01/09/2011
Social democracy was arguably Europe’s greatest 20th century contribution to political governance. But who currently governs in the West? In the US and the UK, we have seen Wall Street and the City increasingly dominate political agendas, both nationally and wider afield, and thereby determine societal and economic choices and priorities. This has been a period of declining public facilities – education, child and health care, environmental quality, quality of life in general – amid growing inequalities, albeit with growing public debt. It has been a period of declining job quality (not to be confused with job stability), let alone of opportunity. Classical antidotes from the Left to such decline have proven increasingly outdated and irrelevant. A pity, because the social democratic vision of society has been squeezed to death between the twin doctrines of the populist Left and the champions of all power to the market.
The social democrat model, or ideal, has never been totally dead in its continental European heartland, and even in parts of the US polity. It can be resuscitated with sufficient determination. It is also the one political idea that is still capable of mobilising wide citizen support, and thereby also combating the delusory siren-songs of populism. And it is “exportable” to new major world players such as India and Brazil, or to the Arab world in its throes of conflict. Perhaps even China.
So what is social democracy, brought up to date in its 21st century context? Fundamentally it remains about equality of opportunity – not dishonest egalitarianism. That means a level social playing field – which means in turn a public authority with power and means to ensure that the playing field is level. It also means public authority capable of attracting the best talents as opposed to the declining standard of public service throughout much of Europe and elsewhere over the last two decades.
“But globally it won’t work” is the cry. But nor will sitting-back, in the case of Europe, and doing nothing on the grounds that we are helpless. Europe, birthplace of social democracy, might be surprised at how much the rest of the world might sit up and pay attention to a new socio-political message from our old continent. After all we did just that over the centuries from the Renaissance through the Enlightenment onwards. This has been a European heritage of free choice - not imposed by the curse of the Crusades and colonialism.
In Europe a capital challenge for social democracy is to seek new ways towards citizen representation, involvement and empowerment in the European process. Not just in theory, but in more difficult practical terms. What do our representational methods demand at local and regional levels? How do these coalesce at European level – without bypassing the national context which, whether some federalists like it or not, remains and will remain a constant reference for Europeans for a long time to come, such is Europe’s heritage? Economically, must we resuscitate Keynes? Is he not the economic flank of social democracy? Quite probably. There is no other alternative in sigh to combat the religion of the market – except for the need to restore public authority of a quality which will match the formidable technical progress that we have enjoyed.
Europe’s political orphans have an opening here. Social democracy is not a panacea; but right now there is not much scope and steam left in the other doctrines and “isms”. It is worth revisiting.
Robert Cox is a Trustee of Friends of Europe, former Senior Advisor to the European Community’s Humanitarian Office (ECHO), and former Commission Representative to Turkey.