundeswehr (the Army) in, and carve off one-third of their budget. 

On the motto business....to be seen as either a controller or partner?  Most would suggest that the government should be a quiet observer and only get involved when safety or national interests were involved.  To the idea of forcing companies to develop mobile work.....it's hard to imagine how you'd drag some company to the idea.  If they want to do it....fine, otherwise, this is not really something that the government should force upon companies.

So out of this thirty-odd-page document....it's probably decent reading, but I doubt if the SPD can achieve more than two or three of their ideas.  The general SPD voter?  Most will stand there and just shake their head.