PES Manifesto

Victor Negrescu: Bureaucratic populism affects left-wing ideas

Published Wednesday, February 27, 2008 at 10:05
by negrescuvictor (836 views and 3 comments)

Yesterday I participated in a conference on populism. The participants, mostly from Germany and Romania talked about the definitions of populism and the dangers of populism in the new world context. The speakers talked also about the neoliberalism populism and the danger of wanting to beat populism through populism.

Nevertheless, I noticed that all seemed to ignore an important issue – at least for me. It refers to the transformation of social claims into image-like demagogical issues. I’m talking here about the image that the public opinion tends to have on several social issues like social protection, public service, etc. Because people are more and more disappointed by politics they tend to look at the parties and the politicians that talk about this social issues as populists. For instance we tend to see recently in the media phrases like: “the trade union demands AGAIN a new raise even if the economical situation is bad”, “the socialist party wants to rise up the amount of the retreats even know that the economy can’t support it” or “environmental projects cost too much”.   The same kind of image also concerns the big infrastructure projects that are more and more criticized even though progress can’t come unless you work for it or towards it.

So how can you beat populism without being populist? What should you do when your social topics are viewed as populist even though you are defending them for several years now? How can you beat the neoliberalist idea that your social requests and struggles are far over the capacity of the national economy?

Basically it seems to me that all over Europe, and mostly in Eastern European countries, the left wing social culture tends to be put into the corner by the argument that today’s world’s economical context can’t support our requests: “stop asking for a rise because the company can leave the country”, “stop striking for the increase of your social protection”, “stop asking for public service”, etc. Today populism is disguised behind the high degree of bureaucratization that exists - unfortunately very much as well on the European level.

The bureaucratic culture looks upon the left wing claims as populist, utopical, idealistic requests without any support in the real social and economical life. Therefore influenced by this new trend of bureaucratic expertise the left wing parties tend unfortunately to dream less and less of a brighter future whereas the right wing parties have no problem with defending the status-quo. But what best describes for me the left wing ideas, is precisely the right to dream of a brighter future and think and work towards it. Without hope of a better future or of change in better, the left wing values don’t exist. Our ideas can’t express a true social and humane goal if we don’t start rebuilding a new social culture based again on trust and will of change and a better life.

Socialists and left wingers all over Europe, unite yourselves and let’s start rebuilding today the new social claims!!! Let’s start dreaming again and make our democratic and social requests count in the eyes of the people in the extent to which our goals have a good purpose!!!

Tags: blogger of the week, globalization, political parties, public services, wages