SPD young talent approaches party leadership: “Then we’ll just kick the door in”

When Saskia Esken took the lectern at the Federal Congress of Young Socialists in Halle (Saale), many Jusos were still having lunch. The SPD leader is currently having a difficult time with the party’s young talent. After the chaos of the past few days, the agonizing discussion about the candidacy for chancellor, which Olaf Scholz is now supposed to take over.

“No, we didn’t give a really good impression when we nominated our candidate for chancellor,” admits Esken – on behalf of the entire party leadership. For the first time, the Jusos gave long, loud applause during their speech. Esken had already spoken for almost 20 minutes at this point.

“I’m sure you’ll want to hear the rest too,” she says with a sour smile. The young comrades clap and clap.

Scholz and the paralyzed SPD 18.23

The frustration over the damned choice of candidates is also deep among the SPD’s young people. Just on Friday, Juso boss Philipp Türmer complained about a “shitshow”. What this means: the agonizingly long discussion of the past few weeks, the partly public dispute about who should be the SPD candidate for chancellor.

They were never big fans of Olaf here. But now there is also indignation in the traditionally rebellious youth association about the actions of the party leadership. Who officially only gives a greeting here on Saturday, but is actually reporting. Many Jusos are of the opinion that the communication around the K question was a moderate catastrophe. And they feel ignored in the candidate process – no matter how great the relief is that there is now clarity. First of all.

“We are emerging from this debate not damaged, but also strengthened,” said SPD leader Esken on the sidelines of the federal congress. “Great agreement” has been reached, the party is united and is now rallying behind the top staff. There may be considerable doubts about this after this year’s federal congress, the Juso party conference, so to speak. The mood in the room is significantly different, the SPD leadership is taking a beating.

Especially from Beatrice Wiesner, the Juso chairman in Vorderpfalz. She describes the clarification of the K question as a “lesson” in how party leadership can shirk responsibility. Wiesner doesn’t feel serious, let alone taken away. “The whole party rang your doorbell,” she complains at the lectern. Esken sits in the front row and bravely listens. “And what did you do? You ignored it. Close your ears, close your eyes, close the door. A man stood behind that door and made his own decisions.”

This refers to Chancellor Scholz, who “stubbornly” stuck to his candidacy. While the SPD leadership, according to the subtext, let him have his way. “If we stumble into this election campaign just as haphazardly and headlessly as we stumbled into this decision, then only one thing is certain: a bad election result,” says Wiesner. The Jusos would ring the doorbell of the SPD leadership again. “And I really hope you’ll open up this time. Because if you don’t, we’ll just kick the door down.” Huge applause, some cheering goes through the rows.

Philipp Türmer, Juso chairman

Esken has a thankless task. Once again, the SPD co-leader acts as a lightning rod, confronting the concentrated discontent of the Jusos – for which the younger generation certainly gives her credit. She had already defended Scholz’s policies at the Juso federal congress last year, including the tightening of migration policy. Now Esken has to defend the chancellor himself and actually justify his candidacy.

Esken argues that he is “experienced in government,” “storm-tested,” and “washed in the waters.” Phrases that hardly catch here. Nor is the argument that Scholz has not shirked responsibility, like the FDP, for example. In crises, the Chancellor not only spoke, but also acted, says the SPD leader. He is the “right man at the top” to prevent a CDU chancellor Friedrich Merz. “We are our greatest strength and now is exactly the time to mobilize that strength.”

But does it also mobilize the Jusos? This question could become a problem for the parent party in the upcoming winter election campaign. The youth organization has more than 70,000 members, and around a quarter of the members of the Bundestag are Jusos. If they don’t go along with it, Operation Olaf will likely fail miserably.

Philipp Türmer, the head of the Juso, puts it in this formula: “Unity that arises from a lack of alternatives is not necessarily a strong unity.”

Even if the personnel debate is over, a clear campaign strategy is now needed, demands Türmer. “There must now be a change in the tone and also in the program, and the rudder must be turned around “completely”. “There are 500 Jusos sitting here who want there to be a strong social democracy that will shape this country in the future!” he shouts to thunderous applause. “Now do everything you can to ensure that the SPD continues to exist as a strong party in this country – That’s what we demand from you!”

Scholz-Pistorius come 11.30 p.m

You inevitably hear Kevin Kühnert, former Juso boss and former SPD general secretary. In 2018, on his No-GroKo mission, he demanded from the party leadership that “something of this store” must remain. “Dammit!” The SPD almost tore it up back then. Even today the situation of the Social Democrats appears serious again; they are currently at a paltry 14 to 15 percent in the polls. But GroKo again, as the Union’s junior partner? A touch of 2018 is in the air.

The message seems to have reached Esken, who once became SPD leader with the active support of the Jusos; the deep-seated anger seems to have left a lasting impression. She doesn’t respond to the many angry speeches, even though she had the opportunity to do so.

Even Hubertus Heil was not spared; he gave the first greeting from SPD celebrities on Saturday morning. The popular labor minister and deputy party chairman, who is affectionately called “Hubi” here, actually knows which buttons to press with the Jusos. After all, he was one himself. But even he doesn’t have Juso’s hearts at the moment. He’s basically on her side.

“If you have responsibility, then there has to be clarity,” complains Heil, who also refers to the days-long deadlock on the question of the candidate for chancellor. The past few days have not been happy. He himself suffered from the fact that the SPD was concerned with itself instead of with the issues of its citizens. The SPD should not be “a self-help group,” he says.

Federal Minister of Labor Hubertus Heil

However, the competition is already on the pitch. Heil’s appeal: “We can continue this debate for weeks. Or we can make it so that we take up the fight.” There’s a lot at stake, the SPD has to “get its damn thing together now.”

But even “Hubi” cannot dispel the criticism.

Michelle Breustedt, Juso chairwoman in Hesse-South, complains that the candidacy for chancellor should not be thought up “in the stuffy back room” but that the election campaigners must also be included. They would ultimately hang up the posters in the freezing cold. Maybrit Venzke from Schleswig-Holstein also points out this: Maybe she will turn over some flyers if Olaf can be seen on them.

Juso Jan Knes-Wiersma from North Rhine-Westphalia is much less reserved: “Dear Olaf, the Jusos’ support for your election campaign is not God-given,” he shouts to loud applause. “Touch some grass, finally wake up from your illusion that everyone in the SPD is behind you and your political aberrations!”

In other words: The Chancellor has to deliver, and so does the SPD leadership – so that there is still something left of this store.