There Isn't Much Of A Political Left Anywhere
When we’re talking about the political left we’re referring to a broad ideological stance on issues built around the working class that advocates for progressive social change, economic equality and government intervention to address social and economic issues. On the left we prioritize principles such as social justice, environmental protection and the expansion of social welfare programs, not to mention universal healthcare, higher taxes on the wealthy, stronger labor rights and greater regulation of business. However— and in contrast— the “center-left” occupies a position that is more moderate within the spectrum of left-leaning ideologies. Think of the Democratic Party here or the European socialist parties. Center-left political parties and individuals share many of the same values and goals as those on the actual left but tend to advocate for more incremental, timid, and for politicians, careerist approaches to achieving change. They prioritize compromise and collaboration with centrist or center-right parties, and they’re always willing to embrace market-based solutions and gradual reforms rather than radical restructuring of the political and economic system.
At the moment, Europe is undergoing a right-wing surge. The only left-wing governments left are in Spain and Portugal. The rest is either center-right or far right and the far right parties have all the momentum (except in the U.K.). Yesterday, the European Politico reported that the “Party of European Socialists launched its campaign for the European Parliament election with a focus on core tenets of their political philosophy: protecting workers’ rights, securing salaries and fighting climate change.”
This statement from Nicolas Schmit, Luxembourg’s EU commissioner and the face of the campaign, should sound familiar to any American: “The far right is a poison for democracy. They have no project other than to destroy democracy… Instead, we Socialists bring a message of hope, we want to shape a new Europe that protects and includes.”
But things continue to look bad for Europe’s center-left Socialists. For the most part, they’re not very left and because they’re more centrist they don’t generate much enthusiasm and their support, for the most part, just continues to shrink. The far right, on the other hand, is projected to gain seats in the European Parliament.
During the two-day meeting in Rome, politicians cast around for ideas and strategies to reverse the curve.
“We should respond to the worries of our citizens,” Belgian Socialist Party lead candidate Elio Di Rupo told Politico, noting that the far right is polling highest in the Flemish region of his country. “The first worry is purchasing power,” he said, adding that the EU should help raise minimum salaries. The other two main topics for the campaign should be security and the environment, he said.
Another strategy is to broaden the parties in their camp. In the Netherlands, the Labor party is fighting the election in tandem with the Greens, while there was favorable chatter among MEPs behind the scenes at the congress about Italy’s 5 Star Movement sitting with them in the European Parliament at some point, regardless of questions about the party’s stance on Ukraine.
Lars Klingbeil, co-leader of the German Social Democrats, said the campaign priorities should be on people’s earnings, affordable housing and pensions. “If we do that, then I’m convinced that we will get people back that in the moment would say I will vote for the right-wing populists.”
He suggested the Socialists should not seek to interfere too much in voters’ personal choices, such as “if people use their car, or use an airplane, or eat meat or speak gendered language,” he said.
That’s a good idea— marketing the left as the bulwark against right-wing overreach into people’s personal lives. In the U.S., the far right’s anti-Choice stance is hurting them badly. And their association with Christian nationalism is as well. Think of the draconian legislation in far right states like Oklahoma, Idaho, Mississippi, Tennessee and Alabama where the legislatures are trying to control pregnant women’s ability to travel to other states for reproductive healthcare.
Republican officials are trying to tell us what we can and cannot read and what schools are allowed to teach. They are still trying to dictate who we can love and marry. Tragically, many of them still don;’t understand Climate Science and are making global warming worse. Yesterday at a rally Trump was bellowing against electric vehicles. A few days before that he was lying about windmills killing whales.