Change or die: The future of social democracy

A letter and supporting article for PES activists

From Poul Nyrup Rasmussen

25th June 2009

Dear activists,

Our socialist and social democratic family had a disappointing result in the European elections. We now face the least progressive European Parliament in its history, with a far more eurosceptic and nationalist right-wing than ever before. Moreover, we also risk seeing a more assertive right-wing European Commission.

But defeat cannot lead to defeatism. Europe’s right wing parties had what can only be described as a pyrrhic victory, based on a record low turnout. Europe still needs a new direction. We are in the middle of a recession, and it will not go away. Wage earners are not to blame but they may end up paying the price. We will have 27 million unemployed next year unless we have a new and stronger European recovery effort. So we must now fight for a new, progressive European recovery plan to safeguard employment and protect people.

Social democracy must renew itself. The values on which we have based more than a century of political struggles and achievements must remain our inspiration. We must learn how to reach out better to people, to those who feel excluded and disenfranchised by today’s politics, connecting to their fears and dreams. We must work closer together than we ever have done before among social democratic and socialist parties across Europe. And we should be open to progressive ideas and people beyond the formal limits of our parties. Please see my attached article.

Our parliamentary group decided this week to enlarge, forming a new group to bring in the Italian Democratic Party, which will be called the “Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament”. The Group’s decision will not in any way compromise the name or identity of the Party of European Socialists. We must build a stronger PES with your invaluable support as PES activists, defining a clear and strong political project to meet the ever greater challenges facing citizens. We need more PES, not less PES. I count on your support and your participation in reaching our common goals.

With socialist regards,

Poul Nyrup Rasmussen
PES President

* * * * * *

CHANGE OR DIE: THE FUTURE OF SOCIAL DEMOCRACY

People across Europe have made their choice. The next European Parliament and the next European Commission will be led by a coalition of right wing forces. The complexity of European decision-making and a long tradition of deal-making may confuse people about who is responsible for the direction Europe will take in the next five years. But Europe’s right wing parties and governments, and their members in the European Parliament, ought to be made to face the full consequence of what can only be described as a pyrrhic victory, based on a record low turnout. I believe that those who did vote for the right will be disappointed by the direction in which they take the European Union. Nowadays, right-wing leaders and, in particular, the European Popular Party (EPP) are using social democratic language to fool people. Promises have been made on social policies, on the fight against climate change, on the financial system and other issues, which will not be kept.

The traditional consensual law-making in Brussels and Strasbourg may go on. But I believe the time has come to make the political differences between the left and the right clearer. Should social democracy, after this defeat in the European elections, just return to business as usual and risk helping the right to blur the political divide in the coming years? I do not believe that this is the way forward. To start with, we must fight for what we are committed to, such as a new plan for Europe’s economic recovery and a fundamental reform of Europe’s financial regulatory system. But we have to go much further now.

Social democracy must renew itself. The values on which we have based more than a century of political struggles and achievements must remain our inspiration. But we must re-think what we stand for in today’s fast-changing world.

We must be bold, proud of what we represent, and more effective in communicating our ideas and projects. We must learn how to better reach out to people, to those who feel excluded and disenfranchised by today’s politics, connecting to their fears and dreams. We must work closer together than we ever have done before among social democratic and socialist parties across Europe. And we should be open to progressive ideas and people beyond the formal limits of our parties.

But we must do more than that. Today’s imperative is to fully integrate the dynamics of a changing world into our political thinking.

Take the environment. We have been fighting for the protection of natural resources, biodiversity, the quality of our air and water. But how does this link with our traditional struggles for social justice and equality? We have been unable to develop a coherent vision for the future ecological development of our economies and societies. Unless we understand how to effectively combine our traditional fight against inequalities with the environment, we will forever be constrained by impossible trade-offs. We need to achieve greater clarity and political credibility in this vitally important area of sustainable development.

Take the global economy. We must find better answers to the darker sides of globalisation. We have been working towards a much fairer and sustainable global economic system. But inequalities remain shockingly high. And the creation of new and environmentally sustainable wealth, to be far more equally shared, does not match the needs of several billion people trapped in poverty today. We need to find new answers to this global challenge, and we need to find them fast. How can we, otherwise, retain our purpose as the leading internationalist political movement?

Take Europe. We are afraid of arguing for a stronger political Europe. Our discourse is hesitant and, at times, contradictory. Again, unless we have a clear and strong project for Europe’s political future, we cannot convince people to support us in building the Europe that will ultimately be able to provide them with the necessary support and protection in an open world.

We have lost an election, but not yet the longer political battle of ideas. This is just the beginning. For the next five years, Europe’s political institutions will be mainly to the right. We must use this period to undergo bold change. If we succeed, people will trust us again, and perhaps for a long time. If we fail, and especially if we refuse to change and go back to business as usual, we will die.

Poul Nyrup Rasmussen