He Talks, Business Trembles: Finance Minister Lafontaine is throwing his weight around

In the widening split between Germany's centrist Schroder and his Finance Minister, Oskar Lafontaine seems to wield the clout. His strong support from the Social Democratic rank and file gives Lafontaine enormous leverage within Schroder's new government. Now, Lafontaine is taking his act global. Lafontaine's aim is to move economic policy in Germany and the rest of Europe considerably toward the Keynesian left. Now German businesses are finding themselves in the difficult situation of having someone who knows nothing about business, who never studies economics, telling them what they should think about business and economics.