Peter Struck
| Peter Struck | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Struck in 2010 | |
| German Federal Minister of Defence | |
| In office 19 July 2002 – 22 November 2005 | |
| Chancellor | Gerhard Schröder |
| Preceded by | Rudolf Scharping |
| Succeeded by | Franz-Josef Jung |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 24 January 1943 Göttingen, Lower Saxony |
| Died | 19 December 2012 (aged 69) Berlin |
| Nationality | Germany |
| Political party | Social Democratic Party |
| Alma mater | University of Göttingen University of Hamburg |
| Profession | Lawyer |
Peter Struck (24 January 1943 – 19 December 2012) was the German Minister of Defence under chancellor Gerhard Schröder from 22 October 2002 until 2005. A lawyer, Struck was a member of the Social Democratic Party.
Education
- 1962: Abitur
- 1964: Member of the SPD
Struck studied law at the universities of Göttingen and Hamburg. In 1971 he graduated to Dr. iur. (Doctor of Laws).
Politics
Peter Struck was a member of the Bundestag from 1980 until 2009. From 1990 to 1998 he was whip (Parlamentarischer Geschäftsführer) of the SPD parliamentary group. From 1998 to 2002 he was chairman of the SPD parliamentary group. In 2002 he succeeded Rudolf Scharping as Defence Minister, and served in that position until 2005. After the elections Struck became Fraktionschef (chairman) of the SPD's Bundestag faction once again, until his retirement in 2009.
Controversies
When an elderly man was severely beaten up in Munich by two immigrant youths, Struck claimed that his political opponent, Roland Koch, was probably happy for the beating because now Koch could start a supposedly polemic discussion about problems with young violent immigrants. When Koch demanded an apology, Struck replied "Bite me!". In a Parliament debate some days later, Jürgen Gehb, CDU Speaker for law politics, said that "we will try to continue working with you, but with minimal contact to your backside".[1][2]
Citations
Peter Struck is famous for two citations:
- "The security of the Federal Republic of Germany is being defended in the Hindu Kush too".[3]
- as Minister of Defence, reconciling the traditional view of the Bundeswehr as defence-only army with the problems of asymmetric war.
- "Legislation always obeys the First Struckian Law: No bill comes out of Parliament in the form it came into Parliament."
- as SPD whip, rather humorously describing the legislative process.
See also
References
- ↑ "En kaensler utan nyheter".
- ↑ "Gewaltdebatte im Bundestag".
- ↑ In German: "Die Sicherheit der Bundesrepublik Deutschland wird auch am Hindukusch verteidigt". "Peter Struck ist tot". Frankfurter Rundschau. 19 December 2012.
External links
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