[German] Links between business and prominent SPD/Greens

[Thanas]

ARD-Exklusiv.

You almost expect this from the FDP, but from the SPD and the Greens...UGH.

[Teebs]

I don't have time to listen to the whole thing, so I'm basing this off reading the summary underneath.

My disclaimer out of the way, I'm not very surprised at the SPD's former leadership having business links. They're hardly a party of the far left and, correct me if I'm wrong, but hasn't the German economy always been based around fairly close cooperation between business and unions? I'm not saying that the SPD's high-ups should be in bed with big business. Just that it doesn't particularly surprise me. I will admit though, I am much more surprised by the Greens, they have always seemed much more ideologically opposed to that kind of thing and frankly (at least when viewing from a distance) a bit more principled.

[Thanas]

Close cooperation - yes. This level of it, with guys like the one supposed to promote healthy eating suddenly switching to Mars? No.

[Teebs]

Close cooperation - yes. This level of it, with guys like the one supposed to promote healthy eating suddenly switching to Mars? No.

Fair enough, like I said I'm not saying it's ok behaviour, just that I'm not particularly surprised by it.

Perhaps there should be limits on what government ministers can do after they leave the job. The obvious problem with it is differentiating between 'appropriate' and 'inappropriate' employment.There's also the risk of simply disincentivising talented people from working in government if they're effectively unable to work afterwards. I realise this isn't particularly useful, I'm just genuinely unsure on the issue.

[Dahak]

This is neither new nor surprising. I fail to see a reason to become outraged just because the supposedly "leftist" politicians actually employ their contacts for themselves.
What would have surprised me is NOT using their connections.