The Heart Beats on the Left2000

"This is the English-language edition of what has become one of the most controversial books in German politics today. Oskar Lafontaine was the leader of Germany's Social Democratic Party and finance minister in Gerhard Schroder's government until he suddenly resigned in March 1999. Lafontaine's left-wing commitments brought him into conflict with Schroder's endorsement of third way politics and with his attempt to remodel the SPD along the lines of Tony Blair's New Labour." "The Heart Beats on the Left is the inside story of why Lafontaine broke with the SPD and Schroder's government, and why he believed that the social and political costs of Schroder's third way politics were too high. It is a merciless settling of scores in which the policies of Schroder and his government are subjected to scathing criticism. But it is also the most sustained criticism of third way politics from a prominent political figure who stands on the left."--Jacket.