For those of you who were discussing the two 'no' votes with some interest,
may I bring this to your attention...? As a member of ATTAC (a Tobin
Tax/alternative economics group) myself and a fairly active participant in
the vote 'no' campaign along with a spread of groups that come under the
umbrella of the European Social Forum I think this is a little overstated,
but there's no denying the active role played by this motley array of single
issue/progressive/alternative political groups working with the ESF...
Jon Cloke
A Specter Is Haunting Europe: The Left
JUNE 20, 2005
<http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/05_25/b3938084_mz015.htm>
The Left in Europe is flexing its muscles. Anti-
capitalist, anti-globalization activists played a key
role in defeating referendums on the European Union
constitution in France on May 29 and the Netherlands on
June 1. Relentless sniping from left-wingers in
Germany's Social Democratic Party helped drive
Chancellor Gerhard Schröder to call for elections this
fall, a year ahead of time. The left wing of Schröder's
party has sabotaged his reforms, contributing to defeats
in regional elections that all but eliminated his
support base.
So can Europe's long-splintered traditional Left come
back as a real political movement? The hard left lost
its way in the 1980s and 1990s as leaders of parties
such as Britain's Labour and Germany's Social Democrats
tilted to the center to attract support. While few
observers believe traditional leftists can win power
outright, a loose coalition of left-wing Greens,
militant unionists, and old-school socialists is
preparing to play the spoiler as European leaders try to
salvage the constitution and revive the economy.
Already, leftist groups in France, Germany, and the
Netherlands are informally coordinating with each other.
The main action is in Germany and France. In Germany,
former Social Democrat Chairman Oskar Lafontaine, who
campaigned in France against the EU constitution, is
likely to lead a new left-wing party, provisionally
called the Electoral Alternative for Jobs & Social
Justice. It will field candidates and press Schröder to
swerve left. The party says it's getting a huge
response. "Our fax never stops running," exults Murat
Cakir, a governing board member of the party, which
wants to raise taxes on the rich and open the spigots of
government spending. Meanwhile, in France, Laurent
Fabius, former Socialist Prime Minister, has morphed
from pro-market moderate to populist firebrand to
position himself as a presidential candidate in 2007.
Lots of Leeway
These new old leftists could have a polarizing effect on
voters and complicate efforts by mainstream leaders to
get the Continent back on track. Leftists may also win
seats in national parliaments, becoming power brokers
should the major parties lack a majority. Germany's
Electoral Alternative, for instance, is in talks to
campaign with the ex-communist Party of Democratic
Socialism. A strong protest party could make life hard
for Christian Democrat Angela Merkel, who is favored to
unseat Schröder in the early elections. Initially,
Merkel would have lots of leeway to push through cuts in
social welfare benefits. But labor-oriented left-wingers
such as Michael Sommer, president of the German
Confederation of Labor Unions, have vowed "house-to-
house combat" if a new government restricts collective
bargaining rights. The model may be Italy, where the
unions are well practiced at getting what they want.
Ironically, the far left's hostility to EU expansion and
reform is shared by Europe's far right. Both extremes
helped defeat the EU constitution in France and the
Netherlands. The nightmare scenario is that left-wing
and right-wing populism weaken the center, ushering in
volatility that hasn't been seen in decades. Since World
War II the center has held in Europe. But the pressures
of globalization are shaking the traditional power
balance.
By Jack Ewing in Frankfurt
Edited by Rose Brady
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