The victory of Syriza in Greece, a leftwing government in Portugal, the wonderful success of Podemos in Spain, a new chairman for the Labour party in Great Britain, the amazing victories of Bernie Sanders in the democratic caucuses in the US.
It is far too early to make a final analysis of what is happening, but one thing seems to be clear: many people, and most of all young people, seem to want something different in politics, they do not believe in neoliberal TINA-politics anymore, they think the world is far too unequal, they know they are the 99 % while it is the remaining 1 % that takes all the important decisions and pays no taxes. They know the ‘establishment’ or ‘la casta’ only listen to those who pay them, the CEOs of hedge funds, oil or car companies, the pharmaceutical industry, the mining corporations …
But we should have no illusions. It is not only the left that voices people’s concerns. The extreme right is as good in translating people’s worries about jobs, refugees, pensions, housing, etc. Donald Trump can certainly not be compared to France’s Marine Le Pen or Holland’s Geert Wilders, but what the rightwing parties in East and Western Europe, as well as some Republican candidates in the US have in common is their easiness to propose easy solutions: close the borders and/or bomb the intruders. They pretend to believe that a return to national policies will heal all wounds and will bring equitable economies and societies …They are very wrong, but people will only find out once these parties are in power.
There is another reason why we should have no illusions. There may be a clear demand for leftwing policies from important parts of the population in Europe, but most leftwing parties have no answer. Social-democracy has time and again made itself utterly incredible by supporting austerity policies and by allowing welfare states to be dismantled. Most of the radical left remains divided and competes for ideological purity, condemning Syriza as well as Bernie Sanders for not being really ‘socialist’.
But what could it mean to be ‘socialist’ today? What is it exactly many young people are asking for? Is it a state-led economy? A better regulated economy? Better social policies? Fair taxes? A more peaceful and equitable world?
The major problem of the radical left is that no serious ideological analysis has been made after 1989. It was easy to condemn ‘Soviet socialism’, but apparently it was too difficult to re-define socialism and to define new, utopian objectives for our times.
In the meantime, several radical leftwing thinkers even started to reject ‘modernity’ and ‘humanism’, as if religious fundamentalism of different strands did not exist. They denounce social policies, as if neoliberalism was not taking care of dismantling all structural solidarity mechanisms.
One wonders, when one has such friends, does one need enemies?
The European Union is slowly disintegrating, but what the left thinks of it, what its alternatives are, we do not know. The radical left is totally absent in the European debates, hesitating as it is between plan A, B1, B2 and C. What is the future one is dreaming of?
Maybe we should ignore the non-debates and focus on what is happening if credible and charismatic candidates are given a chance. It is clear to me that a new common sense is in the making, that the huge inequalities are not acceptable any more to more and more people, that mostly young people do not want more of the same anymore… slowly slowly the consensus around ideological neoliberalism is disappearing. The time has come for something new. It will not be ‘socialism’ as we have known it, but it will be politics at the service of the many, with more sharing, with commons, with a perspective on a better and peaceful world. We must hope the Donald Trump’s of the world get no chance to disturb this hopeful development.
There are new ways of thinking in the making, old dichotomies are becoming irrelevant, what counts is global justice. Another world is possible, indeed.
Please read the many contributions on the website www.globalsocialjustice.eu of the past two months. And take a look as www.socialcommons.eu with an e-book and summaries in Dutch, French and Spanish, as well as several articles. We hope you enjoy it. Your feedback is very welcome.
Francine Mestrum - 10 February 2016