The movement’s founding ideals — a generous welfare state with universal health, education, pensions — have long been realized, helping to lift generations of Europeans out of the proletariat into the middle class. In many countries today, the average social democrat is just as likely to have a white collar as a blue one.
What’s more, technology has forever altered the nature of employment. The days of back-breaking assembly-line work are long gone. And the large industrial labor unions — once social democracy’s core constituency — have faded, leaving the movement’s leaders to chase the prosperous middle class.
As a result, social democracy has lost its raison d’être. In the German campaign, the party struggled to find a central theme, finally settling on the issue of “justice.” To many on the movement’s left, the slogan sounded like mockery.
…
The constant flow of immigrants in recent decades coupled with Europe’s refugee crisis has unnerved many lower-income voters. While some worry about losing their jobs to cheaper workers, others are concerned about the impact the influx will have on their culture and national identity.
Parties like the France’s National Front and the Alternative for Germany feed on such fears. Social democracy has yet to find a successful strategy to counter such sentiment.
…
“There’s still a role for social democracy in Europe,” insisted Michael Broening, an analyst with Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, a foundation supported by Germay’s SPD.
“The problem is that social democratic parties have forgotten how to mobilize.” he added. “Once they manage to rediscover how to do that, there’s still a lot that they can do.”
superposition over 5 years ago
Using fear and apathy as politcal levers?
" …
The movement’s founding ideals — a generous welfare state with universal health, education, pensions — have long been realized, helping to lift generations of Europeans out of the proletariat into the middle class. In many countries today, the average social democrat is just as likely to have a white collar as a blue one.
What’s more, technology has forever altered the nature of employment. The days of back-breaking assembly-line work are long gone. And the large industrial labor unions — once social democracy’s core constituency — have faded, leaving the movement’s leaders to chase the prosperous middle class.
As a result, social democracy has lost its raison d’être. In the German campaign, the party struggled to find a central theme, finally settling on the issue of “justice.” To many on the movement’s left, the slogan sounded like mockery.
…
The constant flow of immigrants in recent decades coupled with Europe’s refugee crisis has unnerved many lower-income voters. While some worry about losing their jobs to cheaper workers, others are concerned about the impact the influx will have on their culture and national identity.
Parties like the France’s National Front and the Alternative for Germany feed on such fears. Social democracy has yet to find a successful strategy to counter such sentiment.
…
“There’s still a role for social democracy in Europe,” insisted Michael Broening, an analyst with Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, a foundation supported by Germay’s SPD.
“The problem is that social democratic parties have forgotten how to mobilize.” he added. “Once they manage to rediscover how to do that, there’s still a lot that they can do.”
…"
https://www.politico.eu/article/matteo-renzi-martin-schulz-italy-germany-who-killed-european-social-democracy/
Radish the wordsmith over 5 years ago
I don’t think their oars are in the water.
Scoutmaster77 over 5 years ago
Don’t be fooled by The Sound of Music. Plenty of Austrians welcomed the Anschluss in 1938.