Inside the collapse of 'American optimism'

Alex Henderson

January 12, 2025

ALTERNET

During the final hours of 1999, many preppers feared that a global disaster they called "Y2K" would bring widespread power outages along with violence, chaos and unrest. Computerized systems used by utility companies and governments, preppers claimed, had not been properly updated for the arrival of the 21st Century and a new millennium.

The Y2K doomsday scenario that those preppers were predicting never materialized, and all hell didn't break loose on January 1, 2000. But the 21st Century has turned out be highly tumultuous, from the September 11, 2021 terrorist attacks to the economic meltdown of September 2008 and the Great Recession.

In a think piece published by The New Republic on January 10, historian/author Paul M. Renfro (a professor at Florida State University) analyzes the mental state of Americans — who, he argues, greeted the 21st Century with great optimism but have since sunk into a dark, pessimistic mood.

"At the dawn of the Y2K era," Renfro recalls, "the possibilities seemed endless. The fall of the Soviet Union had consecrated a global economic and political order that paired capitalism and liberal democracy. 'Free markets' and 'free societies' went hand in hand, the thinking went, and accordingly, 'globalization' became the watchword of the period. The free flow of capital, goods, and ideas across borders and continents would open up closed societies and create a more peaceful, more stable, and more prosperous world."

But in the 21st Century, Renfro stresses, many Americans were left behind economically. And he cites the 9/11 terrorist attacks and the economic meltdown of September 2008 as two major contributors to the collapse of "American optimism."

"The dot-com crash of 2000 put a damper on some of this wild-eyed optimism," Renfro explains, "but for many observers in the United States, the dream of peace and prosperity at the end of history endured until 2008. With the onset of the Great Recession, the hope that so many felt during the Y2K era turned to despair….. In the years since, we’ve tried desperately to keep the dream alive."

The historian continues, "(President Barack) Obama bailed out and sought to rehabilitate the very financial institutions that had immiserated millions of Americans, much to the chagrin of those who occupied Zuccotti Park during his first term. Donald Trump, whose electoral base is the 'American gentry,' has often promised to deliver prosperity to those left behind by globalization and neoliberalization. But it's unclear who truly believes in the viability of the American Dream or the American Project, more broadly."


Paul M. Renfro's full article for The New Republic is available at this link.

Advocates Demand Eviction Moratorium, Rent Freeze as LA Landlords 'Cash in on Crisis'

"Greedy landlords shouldn't profit from human tragedy," argued one housing defender. "Put people over profits for once!"


An aerial view shows the devastation caused by the Palisades Fire in Pacific Palisades, California on January 9, 2025.
(Photo: Josh Edelson/AFP/via Getty Images)

Brett Wilkins
Jan 12, 2025
COMMON DREAMS

With some Los Angeles-area landlords jacking up rental listing prices by 50% or more as historic wildfires rage, housing advocates in the nation's second-largest city are calling for an immediate eviction moratorium and rent freeze.

As California authorities have noted in recent days, state Penal Code Section 396 prohibits taking "unfair advantage" of consumers during times of emergency or disaster. Landlords cannot raise rent by more than 10% of the price immediately prior to the emergency. Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency last Tuesday.

"If you're a renter who has been impacted by the fires, remember that you have rights!"

"It's called price gouging," California Attorney General Rob Bonta, also a Democrat, said during a Saturday news conference. "It is illegal. You cannot do it. It is a crime punishable by up to a year in jail and fines."

That isn't stopping some landlords from trying to profit from the deadly wildfires. Tenant rights advocate Chelsea Kirk—the director of policy and advocacy at the L.A.-based Strategic Actions for a Just Economy—has created an open database of more than 100 Zillow listings in which landlords have raised asking prices for rents by more than the legal limit, and in some cases by over 50 or even 75% or more.



Activists said there are two related things officials can do right now to mitigate the disaster's impact on renters.


"We need a rent freeze and eviction moratorium," the anti-capitalist collective People's City Council—Los Angeles said on social media.

NOlympics LA said, "L.A. City Council needs to implement a rent freeze NOW."

"Price gouging in the wake of disaster is unacceptable, this is simple and could be done immediately but will L.A. leaders even propose it?" the group added. "We need an eviction moratorium to stop landlords [from] evicting people to cash in on crisis."


Temporary eviction moratoriums and rent freezes were implemented at the national, state, and local level during the Covid-19 pandemic. While California's moratorium did not protect everyone from eviction, with thousands of renters removed from their homes under various exceptions, evictions plummeted thanks to the policy. However, by 2023 eviction rates had returned to—or surpassed—pre-pandemic levels.

The L.A. Tenants Union noted that "in the midst of all this destruction, eviction courts are still churning."

"The 6th floor of the downtown courthouse is packed today," the group added. "We demand an emergency eviction moratorium and a rent freeze."


With thousands of Los Angeles area families now unhoused due to the fires, desperate victims are vulnerable to these unscrupulous landlords and real estate agents. Kirk wants them to know—and exercise—their rights.

"Because California is currently under an emergency declaration, rental price gouging is illegal," she told Common Dreams. "If you see a rental listing with a significant price increase—such as more than 10% over the pre-emergency price—you should report it to the attorney general's office immediately, and confront the landlord or agent about it, if you feel comfortable doing so."

Kirk continued:

That said, I recognize this is an incredibly vulnerable time, especially for people who have lost their homes and are urgently trying to secure housing. Confronting a landlord may feel risky and might compromise your chances of getting the place. But it's crucial to remember you have rights, even if you've already signed a lease. If you realize after signing that the landlord engaged in price gouging, don't hesitate to push back. There are groups actively working to ensure these laws are enforced and to support tenants in these situations.

Bonta offered similar advice: "If you know someone who's been a victim of price gauging please report it."




As for the landlords and agents trying to capitalize on disaster victims, Kirk said that "their actions are not only illegal but profoundly shameful."

"The community sees what they are doing, and we will hold them accountable," she told Common Dreams. "While I do not have much faith that officials will penalize landlords, we—the tenants and community organizers—will not sit idly by. We will take action, whether through organizing, direct action, or other means, to expose and stop these exploitative practices. Renters deserve to be treated with dignity, especially during times of crisis."

Bonta noted how new technology is being utilized to determine prices, and it's not just landlords and their agents using it.

"Some of our hotels and some of our landlords use algorithms based on demand and supply to set their prices," the attorney general said. "If those prices lead to prices higher than before the emergency by 10% that's against the law."

"If you're a mom and pop and you're not aware of these laws now you are aware," Bonta added. "Ignorance is not an excuse."

'Frustrating': LA fire official slams GOP lawmaker’s response to crisis

Image via Free Malaysia Today/Creative Commons.

Maya Boddie

January 12, 2025

ALTERNET


As Los Angeles firefighters continue to do what they can to fight the raging brush fires across the city, President-elect Donald Trump is questioning their competence — while one Republican congressman is threatening to withhold aid until the problem is solved.

California Fire Foundation Chair Brian Rice on Sunday shut down both the president-elect's and Rep. Warren Davidson's (R-OH) assessments of the ongoing crisis.

Pointing to Trump's recent social media post — in which he asked, "Why can't they just put out the fires?" — MSNBC's The Weekend co-host Symone Sanders Townsend asked Rice to explain how his crew is "providing resources not just to communities, but to the firefighters who are fighting these fires themselves."

She added, "This is not like a fire breaking out on your stove in the kitchen."

Rice replied, "That's exactly right. It is a firefight. It is a fight against nature. And until somebody can have control over the wind, we're at the mercy of the weather right now."

The California Fire Foundation leader emphasized that he tries to ignore social media posts like Trump's, as they can become "frustrating" to read.

Rice then noted that he saw a print media news article recently quoted "a congressman from Ohio who probably has little to no experience with a wildfire, and certainly not a California wildfire," suggesting "that the federal government should stop aid until we control the fire problem."

READ MORE: 'Lack of empathy': Laura Ingraham’s brother slams her 'twisted propaganda' during LA wildfires

He added, "People need to understand fire has been a part of the nature of California in this country since since the beginning of time, when you add people, there's 40 million people in California, changes the fuel load. You can't manage every acre of forest land. And this is not a forest fire. This is a brush fire that transitions at the higher levels to more forested areas at the lower level, to urban areas and urban conflagration areas. When the wind is blowing and the fire gets ahead of steam, you are not going to stop it. California firefighters are the best in the world at fighting this type of a fire. And right now, everything is settled down."

"Everybody is focused on two things," Rice continued. "The most important — getting our community out of harm's way, and taking care of, and putting this damn fire out. And until the weather changes for us, people can stay and talk and do all they want, but we're at the mercy of the weather right now."


Watch the video below or at this link

www.youtube.com

No, the Hollywood sign is not on fire

Issued on: 09/01/2025 - 
05:37 min
From the show

As Los Angeles battles the worst fires in its history, AI-generated images of the Hollywood sign engulfed in flames are going viral on social media. The iconic Hollywood sign remains untouched as of this Thursday, although the wildfires continue to spread. We tell you more in this edition of Truth or Fake.

By:Catalina Marchant de Abreu

State-Level GOP Attacks on Public Schools Decried as 'Part of a National Playbook'

The latest Republican efforts include an Indiana bill to dissolve entire school districts where over half the students are enrolled in private or charter schools.


Students at James Russell Lowell School 51 in Indianapolis are seen in this October 9, 2024 photo.
(Photo: Zach Dobson/Indianapolis Public Schools/Facebook)

Brett Wilkins
Jan 12, 2025
COMMON DREAMS

Critics are sounding the alarm on a fresh wave of attacks on public schools by Republican state lawmakers, calling their efforts part of a broader agenda to privatize public education.

Indiana's H.B. 1136—introduced by Reps. Jake Teshka (R-7), Jeffrey Thompson (R-28), and Timothy O'Brien (R-78)—would dissolve public school districts in which more than 50% of students attend private or charter schools based on fall 2024 averages. All remaining public schools in affected districts would be converted to charter schools, which are privately owned and operated but taxpayer-funded.

According toCapital B Gary, "The bill's provisions are estimated to dissolve five school corporations statewide, including Indianapolis Public Schools, Tri-Township Consolidated School Corporation in LaPorte County, Union School Corporation southeast of Muncie, and Cannelton City Schools near the Kentucky border in Perry County."

Indianapolis Public Schools (IPS) condemned the proposal, saying it "strongly opposes House Bill 1136 or any bill this legislative session that threatens local authority and community control of public schools."

"H.B. 1136 proposes dissolving five school corporations, including IPS, by converting schools to charter status and eliminating local school boards," the district continued. "This harmful legislation would strip communities of their voice, destabilize our financial foundations, and further jeopardize the education of approximately 42,000 students."

IPS asserted: "H.B. 1136 threatens to cause massive disruption to our public school system, diverting attention and resources away from the vital education and support our students need to succeed. This legislation is not student-focused and fails to reflect the community's input on how they envision their public schools thriving."

"Instead of fostering growth and innovation, H.B. 1136 risks dismantling the very foundation that supports student success and community collaboration," the district added.

"H.B. 1136 threatens to cause massive disruption to our public school system."

The Indiana Democratic Party said on social media in response to the bill: "The GOP supermajority is continuing their attacks on local public schools. This time, they're threatening to dissolve dozens of schools across the state into charters, leaving around a million Hoosiers without a traditional public school option."


"For years, many public schools have struggled with funds being diverted to charter schools with no accountability," the party added in a separate post. "Our public schools are the backbone of communities across the state, and we must protect them. More charter schools means less oversight for taxpayers."

Indiana state Sen. Andrea Hunley (D-46), a former IPS teacher and principal, told Capital B Gary: "My children have been attending IPS schools for 11 years. And I am so concerned about the fact that in this place where the majority likes to say that they want choice for families, that they would be threatening to take away choice from a family like mine right here in the middle of our city."

"We've got to make sure that we stop this before it goes any further," she added.

Indiana state Sen. Fady Qaddoura (D-30), who also represents Indianapolis, toldWXIN last week, "I think this bill has a racial component by advancing discriminatory policies that are targeting the two largest minority communities in the state of Indiana."

"In my view," he added, "this piece of legislation had nothing to do with choice and has everything to do to continue to dismantle public education as we know it today in Indiana."

It's not just Indiana. Attacks on public education are afoot in states across the nation, including neighboring Ohio and Kentucky.



At the national level, progressives are warning that the imminent Republican trifecta—with GOP control of both chambers of Congress and, later this month, the White House—likely portends a massive attack on public education that could include ending the Department of Education, as advised in Project 2025, the Heritage Foundation-led blueprint for a far-right overhaul of the federal government.

'Merrick Garland has been wholly useless'

MSNBC host drops the hammer on outgoing AG

F0R FOUR YEARS NOW

Tom Boggioni

January 12, 2025

RAW STORY

Michael Steele (MSNBC screenshot)

Former Republican National Committee chair and current MSNBC host Michael Steele used a segment on Judge Aileen Cannon's latest attempt to run interference for Donald Trump to veer off and lash out at Attorney General Merrick Garland for how he has run the DOJ which conducted multiple investigations of Donald Trump that have all been for naught.

With the DOJ forced to drop multiple investigations of Trump involving the Jan. 6 insurrection and stolen government documents being hoarded at Mar-a-Lago, Garland has received considerable criticism for dragging his feet until it was too late –– allowing the president-elect to avoid going to trial.

After criticizing Cannon for being "a stain on the entire judiciary," Steele turned his ire on Garland.

"I'm of the view I don't care how you release it, just get the damn thing [Jack Smith report] released because we have we have nickel and dimed around this. Merrick Garland has been wholly useless in this process, completely useless," he ranted to ex-prosecutor Kristy Greenberg. "The most timid person at Justice, period, in the history of the organization."

"Even in this hour, in the face of everything else, knowing what happens on January 20th: 'Well, I don't know if we should put this out because something may come," the MSNBC host mimicked the AG.

"Nothing's coming of this because it's all gone at 12:01 next Tuesday, next Monday!" he exclaimed. "So what's the point, Kristy? I mean, citizens look at this and they go, this has been a complete cluster for the American people relative to our judicial process. How do you restore that faith? Where do we begin to get back this idea that our judiciary, particularly since Donald Trump is going to stack it with more Judge Cannons, is impartial and a place where you can go and have those scales balanced in a way in which you can receive some justice, or that we can at least see it working."

Watch below or at the link

'Not funny anymore': Trump backed off Canada when Trudeau suggested trading California

David Edwards
January 12, 2025 
RAW STORY

MSNBC/screen grab

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau revealed that President-elect Donald Trump lost interest in making Canada the 51st state when he suggested trading parts of the country for Vermont or California.

During a Sunday interview with MSNBC, Trudeau recalled a recent conversation with Trump.

"It actually sort of came up at one point, and then we started musing back and forth about this," Trudeau recalled regarding the idea of annexing Canada.

"And when I started to suggest, well, maybe there could be a trade for Vermont or California for certain parts, he immediately decided that it was not that funny anymore, and we moved on to a different conversation," he added.

Watch the video below from MSNBC or at the link

Jeff Bezos' WaPo reeling from losses and 'internal drama' as Trump returns to DC: report

Tom Boggioni
January 11, 2025

RAW STORY

Billionaire Jeff Bezos (Photo via Joshua Roberts for Reuters)

At a time when the always newsworthy Donald Trump is headed back to the White House, the venerable Washington Post should be gearing up to cover his second term but instead is being subjected to an exodus of top reporters and internal strife, reports the Wall Street Journal's Alexandra Bruell.

In her report for the Journal, Bruell notes that Amazon founder and billionaire Jeff Bezos, who bought the Post in 2013 for $250 million, just watched his investment lose around $100 million last year as new management has failed to stop the bleeding.

The Journal also reports that top-flight journalists are also fleeing to greener pastures under the management of interim executive editor Matt Murray and publisher William Lewis who has still not righted the ship since his hiring.

Adding to the Post's problems was a decision to spike an endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris before the 2024 presidential election that led to a revolt by readers with a reported 250,000 people canceling their subscriptions within days.

According to the Journal, "The changes inside the Post have left many staffers frustrated and confused about the future, the people close to the newsroom said. Journalists across areas from politics to national security, including Ashley Parker, Michael Scherer, Tyler Pager and Hannah Allam, have defected to publications such as the New York Times, the Atlantic and ProPublica. Josh Dawsey, a political investigations and enterprise reporter, is leaving for the Journal, where he worked before the Post," adding, "National editor Philip Rucker, investigations editor Peter Wallsten and senior national investigations editor Rosalind Helderman are in the latest batch of newsroom leaders taking calls from other publications."

Attendant readership has also taken a reported drop, with the Journal reporting, "Post leadership has internally discussed a goal of reaching 200 million users, according to staffers, though some in the newsroom say it isn’t clear how that will be measured and whether the figure includes social media followers. The Post had 54 million digital visitors in November 2024, according to media-measurement firm Comscore, down from 114 million in November 2020."

You can read more here.

J.D. WHO?!

'Let's not be divisive': Fox News host challenges J.D. Vance on California wildfires

David Edwards
January 12, 2025 
RAW STORY

Fox News/screen grab

Fox News host Shannon Bream challenged Vice President-elect J.D. Vance not to "be divisive" during an interview about the wildfires in California.

"I want to talk to you about the fire situation in California, because your administration will be coming in, taking over the reins as the feds are trying to meet that, along with many other emergency situations they have going on," Bream told Vance during an interview on Fox News Sunday.

"Gavin Newsom, the governor of California, has written to President Trump saying, let's not be divisive right now. Come out and visit. Let people see us working together." she continued. "Any indication the president-elect may do that?"


"I do think, frankly, the federal government has to do a better job," Vance opined divisively. "President Trump is committed to doing a better job when it comes to disaster relief. That's true for the hurricane victims and flood victims in North Carolina."

"Now, that doesn't mean you can't criticize the governor of California for, I think, some very bad decisions over a very long period of time," he added. "I mean, some of these reservoirs have been dry for 15, 20 years. The fire hydrants are being reported as going dry while the firefighters are trying to put out these fires."

"There is a serious lack of competent governance in California, and I think it's part of the reason why these fires have gotten so bad."

Bream pointed out that many people were worried "about what the administration will do when it comes to handing out aid to California."

"They're citing back to something that the president-elect said in September when he said, we won't give him money to put out all his fires, and if we don't give him the money to put out his fires, he's got problems," she noted. "Is there any consideration of withholding aid to Californians?"


"No, look, President Trump cares about all Americans, right?" Vance insisted. "He is the president for all Americans, and I think that he intends to have FEMA and other federal responses much, much better and much more clued in to what's going on there on the ground."

Watch the video below from Fox News or at the link..

'We always have troops in Greenland': J.D. Vance hints at Trump's use of military force

David Edwards
January 12, 2025 
RAW STORY

Fox News/screen grab

Vice President-elect J.D. Vance reminded officials in Greenland that the U.S. military maintained troops in the autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark.

During an interview on Fox News Sunday, host Shannon Bream asked Vance about Trump refusing to rule out the use of military force to take possession of Greenland.

"What's the deal with Greenland and the Panama Canal?" Bream wondered. "Are we using or considering use of military force in any of those situations?"


"No, look, we don't have to use military force, Shannon," Vance insisted. "The thing that people always ignore is we already have troops in Greenland."

"Greenland is really important for America strategically," he continued. "It has a lot of great natural resources."

Vance said his "good friend Donald Trump Jr." had recently visited Greenland.


ALSO READ: Trump intel advisor Devin Nunes still dismisses Russian election meddling as a 'hoax'

"And you know what they told him?" the vice-president elect said. "They want to be empowered to develop, the people of Greenland want to be empowered to develop the resources there."

"We also need to make sure that Greenland is properly cared for from an American security perspective," he added. "The Danish government has not done a good enough job of securing Greenland."


"I think there actually is a real opportunity here for us to take leadership, to protect America's security, to ensure that those incredible natural resources are developed, and that's what Donald Trump is good at. He's good at making deals, and I think there's a deal to be made in Greenland."

Watch the video below from Fox News or at the link.

Dutch police detain hundreds at climate protest


By AFP
January 11, 2025


Police maintained a heavy presence with foot patrols, and on horseback 

- Copyright Telegram/V_Zelenskiy_official/AFP Handout

Dutch police on Saturday detained hundreds of climate activists and used two water cannons to break up a protest that blocked off a main highway into the city for several hours.

The protest by Extinction Rebellion (XR) activists followed several similar protests last year to demonstrate against Dutch fossil fuel subsidies and to highlight the effects of climate change.

“Some 700 activists were detained after the A12 highway was blocked off,” The Hague police said on X.

“This led to traffic jams and longer travel times for ambulances and other emergency services,” they added.

Police maintained a heavy presence with foot patrols, and on horseback, while a police drone hovered overhead.

Hundreds of protesters gathered around mid-day and walked onto the highway despite police attempts to stop several other activists, an AFP correspondent saw.

The protesters ignored a request from the city and police to remain on the Malieveld open ground in the city centre and not to enter onto the neighbouring arterial road.

Several hundred protesters carried banners and placards saying “We believe in life after oil” while waving XR flags however marched onto the road.

Two protesters also scaled a signboard beam spanning the A12 before unrolling an XR flag.

Several hours later police sprayed protesters with water cannons before detaining activists who were sitting on the main road.

Most were later released at a location near the ADO stadium on the city’s outskirts, local news radio Omroep West reported.

Protester Christian Loncle, 49, said he believed “politicians are not doing enough yet” to fight climate change.

Referring to the current fires ravaging Los Angeles in California, Loncle said he was not a scientist to make a direct correlation between climate change and the blazes.

“But hopefully politicians are listening to us instead of waiting until their houses burn down.”

Wildfires occur naturally, but scientists say human-caused climate change is altering weather and changing the dynamics of the blazes.

Last year in April, climate activist Greta Thunberg was detained twice during a similar march to protest against fossil fuel subsidies.

Tunisian rehab barge offers hope for vulnerable sea turtles


By AFP
January 11, 2025


Life Medturtles released the rehabilitated turtles back into the Mediterranean - Copyright AFP Akim REZGUI

Akim Rezgui with Youcef Bounab in Tunis

On a barge hundreds of metres off the Kerkennah Islands in southern Tunisia, a group of students watches intently as Besma, a recovering sea turtle, shuffles towards the water and dives in.

The barge, used to treat injured loggerhead turtles, is the first floating rehabilitation centre for the species in the Mediterranean, its organisers say.

Harbouring netted enclosures underwater, it allows the threatened species to receive care in saltwater, its natural habitat.

“It is important that the sea turtles recover in their natural environment,” said Hamed Mallat, a marine biologist who heads the UN-funded project.

“We place them in a space that’s large enough for them to move and feed more comfortably,” he added.

Mallat, a member of the local Kraten Association for Sustainable Development and the International Sea Turtle Society, founded the project last month and said the rehab barge was refashioned from a sunken aquaculture cage.

It can hold up to five sea turtles at a time, each in its own enclosure, and spans 150 square metres (1,610 square feet) at the surface, with netting below to allow the convalescing animals to reach the sea floor.

The loggerhead sea turtle, also known as Caretta caretta, is considered a vulnerable species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

Every year, around 10,000 loggerheads are caught by trawlers and in fishing nets in the waters off Tunisia.



– ‘Educational value’ –



Life Medturtles, an EU-funded sea life conservation project, estimates that more than 70 percent of sea turtle deaths in the Mediterranean are caused by gillnets — large nets used for mass fishing.

It is often the fishermen themselves who bring the injured turtles to the barge, said Mallat.

The project is also an opportunity to teach younger generations about preserving sea life, he added.

“This is a direct application of the things we study,” said 24-year-old Sarah Gharbi, a fisheries and environment student at the National Agronomic Institute of Tunisia (INAT).

“It’s also a first interaction with marine species that we usually don’t see as part of our study or in our laboratories. It’s something new and enriching.”

Her teacher, Rimel Ben Messaoud, 42, said the barge’s “educational value” was in giving students a first-hand experience with marine life conservation.

Due to rising sea temperatures, overfishing and pollution, a number of marine species have seen their migratory routes and habitats shift over time.

Mallat said the project could help study those patterns, particularly among loggerhead sea turtles, as Besma now bears a tracking device.

“It gives us a significant advantage for scientific monitoring of sea turtles, which is somewhat lacking in scientific research in Tunisia,” he said.

Mallat said he also hoped to attract the islands’ summer tourists to raise awareness about the vulnerable species.

Sahra Wagenknecht, Germany’s combative ‘left-wing conservative’

A STALINIST BY ANY OTHER NAME

SHE NAMED HER PARTY AFTER HERSELF, 

AND LEAVING THE LEFT SHE WENT FROM BLONDE TO DARK BRUNETTE

By AFP
January 12, 2025


Hailing from the former communist East Germany, Wagenknecht has spoken with nostalgia about the vanished state - Copyright AFP David Swanson

Frank Zeller and Pierrick Yvon

After a lifetime in opposition, Germany’s hard-left standard-bearer Sahra Wagenknecht has shaken up the political scene with a blend of pro-poor, Moscow-friendly and anti-immigration policies.

On Sunday, the 55-year-old launches the campaign of her one-year-old BSW party in the hope it will enter parliament after a snap general election slated for February 23, replicating its success in regional and European polls last year.

Known as a polarising TV talk show guest and best-selling author, Wagenknecht has long given voice to popular discontent at what she calls heartless capitalism, arrogant political elites and dangerous Western militarism.

Hailing from the former communist East Germany, she has spoken with nostalgia about the state that vanished a year after the Berlin Wall fell in 1989.

Unlike traditional leftists who encourage solidarity with refugees, she has demanded strict limits on migrants and those seeking asylum, also a key theme for the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD).

Her favourite targets are progressive Green party voters and “lifestyle leftists” who, Wagenknecht charges, preach sustainable living and multiculturalism but look down on the poor and less educated.

A year ago, she broke with her long-time comrades-in-arms at Die Linke, the successor to East Germany’s socialist SED ruling party, to form a party named after herself, the Alliance Sahra Wagenknecht (BSW).

What she has dubbed a “left-wing conservative” agenda blends demands for higher wages, pensions and benefits with calls for stricter border controls, more police and a defence of family, homeland and state.

“She appeals to left-wing authoritarians, voters who hold economically left-wing positions but are culturally conservative,” said political scientist Jan Philipp Thomeczek of Potsdam University.



– ‘System detonator’ –



Wagenknecht got a taste of power when the BSW obtained scores ranging from 12 to 16 percent in elections in three eastern states last year, allowing the party to enter coalition governments in two of them, Thuringia and Brandenburg.

For many years Germany’s mainstream parties were able to dismiss parties on the left and right fringes — but this has changed as ever more parties have emerged and eaten away at their support.

All parties have pledged a “firewall” of non-cooperation with the AfD, which has forced them to instead reach out to the BSW to build majorities despite the ideological chasm between them.

Wagenknecht has tried to leverage this new power to win symbolic concessions, including on her demand that the West stop arms supplies to Kyiv and seek peace talks with Moscow.

In the eastern states, parties spent weeks haggling over formulations they could all live with, settling in the end on a watered-down commitment to seek “peace in Europe”.

News magazine Der Spiegel last year dubbed Wagenknecht the “system detonator”, depicting her in a cover illustration holding aloft a red dynamite stick with a lit fuse.



– Strict hierarchy –



Wagenknecht grew up during the Cold War in what was then East Berlin, where the philosophy and economics graduate was known early on for her headstrong and rebellious nature.

But in the final months of the German Democratic Republic, she demonstratively joined the SED. Years later she declared that she “would have preferred to spend my life in the GDR a thousand times rather than in the Germany in which I have to live now”.

She is married to former Social Democratic Party heavyweight Oskar Lafontaine, decades her senior at 81, with whom she lives in the southwestern region of Saarland.

Her BSW has attracted a mix of personalities from the arts and sports as well as the millionaire businessman Ralph Suikat, who has said he wants to “pay more tax”.

But, as the name suggests, the BSW is heavily centred on its founder and chief, with a strict hierarchy and tight vetting of new members by Wagenknecht’s inner circle.

So far the party has just 1,100 full members and around 25,000 registered supporters. In many regions it still lacks established party structures and volunteers.

The BSW currently polls at around five percent nationwide, the minimum for entry into parliament, but Wagenknecht is determined to anchor her party in German politics.

Der Spiegel said Wagenknecht long “had her own speaker’s corner in the political marketplace, from where she drowned out most of the others, but now that’s no longer enough for her, now she wants to join in”.