The Minister of labour, Hubertus Heil, The new hope of the SPD

If, Hubertus Heil, in these days of Interviews, the often conciliatory occurring SPD man persistently – and, above all, uncompromisingly: "It is high time that we get a basic pension, which is worthy of this name", says the labour and social Affairs. He then smiles kindly at the camera, in the thing in the background. You should not move in the coalition agreement agreed to base the pension on "indefinitely", he urges us. And the Union parties, he appeals that the coalition needs to come together to deliver: "We must not disappoint the people."

to give in to the SPD to yield it on contentious issues such as the family sometimes did – the salvation excludes the basic pension categorically. Objections from the ranks of the Union, which wants to be different as a healing hold on to the means test, can not be applied, because he believes that his projects, a nerve in the population is taken. The warning of the CDU and the CSU, which is also the dentist's wife grants get funded, can not be applied. The respect for the live performance areas, to dispense with the humiliating self-revelation in front of the office.

In polls anyway, healing receives broad approval for the idea of a "respect-pension", which is rewarded for decades of Work in old age. He makes a few months before the four important state elections Tempo, is also likely to be a coincidence. Because of the low wages could benefit in the East, many people from the new pension. And a compelling justice issue of the SPD before the elections well, as well as the proof that you can actually deliver.

Hubertus Heil must at least meet the high expectations. For the autumn of this year, his party has set the Review in the coalition agreement is on the agenda. The SPD wants to decide whether the rule is worth in the Grand coalition. How this goes down between the balance sheet depends to a considerable part of it, what are the successes of healing. Finally, the 46-year - old labour and social Affairs for the social democratic heart issues is responsible. If it is different, as it imagines, the resistance of the Union against his basic pension concept, however, the Grand coalition-the opponents in the SPD, the decisive Argument for the phasing out of the government.

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Gerhard Schröder to order as a model

healing had to go a long way to go before he became the champion of an expensive expansion of the welfare state is supply. Because of the low axis was, at the end of the 90s of the co-founders of the "Netzwerk Berlin". The merger of the young Deputy, who saw themselves as progressive and pragmatic, belonged to a little later to the most determined defenders of the welfare state reforms of SPD Chancellor Gerhard Schröder. Network spokeswoman Ute Vogt announced at that time, researchers at the farewell to the all-too-caring "father state". Healing self-invited shortly before his election to the SPD to convey to the Secretary-General in the autumn of 2005, in a programmatic essay ("Operation dawn"), a "new SPD" should be, "what Schröder was only in the election campaign towards the end of his term of office: the social idea of the reform policy".

By the reform policies of then-Chancellor has abandoned the SPD now. She promises to pay for older people the longer the contribution-financed unemployment benefit I and the minimum wage to twelve euros to raise. During the coalition negotiations with the Union, the SPD had called for the basic pension nor the waiver of the means test, she has decided now and the defending is also a healing Mantra-like. On questions as to the financing of the new power he's just as brash as Finance Minister, Olaf Scholz, explains the new plans for affordable, without any calculation. "It is one of the ironies of history that a staunch advocate of the "Agenda 2010" today the Revision of the Schröder welfare state reform mitbetreibt," says an expert on social policy, has observed the rise of salvation over the years.

As Deputy Chairman of the SPD group in the Bundestag was healing in the opposition period from 2009 to 2013 for social policy jurisdiction to the next legislature for economic policy, as well as education and research. At the time, he claimed it as his own power, that the SPD as the only group proposals for industrial policy developed that would be taken by the company seriously.

The appointment of a Minister for labour in March last year, however, is by no means a self runner, because healing Association at that time with the then-designated party leader Andrea Nahles is no established relationship of trust. It was only when it became clear that the current labour Minister Katarina Barley go to the Minister of justice, and would not be of lower Saxony-born Matthias Miersch Minister for the environment, was the way for the Ex-Secretary General of free. Had been previously, often in the service of his party, to be without a Minister post be rewarded.

From the point of view of important social Democrats has paid off in the appointment of salvation, to the Minister of labour. "The thing for us is extremely valuable", - stated in the SPD, because of the large support in the polls, the basic pension was a "strategically important subject". It is planned to put a draft act of salvation Ministry to the basic pension before the three state Parliament elections in Saxony, Thuringia and Brandenburg the CDU under massive pressure. Also, the left-wing party wing, eyeing healing for a long time suspicious of, and praises, now, the Minister had changed the network's co-founder positive.

at the beginning of his political commitment of the present Minister of labour, an outsider. When he joined 14 years ago, the Jusos, thought him older Enjoyed as a spy of the Junge Union, because he wore instead of the usual baggy jumpers and a jacket. With 46 years, he has now become a ray of Hope for the SPD, which represents, of course, other goals than to schröder's time.

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From the basic pension to the Home Office Wins the SPD a clear line?

Stephan-Andreas Casdorff

If healing is talking today about social policies, he refers to his own biography. He then tells how his mother in the ' 70s, as a fully working alone with your two sons had to move because the father had left the family and any alimony paid. "I have personally experienced what it means to social descent and ascent," says the Minister. Now, the Ex-General Secretary has become final to a social-democratic actor that many Comrades expect no less than the salvation of the SPD.