Debate rich in content and breadth was certainly a hallmark of the PES Re:new Convention last weekend. Inevitably, how progressives should respond and rebuild in the fallout from the crisis was a recurrent theme that permeated all discussions. Nonetheless, the policy themes up for debate covered a great range and provoked many diverse and thoughtful responses.
Continuing on from the PES Council held the day before, Re:new hosted 49 workshops that examines issues relating to the PES’s four key policy themes: A Fair Economy, A Just World, Active Democracy, and Equal Societies. Each round of workshops was followed by a leaders’ debate plenary session that summarised and discussed the key messages.
The Fair Economy plenary focused primarily on the need for a rebalancing of power to see markets subject to democratic control. Part of this vision to put politics back in the driving seat means advocating a credible alternative to the choking austerity of ‘Merkozy’, said the panelists.
A European financial transactions tax was almost unanimously backed, highlighting a key point of divergence that opposed UK Labour to other parties present. Emma Reynolds highlighted Labour’s commitment to a global FTT, given the European FTT’s likelihood of a severe and disproportionate impact on the UK economy, whereas the other parties advocated that Europe set a global example.
Next up, at the Equal Societies plenary, Spanish MEP Juan Fernandez Lopez Aguilar pithily summed up the mood: if the EU motto is ‘united in diversity’, he said, today we are the witnessing the very opposite. The plenary emphasised the need to actively promote inclusion, from fighting discrimination to encouraging sustainable job creation to give people a stake in society. To this effect, we should continue to actively, contest the ideologically driven conservative discourse that seeks to legitimate rolling back social policies as unsustainable in economic downturn.
At the Europe in the World plenary, the key message was that solidarity applies not only within the already heterogenous EU but beyond, from European neighbours to distant nations and organisations alike. All our external relations create not simply an opportunity but an obligation to uphold our values, be it from supporting EU hopefuls in the Balkans to the transition to democracy in the Arab Spring.
The panel also emphasised the need to embrace politics on a transnational level; that we must maintain a global perspective and have an EU that punches according to, not below, its political weight. To this effect, alongside human rights and democracy we must also make growth and job creation part of the centrepiece of our international position. However, Europe is hampered by multiple internal crises that detract from our ability to do this, as well as the Merkel-Sarkozy leadership that pushes an opposing vision.
The final plenary, on Active Democracy, highlighted that as a transnational party we should be always seeking to consolidate our movement and its structure. This includes improving confidence in our national parties through increased democracy and transparency, not least in terms of finance. Moreover, we should recognise the need and be open to progressive alliances in order to bring about change. Indeed, at a time when civic contestation movements are flourishing, the panel asserted the importance of engaging with and listening to people, above all those affected by the economic, political and social changes that undermine solidarity.
Symbolic of the need to strengthen the PES and reaffirm our links with citizens is the resolution adopted at the PES Council for a democratically elected common candidate for the European Commission presidency to be put forward by the PES as a whole in 2014. The panel endorsed it as a significant and symbolic step towards democratising EU politics, demonstrating the ‘better Europe’ that progressives aspire to and that the PES can bring about.
Overall, the plenaries gave an insightful overview of the myriad responses to the workshops. If the reactions were diverse, the dynamic of the debates were just one example of how we as a movement can nonetheless stand united; a reflection of the Europe that we seek to create.
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Felicity Slater is a member of Progress and reported from the PES Convention in Brussels
Lol I could cry I really could. Everyone across the globe is calling for increased transparency and democracy even the Corporate Giants who are wetting themselves as to the consequences of their past and current actions during the difficult times to come and the dependency on China to do our work for us lol. I doubt there was a single original idea at all.
In any case national Social democratic Parties are as likely to become more democratic as the Prime Minister is to give away his fortune to the needy. As far as i can see from experiencing the new politics of the current age of political decline, Social Democrats are more likely to cling to whatever power they can get their grubby hands on along with any money or spare change lying around than the Right are.
One only has to look at recent Parliamentary candidate selections for Labour to see that beyond empty words, pointless meetings any good intentions are superfluous at best and chronically vain as self-interest is the sole determining factor by senior figureheads in these political parties (I use the term “political” as loosely as possible).
The good news is that there is no sign so far of a “center left” (in name only) come back which is good for democracy overall, more Corporate loving “lefties” is the very last thing Europe or the wider world needs and the breach in trust now between the populations and the so-called “Left” is as far as I can tell getting wider.
As a result of this failure the arguments will move towards the Right where people in their fear will turn to the most understandable political parties around, those that are clearly who say they, is indeed what they are.
Labour in the UK due to the changes in its composition of being a more Corporate and Right Wing party (despite its usage of Unions and more a case of Union Leaders) does not equate well in the minds of the electorate who traditionally would rely on the Party to have an idealistic vision tampered by practical working experience to ideally help rebuild the UK Economy. Ironically the Leadership has still to learn or rather understand this and is continuing the project begun by Tony Blair whilst acting as though it has somehow re-invented itself. Only an incredibly shallow individual could look at the changes occurring and say they were radical or perhaps someone who has lived in a cellar all their lives.
The Party is still a relic of the past lacking the ability and confidence to embrace a better democracy in itself and therefore lacking the will and the vision to take the UK to where it desperately needs to go. What we have is a very Conservative Party afraid to position itself on issues as it is as afraid of its own shadow as it is it’s political opponents and enemies. As a result of representing the interests of the Shadow Cabinet it is unwilling to enter the stretch zone that oppositions seeking power need to brave to learn and develop and become mature enough to understand issues in sufficient depth so as to win public confidence.
On trust Labour is screwed and that is the single most important priority for the Party’s I have been saying since before the General Election due to the childish scandals the PLP created for itself as it abandoned any notion of understanding of normative values and expectations that the majority of people in the civilized World take for granted as the PLP showed us all how completely weird and abnormal they had become.
The whole point of the issues raised in the above article is seeking to re-win the trust of people across the Continent and the idea that some vague notion of foreign aid and working beyond the European borders (though not necessarily bad) highlights the complete failings the Social Democrats exhibit. They are totally out of touch with the reality of the people.
Ironically the Parties that supposed to be of the people for the people, who were meant to create a democratic Europe good for business, freedom and prevent another holocaust became under them another failure and potentially may well result in disaster (we all hope not) because it attacked the very principles that made the European project so important.
The best thing that can happen no is that Social Democrats must be removed from power for as long as it takes for them to have to change and recruit people from communities that are representative of the interests of said communities. In the UK Labour would need at least two General Election defeats before the current incestuous nepotistic cult in charge of the Party could no longer consider their positions tenable and for the willingness for genuine change to occur which would be in the interests of the Party as well as for democracy in the UK.
This is a dangerous time because Cameron has the greatest opportunity to wipe the floor of Labour for an even longer period, an economy with little growth is still an economy not in recession. The feeling on the ground may be bad and we all know that recessions are more than just GDP measures, but if Cameron sees the UK through this the trust in the Tories as the natural party of power will be re-instated. Even if the Euro collapses and Cameron suffers in the polls the decisions taken during this time will define him and Labour will only gain short-term support and protest-vote support.
As long as Cameron is seen to be doing his best he will be respected, he doesn’t have to be popular in a time of widely accepted austerity measures. It’s not a given yet for him, but the worst thing that can happen is that the Labour Party find themselves elected as they struggle very badly and blatantly so in full public view to the embarrassment of us all, with responsibility. The real “grown up politics” neither Ed Balls, Liam Bryne nor any Milliband understands or feels the need to exhibit as their moral arguments are littered with blatant hypocrisy and double standards….on a good day.
they were talking ’bout that female soldier who killed a Taliban fighter on Beeb just now. Bloke says “instead of sitting around in high heels on a Saturday night” ( ! ) women could get out and fight for their country,for one thing they are “lighter on their feet than men so the enemy wouldn’t hear them coming” All about feet with some men eh.
Diversity has the same root as divided and divisive, so it’s an apt – if nonsensical – motto.