46 - Left fracture? w/ Loren Balhorn

Talk is heating up of an impending split in the German Left Party, Die Linke. Sahra Wagenknecht, who has long been a controversial figure in the party, is now openly considering forming a breakaway party. On this episode, we have Loren Balhorn of Jacobin Germany and the Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung on to discuss what this would mean for the Die Linke and the potential new party.

Ted and Loren also go beyond the recent developments in the party to give more context for the party rift and discuss how the divide could play out, both for Die Linke and the German political landscape more broadly. They also look at the new CDU-SPD government in Berlin and the changes it's bringing.

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Loren's Jacobin piece on the party divisions

Loren's NLR piece on the Berlin election

Quinn Slobodian and William Callison's Dissent article on the "Aufstehen" movement

German Jacobin piece on the prospects of a Wagenknecht party

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Co-hosted by Ted (⁠@ted_knudsen⁠) and Michelle (⁠@shhellgames⁠). Edited by Nick of @cornerspaeti

Follow Spaßbremse on Twitter (@spassbremse_pod). Music by Lee Rosevere. Art by Franziska Schneider.