SITTING down with The Economistin her i3office in Berlin, Sahra Wagenknecht is restless: "Do we think that anyone can just migrate to Germany and have a claim to social welfare?" asks the doyenne of the Left (Die Linke), a socialist party. "Or do we say that labour migration is more of a problem?" The party's leader in the Bundestag worries about its direction. "If you concentrate more on hip, urban sorts of voters-on identity and lifestyle debates-you don't speak to the poorest in society. They no longer feel properly represented." Her answer, launched on August 4th, is a new, non-party movement called "Rise Up" designed to reach those who have switched off from politics. It may point to a significant realignment in both German and European politics.
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