"Lafontaine is Not a German Haider"

Many are calling the new alliance populist. Is this justified?

The party is certainly populist in the sense that they rail against change and modernization without really wanting to, or rather being able to say, what they would do differently. It is a party that wants to excite tempers and encourage protest without being able to give answers. One could say that this is not necessarily the role of a new opposition party. It is a chance to express protest and it can lead the established parties to reconsider certain issues.

Gregor Gysi and Oskar Lafontaine, the former SPD chief, will act together as top candidates. Lafontaine in particular has been attacked by the SPD and the Greens. He was given the epithet of "German Haider (Austria's right-wing populist politician)," fishing for votes on the extreme right. What do you think of this accusation?

Jörg Haider recently split from the populist Freedom Party he founded and started a new right-wing alliance

No, in my opinion you can't look at it that way. The charge goes back to a speech Lafontaine made, in which he spoke of "alien workers," a concept from the rightist camp. When one looks at the political development of Lafontaine, I don't think it's fair to speak of a rightist leaning or an attempt to court rightist voters. Lafontaine has always been a nonconformist, someone who has always taken positions not directly in line with that of his party. He is continuing with this. So the comparison with Haider is not justified.

But does Lafontaine really offer any sensible remedies?

Lafontaine has, since his retreat from the Federal Government, been constantly appealing to the public, whether in publications or in talk shows, spreading his view of things -- that is, a state control of the globalized economy. He has time and again been criticized, that his solutions are completely unrealistic. For himself and for the groupings he stands for, this is a reasonable answer to globalization. It is, however, in the current situation, no adequate response. It is impossible to see how a strong governmental, national control could be implemented at the European level. Should Lafontaine be asked to implement his policies in the real world, then his alliance would really dissolve quite quickly. But as an opposition party, as a protest party, such goals are legitimate. It is an opportunity for disgruntled voters to express that they do not agree with the course and the pace of the reforms. Thus the party fulfills a democratic function.

Steffen Leidel interviewed Klaus Detterbeck (jc)