Patrick Diamond - Endgame for the Centre Left?

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ENDGAME FOR THE CENTRE LEFT?

The Retreat of Social Democracy Across Europe

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ISBN: PB 978-1-78660-282-4

ISBN: eBook 978-1-78660-283-1

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Library of Congress Control Number: 2016954179

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T his short book is a contribution to the growing debate on the left in Europe about the future of social democracy, and the likely prospects for left of centre politics. After a period of electoral dominance, centre-left parties in western Europe have suffered a dramatic erosion of support; the vote share enjoyed by social democrats is at its lowest ever level. Already, much has been written about why social democracy is in a state of decline; political diagnosis is essential to understand what strategies might now be available to centre-left parties. This books argument is that social democracy stands at a point of great promise, but also peril. To write off centre left politics now would be a great mistake: right and centre-right competitor parties have their own problems; in any case, societies have not rejected social democratic values. The ideal of solidarity and the imperative of forging bonds of connection in a volatile, interdependent world is as compelling as it always was.

At the same time, the centre left clearly faces difficulties: the forward march of labour has been abruptly halted while declining trust in politics adds to the problem of constructing viable electoral coalitions. The UKs decision to vote to leave the European Union on June 23 raises the prospect of societies throughout Europe irreparably divided between voters who embrace economic openness, and those who are opposed to change. Social democracy has to find new ways to build bridges between open and closed communities by updating public institutions and policies, just as socialist parties did in the immediate aftermath of the second world war. This is an urgent task. There is not a moment to lose.

O ver the past decade, social democratic parties across western Europe have been in ignominious retreat. The centre lefts electoral decline has been unprecedented. Even where social democrats have attained governmental power, often in coalition with other parties, their experience has been unhappy, followed rapidly by defeat. As a result, many commentators insist that social democracy has lost its vitality, and is destined to wane as a political force and an ideological tradition in Europe. This book considers the factors behind social democracys decline over the past decade, giving particular attention to the rise of populist counter-movements across the European Union. It then looks ahead at the future of centre-left politics in Europe with an eye towards potential strategies for stemming the lefts demise.

The central argument is that for all the difficulties facing social democracy, pessimism can be overstated: despite the apparent demise of centre-left politics, a new progressive era is within reach underpinned by renewed government activism and a new collectivism that goes beyond the traditional state; the new politics of left reform has the potential to fashion a more egalitarian capitalism and a fairer, more inclusive society. This age of progressive reform will be rooted in new electoral coalitions, new governing strategies, and new political narratives.

It is always tempting to search for social trends that might presage a dramatic shift in the centre of gravity towards the left. However, structural change does not have any pre-determined effect on the fortunes of parties: in the early 20th century, the growth of the working class was supposed to ensure the rise of socialism eclipsing Europes Conservative and Christian democratic parties. In the aftermath of the second world war, it was feared that the structural decline of the working class and the growth of affluence and mass prosperity would destroy social democracy. But electoral majorities are there to be forged from the raw material of social change; this depends on the skill with which parties develop new ideas and create a language that can appeal to the board majority. The 2008 crisis was heralded as a social democratic moment in the industrialised countries, but the opportunity was squandered as too many centre-left politicians believed that a crisis of the capitalist system would lead inevitably to a rise in support for the left. They failed to cultivate a new generation of progressive ideas and policy programmes akin to the advance of Keynesianism in the 1930s. It is to this vital task that social democrats must now turn.