German Greens' congress - part 2

By Bryan Thomas

COLOGNE — Boring! Ordinary! Productive! These were three of the words most used to describe the second leg of the first all-German Green Party's "Neumünster" congress, held here June 8-9.

There were no histrionics, no more water pistols, no heckling, little disagreement and no "Fundis".

The second part, or mini-congress, was necessary to complete the election of the executive (the two party speakers and the treasurer having been elected in Neumünster). Ex-speaker Heidi Ruehle was appointed party manager; elected as assessors were Angelika Beer, Odine von Blottnitz, Helmut Lippelt and Friedrich Heilmann. No Realos and no Fundis: the positions were taken by members of the left and centre left.

Speaker Ludger Volmer told the 540 delegates that, contrary to public opinion, the German Greens were not wearing "sackcloth and ashes". Though they had gotten off on the wrong foot following German reunification, they had learned their lesson. The Greens will remain a party of the left and despite their present differences, the party goal will be to work towards a coalition with the Social Democrats (SPD) for the 1994 general elections.

The loudest applause of the weekend was for Realo Joschke Fischer, minister of the environment for the state of Hesse. He warned that the Hesse Greens would not enter into a coalition with the SPD while this party supported German participation in the UN military operations. n

From GLW issue 18