December 20, 2006: For a New Offensive of the Revolutionary Work among Rank And Files

"Rote Fahne": In October the Merkel/Müntefering-government hit rock bottom of its credits. Was this already a sign of the end of the grand coalition?

Stefan Engel: Actually no federal government yet had to face such a rapid loss of confidence among the masses like the Merkel/Müntefering-government had to between April and October 2006. Only 19% of the population were satisfied with the work of the federal government. In the state parliamentary elections in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Berlin it became apparent that the process of detachment of the masses from the bourgeois parties, the bourgeois parliamentarism and its institutions proceeded. So the federal government only managed to interrupt this process for a certain period of time between November 2005 and March 2006 but it failed to reverse it. However, the fundamental rejection of the societal conditions has now been added to this as a new quality. According to opinion polls in October 66% of the population regarded the society in Germany as unjust and 51% were no longer satisfied with the political system as a whole. That is of course a problematic development for the ruling class that required a response. Grand coalitions as existing in the federal government and further six state governments are governments of crisis. They are only a necessity because none of the big monopoly parties SPD and CDU alone in coalition with a small partner is capable to form a government. This is an expression of the relative hopelessness of bourgeois parliamentarism that is most explicitly expressed in the dwindling mass basis of the big bourgeois “People’s Parties”.

However the headline of the “Rote Fahne” “The government is in a shaky position” was a bit overhasty. We have to assume that the ruling monopolies currently have no alternative at their disposal than this grand coalition and that of course there is still a certain scope to counteract the moods among the masses for a certain period of time, to abandon decisions and to develop counterpropaganda. We can just observe this in the current party congresses of the CDU, of the Greens or also in the SPD-Conferences. Rüttgers poses as “left” within the CDU and he intends to score points with his proposal for the prolongation of the period of time in which older people are entitled to unemployment benefits. The Greens again rehash the illusion about the “ecological society” reconciled with capital. The SPD has launched a campaign for the minimum wage and increase of wages. That will not remain without effect and the opinion poll rating of the government has even risen a little bit in November/December. That doesn't change in no way the general direction of the destabilization of the ruling conditions.

"Rote Fahne": There is a regular euphoria about an upswing sparked by the media and bourgeois politicians - how shall this be assessed?

Stefan Engel: In fact for the first time since 2001 there will be a growth of the gross national product by more than two per cent this year. This is a relative economic revival that has nothing to do neither with an upswing nor is this a lasting and long-term development. It is already predicted for next year that this upturn will again significantly fall. The propaganda of upswing fosters the illusion that there is also an upswing in wages, labour conditions and employment, too. However, a growth of at least 3% would be necessary to really create new jobs. The actual economic growth would have be stronger than the increase of labor productivity. The decrease in the number of unemployed as declared by the federal agency for Labour deceives people about the real conditions. The cuts of full-time jobs still continue. The number of these jobs already dropped by 6.2 million in the period between 1991 and 2005! New appointments were mostly carried out as part-time jobs as well as with temporary work contracts. Merely the agency for subcontract labor in fact achieved an increase in jobs: from 400.000 in 2004 rising up to approximately 500.000 this year.

Almost all industrial large-scale factories reduce their so-called “permanent staff”. Growths of purchase orders are barely answered with new appointments but with an intensified exploitation of the “permanent staff”, with temporary labour contracts or subcontracted labour. The official report of the Agency for Labour of October 2006 has to admit that the increase in jobs that are subject to social insurance contribution is “carried by” 258.000 “for a bigger share” by subcontracted labour.

The current economic revival has absolutely nothing to do with a general recovery of the crisis-charged capitalist economy. It is mainly the temporary consequence of the reorganisation of the international production in which of course initially new investments due.

Currently a massive wave of cross-border mergers and takeovers are taking place reaching a new record with a volume of 1.950 billion US dollars. As a result these mergers and takeovers are combined with massive annihilation of capital and jobs and bring about a rapid increase in working productivity and with it in the exploitation of the workers. The reorganisation of the international production additionally means a relocation of jobs to those regions where there are markets, high state subsidies and low wages. Aside from Eastern Europe and China meanwhile India has developed into a center of the investment activity of the international monopolies.

Aside from the fostering of the illusion that the problem of unemployment could be resolved by an economic revival or so the figures of the labour market statistics are strongly being manipulated. Thus, the One-Euro-Jobbers who still live on ALG II (income support - transl.) are no longer listed in the unemployment statistics. After all these are currently still 313.000 people. Further 881.000 people are receiving further vocational training or retraining etc. Added are those who are deleted from the labour statistics as people for whom no employment can be arranged.

However, the biggest deception in Labour market statistics is the fact that one is no longer considered as unemployed when he is participating in a job application training, in a practical course or if someone has a mini job. There is a general tendency to apparently transform mass unemployment into the rapidly growing number of underemployed people.

More than 18 million people in the meantime are unemployed or underemployed in Germany.

So much stronger the tendency of impoverishment of the working population becomes. Already now 2.8 million employed workers are qualified for social benefits.

The general cut of wages in the factories is pursued by unpaid prolongation of working time, by the cutting of Christmas bonus and benefits paid above the agreed rate. All that will not be cancelled by a temporary relative revival. It will be a good idea for the working-class to oppose this euphoria of growth and follow its class interests with a clear view.

"Rote Fahne": This government probably faced the greatest disaster in connection with the youth unemployment.

Stefan Engel: We just experience a new record of lacking posts for trainees, and young qualified workers who are not taken on after having completed their training. On set date, September 30th 2006, 43.000 young people had no posts . Only 23 percent of the companies are still training young people. According to the DGB (Federation of German Trade Unions) there are only 414.000 company internal training posts for officially 763.000 applicants. These facts give the lie to the former minister of trade and commerce, Clement, who said before the introduction of Hartz IV that every adolescent under 25 years is supposed to get a job or a training post. This year, the number of people without training grew to 1,5 million.

Already in 2004, half of all trainees were not taken on anymore after their training. This tendency has intensified.

It is necessary, that the working class understands the youth mass unemployment as a main form of expression of the crisis on the labor market and makes the common fight of young and old for new training posts in the big industry and for giving regular jobs to young people completing training in a company the center of attention of the discussions in the companies and trade unions.

"Rote Fahne": In the last months a series of important labor struggles were waged. Does the workers' offensive proceed?

Stefan Engel: Since the Opel-strike many individual labor struggles have qualitatively developed further without resulting in a new quality of the workers' offensive on a mass scale up to now. The labor struggle of the workers of the Bosch-Siemens Domestic Appliances factory (BSH) in Berlin, lasting for weeks, was very important, where the strike was combined with gate blockades and occupation of the factory against the planned transportation of the machines. The hollow compromise of the right leadership of the Metal Workers Union with the goal to smother this struggle was rejected during the strike ballot by almost two thirds of the BSH workers. That shows that the right union bureaucracy has increasingly greater problems to convincingly put through its policy of class collaboration.

The struggle for every job has been taken up by the workforce of more and more enterprises as a decisive slogan, instead of the unspeakable reformistic tactic of severance payment schemes or transfer companies that accept job cuts and only cushion it socially. It is necessary that we combine the defensive demand for the preservation of jobs with the offensive demand for the 30-hour workweek with full wage compensation - even though that was pushed very far to the bottom in the priority list of the reformistic union leaders. Only a lasting, significant reduction in working hours with full wage compensation is an effective means for the easing of mass unemployment. That is seen also by progressive economists like the professors Bosch, Hickel or Bontrup.

Aside from these struggles the demand for a full legal right to strike in all matters becomes increasingly more important. Thus, the right union bureaucracy mostly argues during the struggles that they only have the right to strike in wage disputes and therefore the struggles against closures and dismissals have to be waged today by means of severance payment schemes because the wage struggle against mass dismissals does not exist. That is, however, only an excuse, because at the same time the union bureaucracy is strictly against a full legal right to strike in all matters. That became clear when Lafontaine announced an initiative for the right to general strike in the Bundestag (Federal Parliament). The right union bureaucrats of the SPD jointly attacked Lafontaine in the Bundestag. Their role as a factor upholding order on the basis of class collaboration with the employers and the government is more important to the reformist union leaders than the democratic rights and liberties of the working class.

A new phenomenon in the development of the class struggles is certainly also the struggle of the automotive workers going beyond borders. The mass demonstration for the solidarity with the fighting VW workers in Brussels with 30.000 participants showed that in the future disputes the line of demarcation between reformist and revolutionary tactics will be linked more and more clearly to the readiness for the corporate-wide fight beyond country-boarders. The simple reformist slogan of preserving particular locations does not solve any problem at all. Proletarian internationalism on the other hand strengthens the labor movement and gives new power to the workers' struggles.

In the next weeks the preparation of offensive the wage negociations 2007 will become the center of attention. Already today, however, there is a strong movement against the implementation of the ERA contracts. If ERA (Remuneration framework agreement) was first of all the magic word of the vice IG Metal chairperson Huber, supposedly in order to balance the discriminating wage and salary differences between blue-collar and white-collar workers, it now turns out more and more as a program for the reduction of the real wages of the workers and employees on a massive scale. Therefore the ERA contracts must be cancelled! The fight for higher wages and salaries, against the extension of working hours and for jobs will gain importance in the next time.

"Rote Fahne": The nationwide march of the Monday demonstration on September 16th 2006 in Berlin was propagated by the organizers as a prelude to a hot fall 2006. How has that developed?

Stefan Engel: The Monday demonstration organized a self-organized nationwide demonstration with tens of thousand participants now for the third time in a row and set an important signal with that. The most important success was the first unification of all Monday demonstrations in east and west. The split of the Monday demonstration was overcome with the 16th September. At the same time, however, this activity was combated and undermined by the media. Different left reformists, revisionists and Trotskyites claimed the Monday demonstration divides the union activities of the 21st October. It was a fact, however, that the union leadership only reacted to the central march to Berlin to gain control of this people's movement directed against the government. The DGB-leaders (Federation of German Trade Unions) think indeed that this government must be critically supported as it were "a lesser evil" compared to a CDU/FDP-government. The rank an file does not welcome this. The content of the protest of the 220.000 demonstrators on October 21st was - contrary to the lukewarm "critical support of the government" by the right union leadership - the unequivocal protest of the workers against the government.

The Monday demonstrators have never rejected union activities and they have always sought for the solidarity with the unions. Many Monday demonstrators are active unionists! The independent Monday demonstrations are a thorn in the flesh particularly of the reformist union leaders. The Monday demonstration has preserved its inner stability for more than two and a half years and has become the soul of the social resistance in Germany against the anti-people government politics.

The hot fall has developed in different fields, but one must also say that it has been undermined by the large organizations which are still strongly led and dominated by the representatives of the two governmental parties. The willingness of the workers to a hot fall on a broad front existed, but it was treated with contempt by the reformist leadership. After all, the development of the struggles to a higher level must be pushed through independently. September 16th has sent out the signal for this.

“Rote Fahne“: The federal government is boasting about its policy to strengthen the families. What do you think about it?

Stefan Engel: The new benefit for parents e.g. is presented as a big achievement. If you look closer it will lead to a considerable deterioration in the situation of the working-class families. Getting and bringing up children is only made palatable to families of the petty-bourgeois intermediate strata which have a relatively good income. 3.2 million poor children are the result of the family and social policy of the government. In the federal states like in North Rhine-Westphalia among others the increase in the fees for the kindergarten is systematically pursued. Day nurseries for school children will be totally abolished as from 2007 in favor of the cheaper and qualitatively much poorer open all-day care in schools. In NRW the cutback of up to 40 percent of the kindergarten and day nursery places are in store. Recently a broad initiative has been developing against this in collaboration with the neighborhood party groups of the MLPD. It is a very import work within the women’s policy to defend the social achievements and to counteract the greater burden with household and family.
To lead such disputes in society will also be the lever for the militant women’s movement to develop into a real mass movement.

“Rote Fahne“: With the state parliament elections in Mecklenburg-West Pomerania the neofascists could enter state parliament. Has the neo-fascist danger heightened?

Stefan Engel: We still hold the opinion that there is a deep-rooted anti-fascist consciousness among the masses in Germany and that there is no acute danger arising from neo-fascism. Every appearance of the neo-fascists is answered by anti-fascists and demonstrations, rallies and activities numbering many times more. Nevertheless, we have to take this development serious. By systematically enhancing the status of the NPD in the media it succeeded to enter the state parliament in Mecklenburg-West Pomerania and to establish itself as a “protest party” among a growing part of the people. This is not without danger and is especially directed against the revolutionization of the workers’ movement. The fascists have parliamentary parties in three state parliaments in East Germany and are able to push forward their fascist party building and to intensify their propaganda from this financially comfortable position. It is a serious situation which makes it necessary to draw conclusions especially for the youth work of the MLPD.

“Rote Fahne“: It is obvious that imperialism has heavily got into real trouble with its aggressions on Iraq and Afghanistan.

Stefan Engel: We have to talk of a deep crisis of the NATO war in Afghanistan. Obviously the forces in Afghanistan have recovered and in connection with a growing anti-imperialist attitude of the people have dealt a lasting and heavy blow to the occupying NATO forces. The demand to increase the NATO war activities in Afghanistan, however, will not be suitable to solve the problem of the imperialists. Even the bourgeois politicians have such a premonition. This is why the federal government is still hesitating at the moment to immediately become active in the South of Afghanistan with German troops, where open armed conflicts with the NATO troops are already the order of the day.

In the USA the Iraq policy obviously failed. The recall of the minister of Defense Rumsfeld and the election defeats at the elections for the Senate and the House of Representatives show that the Bush administration is in the bad books of the people. The new US minister of Defense, Gates, openly assumes that the war cannot be won anymore. After their disaster during the Vietnam war the USA are threatened with a second historical defeat which without any doubt will considerably damage US imperialism and its international leading role. This defeat also shows that imperialism is not superior and unassailable, but an unsoundly based colossus. It shows that in the end the way of the liberation of humanity from exploitation and imperialist oppression will be stronger.

“Rote Fahne“: The developments in Latin America can also be seen in this context, where more and more progressive, anti-imperialist forces succeed in winning elections.

Stefan Engel: This is correct. Today progressive and partly anti-imperialist governments are ruling in most of the Latin American countries. Certainly they are no revolutionary governments but they are standing for a growing anti-imperialist consciousness of the masses. Without any doubt Venezuela is the focus of attention which also has relatively good economic resources to its disposal for a progressive social policy and for an independent economic policy with regard to the imperialists. The election in which Hugo Chaves was elected for president once again with 62 percent shows the notable support which Chaves is enjoying for his courageous struggle against US imperialism. We also welcome Chavez’ proposal to build up an anti-imperialist movement, but are also critical of the illusion of a “Bolivarian revolution”. It is accompanied by a lot of illusions about the reformability of capitalism. However, this debate is a debate among anti-imperialists which certainly can be led in an appropriate form. Chavez is well known for being very open to the various progressive left-wing and revolutionary forces and also that much support and solidarity is coming from him and from Venezuela especially in Latin America.

“Rote Fahne“: Can we already talk of a change in the international balance of power?

Stefan Engel: The plenum of the central committee of the MLPD, which has met session recently, put forward the thesis that the main tendency in the world is the international revolution. There are still mainly objective reasons for this based on the reorganization of the international production. In interaction with the work of Marxist-Leninist parties and organizations we are observing an upswing of the international class struggle. Workers’ and people’s rebellions are developing in Bangladesh, Mexico, Palestine, Lebanon etc. on more and more occasions. It is significant that the national class struggles in the individual countries also show a tendency towards the internationalization of the class struggle.

That doesn’t mean that the class struggles on the national level are of no importance any more. On the contrary, a global interaction of national and international struggles is developing inspiring and strengthening each other with a tendency to international revolution in the course of which the imperialist system of rule will fall and give way to the unified socialist states of the world.

“Rote Fahne“: In this context it is of course necessary to push ahead the theoretical work of the MLPD on the preparation of the international revolution.

Stefan Engel: Meanwhile we have been going over to elaborating bit by bit the text of the REVOLUTIONARY WAY 32 to 34 “Strategy and Tactics of the International Revolution”.

The process of elaborating such strategy and tactics of course is not the exclusive task of the MLPD but a common task of the international Marxist-Leninist and workers’ movement. Thus, we are making an intensive exchange with the most different Marxist-Leninist parties and organizations in the whole world during the process of drawing it up. In most of the talks there is great unity about the necessity of practical organizational forms of the international coordination and revolutionization of class struggle. At the same time it is of course a fact that the international Marxist-Leninist and workers’ movement is not unified enough. The fragmentation having its origin in the revisionist degeneration of the former socialist countries is still immense and must be overcome. However, Marxism-Leninism has to gain new appeal which is only possible through the joining together of Marxist-Leninist parties and organizations. Today a revolutionary center doesn’t exist. The union of the international Marxist-Leninist and workers’ movement must commonly develop a revolutionary attraction for the broad masses. Today we can say that the attitude towards internationalism is the dividing line between revolutionary and reformist policy.

“Rote Fahne“: You just mentioned that the Central Committee of the MLPD met a short time ago. What provisional appraisal fo the development for the party and its political work could the MLPD make?

Stefan Engel: Undoubtedly, the MLPD was able to make important achievements in breaking through the relative isolation. More and more of these are also long-lasting. In a number of factories, but also to some part in society as a whole, the MLPD has become a factor which can no longer be overlooked. That is an important foundation for the ability to move and lead the masses. The extensive media coverage of Michael May’s donation of several million euros would certainly not have been possible without the positive development of the MLPD.

At the center of our consultations was, of course, the advance of the most important organisational-political task until the 8th Party Congress, namely the reorganization of the party in seven Land- and 50 county organizations. In the meantime we have begun to appoint Land preparatory groups in all of these seven Land organizations, to set up regional offices and reorganize the party structures for guidance and control according to the Lands. We focus on training and systematic introduction to leadership work on the basis of the proletarian mode of thinking, the core of which is to learn and gain command of the dialectical method.

At present, the regular delegates’ conferences, including the election of the leadership, are taking place on the level of the basic party units and on the county and local levels. Their task is to determine what contribution the single organizational units can make for this reorganization. The foundation for the positive development of the party is the systematic rank-and-file work among the masses, which is one of the most important trademarks of the MLPD. Without overexaggerating, we can say that the MLPD is the only party in Germany doing systematic rank-and-file work in factories and neighborhoods today.

However, in spite of this positive development, we have to think seriously about a tendency toward actionism which has its ideological foundations in worshipping the spontaneity of the masses. This directly stands in the way of a systematic rank-and-file work for winning over the decisive majority of the working class and involving the broad masses in the struggle against the government. The shortcomings in rank-and-file work led to neglecting youth work, the work among women and the internationalist rank-and-file work.

What is most important is to strengthen the MLPD lastingly and to multiply its numbers. In the interrelation to the überparteilich (not affiliated to a party), self-run organizations of the masses, it is important to help them become really militant mass organizations and to make it possible that organized mass movements begin and develop in various spheres of society.

Under today’s conditions, systematic rank-and-file work, especially as the organizational form of the struggle over the mode of thinking on a mass scale, is indispensable. Without a systematic rank-and-file work, without a lasting organized cooperation with the MLPD, the masses cannot cope with the petty-bourgeois mode of thinking lastingly. That is why the Central Committee has passed a resolution for a new offensive of systematic rank-and-file work.

“Rote Fahne”: Can you say a little more about this task?

Stefan Engel: The MLPD holds the opinion that the Berlin crisis-government will have a hard time being able to survive its legislative period. The key question is: what is the alternative to the government? We must already aim at such a situation and prepare ourselves for it, even if we do not assume that there will be new elections immediately. The start of the new tactical offensive of systematic rank-and-file work serves to gather forces; that is identical with an intensive struggle over the mode of thinking on a mass scale.

This includes three aspects:

1. To propagate the most important demands of the working class in connection with building up a broad social movement of the militant opposition.

2. An ideological offensive with a broad social debate over genuine socialism.

3. An offensive of organizational work to strengthen party building, our youth league Rebell, the self-run organizations of the masses and our interrelation with them.

The MLPD must make use of this situation in order to become a political and social alternative and must contribute to strengthening the militant opposition. It is important that we have real political alternatives in all important societal issues, based on the interests of the working class and the broad strata of the population against the dictatorship of the monopolies. For this purpose we have developed a 15-point-program which also gives answers to the growing search for a social alternative to the present ruling system in society.

“Rote Fahne”: In the last “Rote Fahne” interview, the youth work of the MLPD was already termed as being the trump card, but also as being the greatest unsolved problem of party building. How has this issue developed?

Stefan Engel: None of the parties existing in Germany does such active and successful youth work as the MLPD does. But our aims are higher. With the youth league Rebell and its “Red Foxes”, we want to organize a living-school of the proletarian mode of thinking among the masses of young people.

With this as our aim, we realistically have to admit that since last summer we have not made much progress in really solving this problem. Within the party little value is still placed on youth work and is being reduced in tendency to involving the youth league in the concrete political activities of the party. However, Rebell is organizationally independent and must develop its own profile within the framework of the strategy and tactics of the party. This requires the ideological and political guidance and leadership of the party and that it works as a school of the proletarian mode of thinking.

Of course, this independent profile includes activities on youth policy, but also the unmistakeable profile of an enthusiastic and convincing revolutionary educational work. Without this, it is impossible for the masses of young people to understand the world and to become a purposeful part of a movement for social change!

Part of the independent profile continues to be that the youth league takes over the full responsibility for diversified work among children and the strong growth of the children’s organization “Red Foxes”. It must offer diverse working groups and realize its financial independence. It must learn to establish alliances and united action with other youth organizations and develop attractive public relations work.

However, this is not only a question of insight and good will. Bourgeois society and education shapes young people with lack of perspective, self-centeredness, capitulation in the face of problems and rejection of discipline and organization - in short, modern anti-authoritarianism. Young people and our youth league have to cope with this and the party must accompany this process intensively. It is these two factors that mark the realization of the living-school of the proletarian mode of thinking. That makes it necessary to change our structures and train an entire staff of comrades active in the guidance of youth work and comrades assigned to youth work on all levels of the party, as well as to guarantee their constant guidance and control. We are presently examining the problem more closely and drawing conclusions. Following the present local and county delegates’ conferences, we want to concentrate the entire party upon solving exactly this unsolved youth issue in a main tactical task, climaxing in the participation in the Whitsun Youth Meeting 2007.

“Rote Fahne”: Lately we could observe how the ruling powers are increasingly keeping close tabs on the MLPD.

Stefan Engel: Of course, the ruling powers, in their latent political crisis, are also developing new ideas on how they can maintain their rule. That is why the MLPD is also coming more into the center of their attention. It is especially scandalous that the coalition parties in Berlin are taking advantage of the correct demand for the ban of fascist organizations to take action against the revolutionary left in general, too. So, for example, they are presently working on an amendment to the law on parties which includes further obstacles for the participation in elections or for party finances.

Of course, this is all taking place under the cover of the fight against terrorism, the definition of which is being diluted more and more and can be applied arbitrarily against undesired forces. Revolutionary vigilance is required. We have to be clear about the following: even if there has been little open political repression against the MLPD in more than 30 years, times can change quickly if the MLPD succeeds in gaining lasting mass influence and strength. The situation in which we have been relatively left in peace for a long time, of course gives rise to the illusion on some people that this will go on forever. But if you look at the ban of the communist youth league in the Tschech Republic (KSM), the persecution of the new Communist Party (n)KPI in Italy or the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) under the pretext of the struggle against terrorism, these are important signs for an intensification of anticommunist repression.

“Rote Fahne”: What will the year 2007 bring?

Stefan Engel: We have to prepare ourselves for harder times. No one should cherish the illusion that, in their worldwide war for maximum profits and positions of power, the ruling powers will show consideration for their own people or for other peoples. Their system of deception will continue to lose effect and more and more people will participate in active resistance and class struggle. This is not only a question of social conflicts, but also of the antiimperialist struggle for maintaining world peace and, last but not least, of the struggle against the accelerated destruction of the natural environment. That focuses on the danger of a rapid development to a climatic disaster. We have to undertake efforts to advance international cooperation in these fields. Class solidarity, mutual support beyond national borders - that is the call of the day. Proletarian internationalism gives rise to our moral and political superiority, to lead the struggle to overthrow imperialism and to stand up for a new socialist society.

That is an excellent background for the MLPD to celebrate its 25th anniversary in the year 2007. In this connection we have planned a whole series of meetings and activities, all of which are aimed at strengthening the MLPD, but also at raising mutual trust in the relations to the militant self-run organizations and movements to a new level. At the same time, we want to use the celebrations to make a contribution to the further unification of the international Marxist-Leninist and working-class movement. That shall occur in particular with the two-day seminar on the consequences of the reorganization of international production and the struggle against it, which will be taking place in Essen at the beginning of August.

I am looking forward to the year 2007, which will surely become a special climax of the development of party work in the past years.

I would like to use the opportunity to thank all members and friends of the party for the good cooperation during the past year and to wish all of them Happy Holidays and a healthy and militant New Year!

Rote Fahne: Thank you for the interview!