A quote from The Wall Street Journal Europe, 4 October 2007

Germany's Social Democrats are moving to the left in expectation of elections down the road. So, too, are their senior coalition partners, the Christian Democrats, […]. On Monday, the Social Democrats proposed to revive generous unemployment benefits cut by none other than themselves when Germany's center-left ran the previous government. They are arguably trying to keep up with their coalition partners, who unveiled similar plans late last year. […]

A year into the recovery, Social Democrats claim the country can afford to be generous – and propose to undo the very policies that helped put Germany back on track. The party also wants to raise benefits for long-term unemployed and introduce a minimum wage.

The introduction to the Social Democrats' new draft party program hails a commitment to the "proud tradition of democratic socialism." Ironic, since only yesterday Germany celebrated the 17th anniversary of the fall of the original "democratic socialist" republic, East Germany. […]

Christian Democrats apparently believe that the absence of socialist nostrums in their program cost them the last election, forcing the uneasy marriage with the Social Democrats. So Chancellor Angela Merkel, who ran on flat taxes in the 2005 campaign, now pushes social justice and global warming.