Ludolf Franz Ostermann is a Weranian politician who served as Chancellor of Werania and leader of the Cooperative Party from 1979 to 1991, the longest tenure in Weranian history in both posts. He also served as Minister-President of Cislania from 1977 to 1979. He also sat in the Volkstag from 1979 to his retirement from active politics in 2000.
Initially serving as the National Convener of the Shipbuilders Union, Ostermann in 1968 became a member of the Cislanian Landtag. In 1972 following the KOP's victory in the Cislanian regional election Ostermann became the Minister of Economic and Financial Affairs in the regional cabinet of Minister-President Norbert Kassegger. In 1975 following Kassegger's resignation Ostermann became Minister-President of Cislania, retaining the KOP's absolute majority in the Landtag at the 1977 election. As a result Cooperative federal leader Gerhard Däubler stated he would not serve as the party's Chancellor candidate in the 1979 election in favour of Ostermann. Ostermann subsequently won the 1979 election in a coalition with the then-still significant Communist Party of Werania beating the National Consolidation Party and forming the first non-NKP government in 39 years.
Being elected on a avowedly socialist programme Ostermann implemented radical economic policies, nationalising key strategic industries and attempting to guide the economy through price and wage controls. These measures did not increase economic growth and saw the government become estranged from the Euclean Community worried about Werania's debt and inflation issues. As such in 1982, a year before the next federal election Ostermann undertook a radical u-turn in economic policy emphasising the privatisation of state-owned enterprise, deregulation of economic sectors especially banking and housing and liberalising labour laws. These policies are considered to have laid the groundwork of late 1980's economic recovery. The policies saw the KOP lose ground in the 1983 election as the Communists collapsed as a political force; as a result Ostermann formed a purple government with the Modern Centre Party.
In his second government Ostermann proposed deeper Euclean integration and several pioneering socially liberal policies, decriminalising homosexuality and abortion and promoting more comprehensive women's rights. Ostermann maintained the coalition's majority at the 1987 election but in 1990 saw his popularity collapse as his Minister of the Treasury Wolfgang Löscher resigned due to differences in economic policy. In 1991 he was ousted as Prime Minister by party opponents led by Löscher. Ostermann retired to the Volkstag following the 1991 election retiring from politics in 2000.
As Werania's longest serving Prime Minister, Ostermann is considered a controversial figure in Weranian politics. His supporters laud his economic reforms as having led to the prosperous Weranian economy of the 1990's and 2000's, that he was a crucial figure in supporting Euclean integration and that he was a pragmatic and shrewd politician. Ostermann's opponents meanwhile accuse his government of leading to greater inequality and social division, for overseeing the "neoliberalisation" of the left and later in his tenure be willing to turn back on his electoral promises to sponsor the coalition government. The Statesmen newspaper characterised Ostermann as "undisputedly the most important Weranian Prime Minister since the war".
Early life
Ludolf Ostermann was born in 1940 in Arnwert the third of six children and the first son. His father Reilef Attema and mother Goikje Kramer both had middle class backgrounds with Attema's father being the owner of a tobacco shop. His family were supporters of the National Consolidation Party and its predecessor the Catholic Social Party.
Considered a bright child, he attended the Saint Thomas Grammar School where he was seen to excel in history, maths and Ruttish whilst his extracurricular interests included swimming and football. He was made a prefect from 1956-1958, but to his chagrin was passed over from the position of head boy.
Attema was given a scholarship to the Royal Arnwert Academy in 1958 to study for a bachelor degrees in politics. Whilst at the Royal Arnwert Academy Attema became involved with student politics, joining the National Consolidation Party. Attema was noted as being an "intelligent but often lazy" student by his tutor whilst possessing "superb rhetorical skill". Whilst at university he was made vice-president of the university's NKP association and was seen to be influenced by young radicals in the association that proposed economic liberalism and chaffed at the conservatism of the party leadership, then dominated by Jorgan Zijlstra.
Attema moved to study for a bachelors degree in corporate law in 1961, wherein he further graduated in 1964 to subsequently join a law firm, Miedema & Sons as a barrister. Within Miedema & Sons Attema began to cultivate links with important businessmen most prominently Getse Posthuma, whilst also becoming more involved in local NKP politics in Arnwert. His history In 1962 he was elected to the Arnwert Gemeenteried as a member of the NKP, and soon became a prominent fixture in local politics often working in poor areas of Arnwert to help ensure lower crime and efficient housing provision. Attema was soon regarded as a popular local politician as he was seen as being "in touch" with the local population.
In 1965 Attema was placed on the NKP's party list for the election that year. He was elected to the Folkskrammer being placed 104th on the party list. In his early years as a member of parliament Attema was noted for his frequent interventions in debates and general cordial attitude he cultivated with other MP's. He became close to party modernisers such as Rodolf Van Der Werf. Attema would soon tour the country in rural areas drumming up support for the NKP and talking with local councillors where he promised to sponsor plans for rural development.
Attema supported a private members bill to legalise gambling; this led Prime Minister Buke Wagenaar to state he would never appoint Attema a cabinet minister. However following the 1967 protests Wagenaar was forced to resign and Van Der Werf ascended to the leadership; Van Der Werf soon appointed Attema as the junior minister for agriculture due to his strong support from farmer's association thanks to his frequent rural tours. As junior minister of regional affairs he rose his profile by spearheading through parliament several large increases in agricultural spending, further bolstering his standing by the party's grassroots.
Cislanian politics
Minister of Finance and Economics
In 1971 following the election that year prime minister Van Der Werf picked Attema to become Minister of Health Services. Van Der Werf regarded Attema as future prime minister materiel and a fellow moderniser. At the time Van Der Werf was attempting to spearhead a bill to legalise abortion, but the issue was regarded as divisive in the conservative Catholic nation. As Minister for Health Services Attema proposed several solutions to deal with "Option A" whilst minimising the political damage of the NKP.
Attema as Minister of Health Services in 1974
In March 1972 Attema proposed a radical abortion law that would have made the practice legal for cases of maternal life, mental health, health, rape, fetal defects, and socioeconomic factors within 24 weeks of pregnancy. The proposal - seen as radical at the time - was purposefully amended to make it more limited to remove cases of fetal defects and socioeconomic factors and limited to 12 weeks of the pregnancy. The amendment process enabled the government to marginalise hardline anti-abortion activists and court moderates on the issue onto the government's side. This shrewd strategy led to Attema being further praised as an effective moderniser and in 1973 be promoted to the position of Minister of the Economy following the assumption of the premiership by Ant Stellingwerf.
Minister-President
As Minister of the Economy - where his portfolio included overseeing government expenditure, financial management, and the operations of government - Attema built a tense working relationship with Prime Minister Stellingwerf, who he had not supported for the party leadership. Stellingwerf unlike Attema was seen as a party traditionalist and sceptical of the party modernisers that were quickly rallying around Attema as party leader following the retirement of Van Der Werf.
During the 1970's the economy suffered from high inflation and unemployment (stagflation) leading to party modernisers - especially those in the Centre of Economic Policy (SfEB), a leading NKP think tank - to start to embrace monetarism and neoliberalism as answers to repair the flailing economy. Attema was initially not amongst this line of thought but soon started to associate with those within the SfEB that were criticising the Stellingwerf government for its continued corporatist, interventionist economic policy.
As such during his time as Economy Minister Attema came to clash with Stellingwerf over the issue of government spending, with Attema calling for a reduction in government expenditure and exercising restraint over public finances. From 1973-4 the adverse economic situation meant Stellingwerf was persuaded to support Attema's tough public spending cuts, slashing housing benefits and cancelling the purchase of 24 Dassault Mirage 5's in 1975.
The 1975 election however saw the electorate punish the NKP for failing to revive the economy with the party losing 5 seats and getting its worst result in its history with only 49.33% of votes. Attema's spending cuts were blamed for the poor results of the election and he was sidelined in cabinet; Stellingwerf would comment to his Minister of the Treasury Rouke Tigchelaar that he would sack Attema if not for the support he had in the parliamentary party and the party grassroots.
1979 general election
Stellingwerf's lacklustre leadership, poor handling of the economy and electoral setback in 1975 led to more open dissent within the party. A group of four high ranking MP's - Repke Roorda, Heike Zwart, Ljimme Talsma and Joege Van Der Meulen (known as the gang of four) - soon started to agitate for the removal of Stellingwerf as party leader and his replacement with Attema. The party traditionalists meanwhile were split between support for the prime minister and the Minister of Defence, Andrus Brandsma, who was seen as more electable than the increasingly unpopular prime minister.
Attema meeting Prime Minister
Ant Stellingwerf in 1977, a week prior to his leadership challenge
Support for Attema's allies was boosted when Van Der Werf in the Hearskrammer endorsed a "fresh start" within the party, which was interpreted as a tacit endorsement of Attema's leadership ambitions. Stellingwerf's position became more untenable after 54 NKP MP's crossed the floor to vote against a government bill to increase taxes on cigarettes on the 30th August 1975. With the parliamentary party in disarray Stellingwerf decided to call a leadership election on the 17th September to catch his opponents in the party off guard and shore up his own support within the parliamentary party.
Attema's supporters concluded that he did not have the numbers to win a leadership election. As such he instructed his supporters not to forward his name and to obscure the number of supporters he had. The election saw Stellingwerf re-elected party leader with 82 MP's supporting him and 25 abstentions against him. Defence Minister Brandsma stated that the overwhelming endorsement of Stellingwerf led to the leadership office to in hindsight "lull itself into a false state of security...we were totally oblivious to the disquiet within the party". Roorda later confirmed that over 20 pro-Attema MP's had voted for Stellingwerf in 1975.
As the economy worsened in March 1977 the Amalgamated Federation of Trade Unions announced a strike over the issue of wage controls. Whilst the government quickly came to a resolution support within the NKP for Stellingwerf's leadership evaporated as he was seen to give to many concessions to the trade unions. As such on the 6th April Attema after consulting potential supporters for his leadership launched a leadership challenge against Stellingwerf, arguing "change is needed if we are to face the challenges of the 1980's".
Stellingwerf believing his position was fundamentally strong did not heavily campaign whilst Attema lobbied backbenchers for their support. The election was seen to ignite divisions in the party that had long been simmering, with the older conservative wing that had dominated the party since its creation and defined by its consensus, cautious paternal to politics being challenged by young MP's frustrated with the dominance of the conservative wing and wanting to introduce a more ideologically focused, combative style of politics. Attema was seen by a large part of the parliamentary party as a charismatic moderniser, whilst the cabinet mistrusted his links to businessmen and his association with what was seen as radical economic liberals.
The election saw Attema win 69 MP's to Stellingwerf's 42. Stellingwerf resigned as prime minister and NKP on the 12th April with Attema being sworn in as Prime Minister.
Prime Minister
1983 election
1989 election
Economic policy
Social policy
Foreign policy
Fall from leadership
Post-premiership
Views
Controversies
Personal life
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