Internal "caucuses" (factions)

  1. Die Neue Zeit
    Die Neue Zeit
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lef...ernal_caucuses

    Internal caucuses

    The Left Party has a number of internal caucuses, most often referred to as platforms or forums.

    The Anti-capitalist Left (Antikapitalistische Linke) represents those critical of participation in coalition governments. They believe that government participation should be dependent on a set of minimum criteria (including no privatizations, no war involvement, and no cuts in social welfare spending). The grouping seeks to position the party firmly against any form of capitalism. Prominent representatives of this group are Sahra Wagenknecht, Tobias Pflüger, Cornelia Hirsch, and Ulla Jelpke.

    The Communist Platform (Kommunistische Plattform, KPF) was originally formed as a tendency of the PDS. It is less critical of German Democratic Republic than other groupings, and it upholds orthodox Marxist positions. A "strategic goal" of the KPF is "building a new socialist society, using the positive experiences of real socialism and to learn from mistakes" Its primary leader is Sahra Wagenknecht, who is on the National Committee of the Left Party. The Platform had around 850 members in 2007, according to the Verfassungsschutz[24]—around 1% of the party's national membership.

    The Socialist Left (Sozialistische Linke) was formed in August 2006 and includes keynesian economics-leftists and reform communists. The group seeks to orient the party toward the labour movement. Many leaders of the Socialist Left were former members of the WASG. Socialist Left sympathizes with the Dutch Socialist Party and the Italian Communist Refoundation Party.

    The Emancipatory Left (Emanzipatorische Linke, Ema.Li) is a current that endorses libertarian socialist principles. It backs a decentralized society and support social movements. Ema.Li's spokespersons are Julia Bonk (member of parliament in Saxony) and Christoph Spehr, spokesman of The Left in Bremen. Other representatives are the vice Chairwoman of the party Katja Kipping and Caren Lay.

    The Reform Left Network (Netzwerk Reformlinke) was originally formed in 2003 as a tendency in the PDS. It promotes social-democratic positions and supports cooperation with the Social Democratic Party of Germany and the Alliance 90/The Greens. A prominent member of the network is Petra Pau.

    The Democratic Socialist Forum (Forum demokratischer Sozialismus) is a democratic socialist faction that was originally part of the PDS. It supports participation in state coalition governments and is programmatically close to the Reform Left Network.

    In addition to the main platforms, a number of far-left groups have aligned with the Left Party and its predecessors, the PDS and WASG, including Linksruck (now known as Marx21).
    Can someone please add to this, in both the wiki and here?
  2. Die Neue Zeit
    Die Neue Zeit
    I'll start:

    Socialist Left

    The Socialist Left (German: Sozialistische Linke, SL) is a political caucus in the Left Party of Germany. It includes political viewpoints ranging from left Keynesianism and left social democracy to reform communism and even Trotskyism. SL members share a common goal of orienting the Left Party firmly toward the labor movement.

    Socialist Left was founded on August 19, 2006 in Wuppertal at a meeting of 50 delegates. Most of its members were initially members of the Labor and Social Justice Alternative, and its membership was centered in West Germany. Following the merger of the WASG with the Party of Democratic Socialism to form the Left Party, the SL formed a tendency of the new party.

    The position papers of the SL, "Sozialistische Linke: realistisch und radikal!", summarizes the group's views: "Progressive social changes, in our belief, can only be achieved through interactions between the political forces and extraparliamentary social movements. Most important are therefore the trade unions." The SL has strongly endorsed the campaign for a German minimum wage law. They support demand-side economic policies, as well as public investment in "educational, social, ecological and transportation infrastructure." "Reforms and the struggle for a socialist society are not contradictory," the SL position papers state. "Economic and social regulation, social-welfare structures, as well as the achievements of representative democracy can be the starting point for large changes to society." The organization is particularly sympathetic to the Dutch Socialist Party and the Italian Communist Refoundation Party, both of which have a strong trade-union orientation.

    A number of Socialist Left members are prominent in the Left Party, German trade unions and the Bundestag. SL members include Ursula Lötzer (Bundestag member and Left Party spokesperson on international economic policy); Ralf Krämer (Secretary of the ver.di union's National Committee); and Hüseyin Kenan Aydın (a Turkish-born member of the Bundestag and secretary of the IG Metall union in Düsseldorf).

    Members of the Trotskyist group Marx21 have became key figures in the Socialist Left, especially in Berlin. Marx21 leaders Christine Buchholz and Lucia Schnell are particiularly active in the SL.
  3. Die Neue Zeit
    Die Neue Zeit
    I wonder which faction Klaus Ernst belonged to.