debating progressive politics in Europe and beyond
Today, Parliament is expected to approve the new budget by a comfortable majority, with even some of last week’s rebels coming back to support the Coalition. But this endorsement is at risk of being totally swamped by the vitriolic and demagogic attacks of the Opposition. Once again, the pro-European majority in Parliament has lost the [...]
Greek voters gave their contradictory verdict: While 55% voted for parties that stood explicitly against the ‘bailout’ terms and conditions, a pro-’bailout’ government is about to be formed – such is the nature of Greece’s electoral system (which rewards the largest party with a bonus of 50 additional MPs in the 300 seat chamber). The [...]
Immigration more important than the Economy? Judging by the content of the debate in Greece over the past few days, one might think that the most pressing issue facing the country ahead of the upcoming general elections is illegal immigration rather than the economy. The two coalition partners, New Democracy and PASOK, have attempted to [...]
Greece in all probability will host national elections sometime this April. The elections are necessary because unlike in Italy, in Greece there is no popular support for a technocratic government. The two big parties PASOK and Nea Dimokratia, who currently control two thirds of the seats in the Greek Parliament, are profoundly destabilized. According to [...]
As seen elsewhere in Europe, the Greek government’s recent employment legislation has not been well received, putting the traditional partnership between the social democratic PASOK party and trade unions in jeopardy. In the context of mutual disappointment, however, can a renewed social partnership revive the country’s flagging economy and hard-tested social cohesion? Party–union relations in [...]
Five years ago, twenty or so social democrats in and around the British Labour Party, politicians, academics, journalists and activists sat in a seminar room in a college in London’s Regents Park. The topic of debate was how to describe the Good Society. The discussion led to a Compass publication in 2006. Fast-forward five years [...]
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