Tag archive for ‘SPD’
European Social Democrats push for Citizens Initiative on Financial Transaction Tax
The German SPD and Austrian SPOE announced yesterday that they intend to use the new Citizens Initiative instrument to campaign for a Europe-wide financial transaction tax if the predominantly conservative EU governments do not introduce such a levy until the autumn. SPD Chairman Sigmar Gabriel and the Austrian Chancellor Werner Faymann announced that they would [...]
Elections in North Rhine-Westphalia – Another Cliffhanger
The election in Germany’s most populous state North Rhine-Westphalia yesterday produced the second electoral cliffhanger in Europe in a week. The governing conservative-liberal coalition suffered a crushing defeat with the CDU losing more than 10 percentage points compared to the last election. It however narrowly defended its position as strongest party (with 34,6% of the [...]
European Social Democracy – Greying and Increasingly Alone
One might argue that there is every reason for the supporters of European social democratic parties to see their hair turn grey in agony. With a few exceptions, European social democracy has heaped major defeat upon defeat. And as for the victories, well: George Papandreou could be forgiven for thinking that one should indeed look [...]
Democratic Politics beyond the Third Way
Social democrats have a strong claim on democracy, and for good reason. First, their opposition to Soviet-style communism and their commitment to parliamentary democracy marked the beginning of their journey towards power. Second, as soon as the alliance with the liberals fulfilled the goal of equality in political representation for the working class, they set [...]
The Future of Social Democracy is European
Social Democracy has always been an idea and a strategy of social change. As a progressive movement it has always been on the offensive. When in the 1980s market-radical theories, supported by neo-conservatives and neo-liberals, began to dominate public opinion, the defensive mechanisms of social democracy proved to be rather poor. There was scattered resistance, [...]
Facing Up To Our Mistakes
Social democrats must be promoters of progressive change, not technocrats. It is remarkable how social democrats are discovering the European debate. After their disastrous election results, it seems that social-democratic party leaders, in their desperate search for explanation and orientation, have noticed for the first time that they are part of an already existing European [...]
Revitalising Social Democracy
As well as new policies, social democrats need a strong ‘demand-side’ perspective, which focuses on renewing democracy in the party, the local state and the community. The electoral defeat of the German Social Democrats on 27 September was a disaster. The party slumped to its worst performance in the history of the Federal Republic, losing [...]
The Principles of Communal Reciprocity
Jerry Cohen’s camping-trip fable offers a down-to-earth approach to social-democratic principles. Being a socialist often requires a leap of faith. Though there are real institutions we can point to that at least in part embody key socialist values such as equality and community – the NHS of course springs to mind – the cause of [...]
Does Europe’s Social Democracy still have a Future?
Social democracy will only be able to sustain a social Europe through strengthening European democratic institutions. German Social Democrats are lucky. Although in September they received their lowest vote in a federal election since the war– 23 per cent – things could have been worse. The result was still three percentage points more than they [...]
Time for a twenty-first Century Social Democracy
Social democrats need a new understanding of the historic compromises that are necessary for the practice of power. The German election defeat followed on from losses for social democratic parties in the European Parliament elections. To be sure, socialists kept power in Portugal and Norway, but without a majority of votes. And PASOK’s win in Greece was based on a new [...]
Beyond the Third Way
Angela Merkel´s recent victory confirms what many already knew – Europe´s social democratic parties have failed to distill any political benefit from the association between the right’s reverence for unfettered markets and the economic crises that grip the continent. Historically, Europeans turn to conservatives in times of crisis. But today, the situation is more complex. [...]
Cooperation with Die Linke, and Müntefering out: the way forward for Social Democracy in Germany
Hoping for the continuation of the grand coalition was the best the SPD could hope for before yesterday’s Bundestagswahl. In the end the result was even worse than that: 23.1% and a historic low vote for the social democrats. Guido Westerwelle’s beaming grim was everywhere, the FDP the big winners on the night. Looking behind [...]
