The grasshopper debate in the German policy was released in April 2005 by an expression of the SPD chairman at that time Franz It compared the behavior of some "anonymous investors "- private Equity societies were meant - with grasshopper troubles. The partial violent public reactions caught fire rather from the form (animal metaphor) than from the contents of (capitalism criticism) of the comparison.

Expiration of the debate

Program debate of the SPD

In the autumn 2004 demanded an actualization of the party program of the SPD. In order to illustrate its capitalism-critical position, it already used a grasshopper swarm metaphor on 22 November 2004 with a public lecture:

"We must those entrepreneurs, who have the future ability of their enterprises and the interests of their employees in the view, help against the irresponsible grasshopper swarms, which measure in the quarter clock success, substance to suck off and enterprises get broken let, if they abgefressen them have. Capitalism is not fire current a thing from the museum, but. "

gave this speech by program under the title "to liberty and responsibility "in the Friedrich Ebert donation. The speech text was published repeated word by word, approximately in in "the programs "of the SPD from November 2004 and April 2005. The animal metaphor remained unopposed in the media.

Interview in picture on Sunday

Trip of the grasshopper debate was an interview with Franz which appeared on 17 April 2005 in that picture on Sunday.

"Some financial investors do not waste a thought to humans, whose jobs destroy them - they remain anonymous, have no face, fall like grasshopper swarms over enterprises ago, graze it off and continue to pull. Against this form of capitalism we fight. "

Black list into stern.de

In the course of the debate makes that its grasshopper comparison is directed against (relatively small) a group enterprise, clearly called however no concrete examples. On 28 April 2005 a stern.de list published and refers thereby on from the planning group the SPD Bundestag faction provision width unit background paper with the title "market radicalism instead of social free-market economy - how private Equity societies enterprises use ".

The article calls the holding companies KKR and WCM, the bank Goldman Sachs, as well as the private Equity companies Apax, BC of partner, Carlyle Group, Advent international, Permian Irish Republican Army, Blackstone Group, CVC Capital of partner and Saban Capital Group.

in metal

The industrial union metal calls the expenditure for May of its member magazine "metal "with "US firms in Germany - the outer Auger ". The title with the caricature of a in the needle strip suit is illustrated. Zynisch grinsend lifts it their cylinder, in the colors of the US flag. The golden Raffzahn glittered under the long, curved nose.

The mosquito caricatures on the title page and in the booklet meet a violent reaction. Cross-party they are brought to the NS time with anti-Semitic caricatures in connection, exactly the same as the term "outer Auger ".

Essay by M. Wolffsohn

At the 3. May 2005 published the historian Michael Wolffsohn in the Rheini post office an essay "to 8. May ", that 60. Anniversary of the end of the National Socialist dictatorship. He criticizes the fact that in the national socialism spread "thought pattern" are still present and states of comparisons in the last part of the essay as example:

"'' Today are the old "think "samples again there: To "the boycott "of companies one calls. That is not to remind me as historians and a Jew to 1 April "Does not buy with Jews! "it meant at that time, and "also at that time "it was allegedly only "for the well-being of the people "and "the simple man "against "the greedy capital ", which one called at that time "Jewish capital ".

One rubs the eyes and does not want not to believe it: In the largest government party to today's Germany circulate a black list of allegedly hyper+capitalistic enterprises. At least two are Jewish ""and/or carry Jewish names. That is naturally not openly mentioned, differently than "at that time ", but wer"´s white, that knows.

60 years "equated thereafter "will today again humans with animals, who - swings unexpressed also - destroys when "troubles ", ""to become exterminated to have. Today one calls these "troubles ""grasshoppers ", at that time "rats "or "Jew pigs ". Words from the dictionary Unmen, because humans the people its is agreed upon. "

International reactions

On 16 June 2005 the US Minister of Finance John W noticed. Snow to the grasshopper debate: "I do not think in these terms".

Word of the yearly 2005

With the choice it the grasshoppers created word of the yearly 2005 on the 4. Place.

Stockbrokers and security dealers selected the term grasshoppers for the stock exchange now word of the yearly 2005. The term shows "a completely wrong picture" from financial investor, it thereby "a whole industry reviled", studies would prove that "with participation capital financed companies grow faster, above average more jobs to create and a significantly higher net yield gains".

Today's linguistic usage

In the political linguistic usage the term became generally accepted, not "grasshoppers "grasshopper swarms ". It arranges itself beside private Equity societies also against other forms of the financial participation with presumed to short term or covered net yield expectations, like Hedge funds or "vulture funds ".

Discussion

referred with its expressions to allegedly extreme excrescences of capitalism: Anonymous investors would smash enterprises for the purpose of short term maximization of profit; the long-term social costs would not interest it.

The expression was understood about some as overall reduction of each form about enterprise participation by unit trust fund, even if these engage themselves on a long-term basis financially and socially. The existence of one "black list of "mainly foreign enterprises can make the economic situation uninteresting for foreign enterprises and endanger thus the German economy lastingly.

Michael Wolffsohns Nazi comparison met violent indignation at the SPD. The comparison found isolated also to agreement. Paul Spiegel, chairman of the Central Council of the Jews in Germany, intervened moderating in the debate and said that comparisons of humans with animals were selected "in principle unfortunately ". Consider the Nazi comparison in connection with and the SPD he however absurd.

See also

• Vulture fund

Related links

• Private Equity - property for Germany - press release Federal association of German equity investment companies of the 3. May 2005

Articles in category "Grasshoppers (politics)"

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