Ochsentour, the ox tour, is the German word for a slow, laborious career, especially in politics. In 2016, the Weser-Kurier described the career of Christian Weber, president of the Bremen parliament from 1999. He joined the SPD in 1972 and began by collecting membership dues from door to door. He then rose through the local party offices. Weber hat das absolviert, was man gemeinhin die Ochsentour nennt. Weber went through what is commonly called the ox tour. The paper quoted his view of party work: So lernt man das System kennen, man lernt, mit wem man sich anlegen darf. That is how you learn the system, and you learn whom you may pick a fight with. Of newcomers from outside, he said that fully independent minds were not so welcome.