Where Now for European Social Democracy? - Policy Network

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INTRODUCTIONWhere Now forEuropean Social Democracy?PETER MANDELSONThe publication of this book of essays marks the occasion of a seminarin London of British, French and German social democrats to discussthe way ahead for social democracy.The seminar is an informal gathering, not a meeting of Partyrepresentatives. It has no official status. But it is, nevertheless, animportant event. I cannot think of anything similar that has happenedin my 20 years experience that has involved senior members of theBritish Labour Party.There is a paradox here. Politicians talk very little about politics topoliticians in other European countries. Yet integration is a centralreality of all our political lives. Economically, what happens in Franceand Germany impacts greatly on Britain, and vice-versa, becausewell over half our trade is with the European Union. I read a paperprepared for a recent international conference that the Chancellorof the Exchequer, Gordon Brown, hosted in London on enterprise: itcontained the statement that 50 per cent of the regulation affectingbusiness, and thereby jobs and prosperity, is now decided upon by theEuropean Union.Yet for all the realities of integration and interdependence,political dialogue is, at best, weak. Of course, there are intensiverelations between the governments of Europe, whatever their politicalcolour. National civil servants, across a wide range of departments, arein constant touch, bilaterally and in hundreds of official workinggroups that meet in Brussels, to crawl over technical dossiers. Ministerscome together more intermittently at Councils and bilateral meetings,but often to debate an agenda that reflects a pre-set national positionon issues that have been ‘in the system’ for some considerable time.5
6WHERE NOW FOR EUROPEAN SOCIAL DEMOCRACY?As politicians, they often feel locked in and frustrated by the lack ofopen dialogue on the ‘real issues’ that we share in common.There are fledgling European political parties. The Party ofEuropean Socialists does provide a useful forum for mutual contact.The recent report 1 on globalization prepared by a working groupchaired by Poul Nyrup Rasmussen, the former Danish Prime Minister,is, for instance, admirable in its content and wisdom.But the main focus of the PES effort has understandably been theEuropean Parliament. MEPs have played a considerable part in itswork. Dialogue between members of national political parties is muchrarer and suffers from the problem of every representativeorganisation that every affiliate demands the right to be represented.Practical constraints mean that in the new EU of 25, intimate dialoguewill have to proceed on an informal basis between self selectinggroups.Why then hold this seminar among British, French and Germansocial democrats? First, it is a rare opportunity for open discussion ofvalues, objectives and policies. Secondly, we all have important recentexperience of government that we can share and learn from eachother. Thirdly, we all face a big political challenge of renewal.In Britain, we have started to look forward to an unprecedentedthird term. In the post-Hutton, post-tuition fees climate of opinion,the challenge is to re-engage the Party in a bold agenda of reform sothat New Labour can govern with confidence, rather than relapse intoa mind-set of cautious consolidation.In Germany, the SPD spent 2003 coming to terms with thechallenge of the Schröder Government’s Agenda 2010, includingpainful and difficult Welfare State and labour market reforms. 2004began with the SPD promulgating a bold agenda on innovation withhope of lifting the Party’s fortunes as the year progresses and economicrecovery takes hold.In France, the Parti Socialiste is coming up to the secondanniversary of Jospin’s third place in the first round of the Presidentialelections. Despite growing problems for the centre-right government,it still needs to show fresh unity of purpose and ideological renewal tobecome a credible challenger for power.
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Page 6 and 7: AcknowledgementsThis collection of
Page 8 and 9: Notes on the ContributorsTony Blair
Page 10: PrefaceTONY BLAIRI welcome this pub
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The NewPolitics ofInsecurity
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Freedom in Security:A Social Democr
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BRIGITTE ZYPRIES 87that these recom
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