This is the English-language edition of what has become one of the most controversial books in German politics today. Oskar Lafontaine was the leader of Germany's Social Democratic party and finance minister in Gerhard Schr?der's government until he suddenly resigned in March 1999. Lafontaine's left-wing commitments brought him into conflict with Schr?der's endorsement of third way politics and with his attempt to remodel the SDP along the lines of Tony Blair's New Labour.

The Heart Beats on the Left is the inside story of why Lafontaine broke with the SDP and Schr?der's government, and why he believed that the social and political costs of Schr?der's third way politics were too high. It is a merciless settling of scores in which the policies of Schr?der and his government are subjected to scathing criticism. But it is also the most sustained criticism of third way politics from a prominent political figure who stands on the left.

A bestseller in Germany and already translated into many languages, this book is bound to be widely reviewed in English and to become a focal point for political debate about social democracy and its future.