debating progressive politics in Europe and beyond
A series of developments over the last few weeks have set in motion a downward spiral for the eurozone. Unless officials – especially German officials – act fast, the verdict of financial markets is bound to be ruthless. First, the eurozone has failed to turn the tide. Mario Draghi, President of the European Central Bank, was right [...]
In European countries like Germany and Sweden the social democrats and the greens are traditionally more in favour of red green political alliances than blue green coalitions with centre-right parties. Unfortunately, this has not been the case in Finland. Over the last years the Finnish Green League has preferred primarily to build political coalitions with [...]
Let’s knock down the three pillars of sustainable development! This wholly misleading picture, promoted at the 1992 Rio Earth Summit, is still around. The 2012 Rio conference is an opportunity to replace it with a very different picture. The “three pillars” obscure the real relationship between the economic, the social, and the environmental. They are [...]
The euro has a matter of weeks to save itself, with several institutions now preparing for its collapse. Given this, why does the ECB still refuse to bail out Europe’s heavily indebted countries? This column provides an explanation. It says that the ECB may well be behaving rationally but adds that such behaviour is also [...]
“Where is the very edge of the precipice” and when will the leaders of the Euro-area reach it? The answer is “Here” and “Now”. If no clear outline of a solution to the Euro-area crisis emerges during the sequence of meetings over the next two weeks, starting with EU finance ministers this week and ending [...]
To some it will be simple and obvious, while for others more complicated and perhaps even novel. But the point still has to be made: we will not achieve economic and social sustainability unless we see an end to financialisation and the emergence of a new economic (growth) model. Today, the predominance of finance and [...]
The PES convention, a historic gathering of socialist/social democratic activists and leaders, is over. At the end of it all, the feeling is both one of hope and of urgency at the enormity and difficulty of the task ahead. The testimony of fallen leaders such as George Papandreou underlines the desperation of the times we [...]
Here it is – the much celebrated age of knowledge. There are only a few dark spots in our known world, any ingenious idea has been turned over many times, has been written and expressed in a thousand ways. The so called noosphere (de Chardin, McLuhan), the natural home to a world full of knowledge, [...]
Earth´s population has recently passed 7 billion, a clear reminder that we need to re-evaluate how earth´s resources are divided amongst its inhabitants. In 2008 for the first time in human history, about as many people lived in urban areas as in rural settings. Predictions show that in 2050 as much as 70% of the [...]
Three pillars are essential to developing sustainable policies: economic, environmental and social. True progressive sustainability requires a balance of these three pillars which, in turn, allows for sustainable development in each area. Economic development is most commonly measured in terms of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), and its growth or regression is predominantly expressed in percentage [...]
The latest statistics show that real household earnings in Britain fell by 3.5% over the last year (The Guardian 24 November 2011), a decline unprecedented in peacetime. What can be done to stop this unfolding disaster? While the private sector is dangerously in debt (“over-leveraged”), the public sector is not as I showed in my [...]
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