After a successful workshop on online campaigning at the Vienna Forum, several activists offered us their ideas. Jon Worth pointed to the need for further online debate and commentary in the run up to the 2009 elections. Aidan O’Sullivan highlighted the need for grassroots activist to activist campaigning using all available media. One activist suggested the creation of a Europe wide holiday.

Would you celebrate a European holiday? Help contribute to online campaigning by posting your comments on this and other topics.

How best to “Save Our Planet”? What contribution can the EU make to this global challenge? In Vienna, PES activists from across Europe had their say on this crucial issue. Anton Muyldermans encouraged innovation in combining social and ecologic measures in efforts against climate change. Jan Hofste suggested the foundation of a European institute to coordinate these efforts and an innovative way to finance it.

Any suggestions on how to balance social and ecological policies? Would you like to see a new European institute to fight climate change?

On development, Laura Sullivan said that aid must be “genuine” and “effective.” EU aid policy must take into account the positions of NGOs and trade unions. Also on the subject of development, Emmanuel Drouin expressed the urgent need for a European policy on Africa in order for development to be socially just and democratic.

Barbara Revelli highlighted the importance of the Mediterranean in external relations and asked what contribution the EU can give to the Mediterranean Union. This, of course, is of particular relevance issue in light of French President Sarkozy’s recent initiatives in creating such a union.

What are your views on EU-Mediterranean relations? Is there a need for a Union of the Mediterranean or should the PES discourage such a policy? Please have your say on Yourspace.

Julia Raptis highlighted the role of fear in European politics, particularly in the debate on immigration. She argued that the EU must foster an image of “the good guy” in the form of a Social Union.

What is your image of the EU in the context of globalization? What can Europe do to better protect it's citizens from the negative effects of globalization?

Is there an institutionalised democratic deficit or do you agree with Florent when he says the problem is that we are simply not taking advantage of the mechanisms available to us?

Relive the moment and check out comments and interviews from the Vienna Forum with PES activists from across Europe on our Youtube page and stay tuned to Yourspace for more forum videos on themes such as online campaigning, emocracy and diversity, Europe in the world and Saving our planet.

The classical welfare state was linked to the national state and to an immense exploitation of nature. Now, we have to construct a new vision on how a better life is possible. The Greens are focusing on how to combine ecology and economy, but the real challenge is of a social nature. In an increasingly unequal world, the richest fifth of the population spends only 2.5% of their income on energy; the poorest fifth spends 9%. Given these facts, Europe should not orient itself towards an American or Asian model.

Louis Lemkow, director of the Institute for Environmental Science and Technology at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, suggested that we must combine solidarity, sustainability and social justice when it comes to saving our planet. Commentary from activists included many statements on energy production, consumption and efficiency. More specifically; access to energy as a social problem, emissions trading, technology transfers to poor countries and the possibility of a European institute to coordinate environmental research. After one activist asked whether nuclear energy might be an option, concerns were raised about nuclear energy being neither emissions nor risk free. A Dutch activist wanted the Manifesto to be more politicised. “Save our Planet” should be a priority as such – not only in order to create new jobs, another Dutch activist claimed.

In concluding the session on “Save our Planet”, Michael Mueller insisted that sustainability is a social problem: it is against short-termism, it is against unilateralism, it is against the primacy of economy. On the contrary, it is about decentralisation and proximity. We should not focus that much on comparing traditional and renewable energy sources, but rather on how we can boost energy efficiency.

What do you think Europe should head for on this issue? In your opinion how can Europe conciliate its needs of migrants and the security concerns of the public opinion?

These were just a few of the conclusions from the workshop on online campaigning at the recent PES activist forum in Vienna.

The workshop's panel consisted in four PES activists sharing their experiences with online tools: Jon Worth from the UK, Esteban Romero from Spain, Victor Negrescu from Romania and myself, Rikke Skovgaard Andersen from Denmark. All speakers are heavily involved in online campaigning activities.

The presentations varied from general advice on online campaigning and use of social networks to presentations of concrete, online activities and tools that PES activists can use. The panel answered several questions from the audience - among other things the debate adressed topics such as 'critical mass' for an online debate forum, advantages vs. disadvantages of online polls and the feasibility for 'Obama-style' fundraising via small, online donations.

There's a lot of potential in online campaigning - something which workshop participants were certainly aware of. Online tools will, in many ways, be a crucial support for PES activists: One important use is for internal coordination. If PES activist groups are to collaborate in the upcoming election campaign, they'll need to put online networking and communication tools to good use. We can't afford to travel across Europe to meet each other regularly, so we need to find ways to communicate and coordinate online. The internet is free and fun, so let's make the best of it!

Secondly, online tools can help PES activists reach new audiences. By using for example Facebook or other social networking sites PES activists can reach people in an informal, fun and very direct way. Further, most online communication tools are based on dialogue: you can communicate to others, but they can also respond to you. Enabling dialogue rather than being a megaphone for monologue (like most traditional campaign means are) makes online campaign activities a lot more appealing to voters.

These were just a few of my impressions from the workshop. Other participants, please don't hesitate to add your conclusions and impressions! I'm very excited to see what the 2009 election campaign will bring with respect to online activities. So let's continue the brainstorming here on Yourspace!

Find presentations from the online campaigning workshop attached to this post - you're welcome to use them. In case you do, it would be very much appreciated if you credit the authors.

Are there anyone who would like to read even more about online campaigning and its potential for PES activists? Here's a blog reader for you:

Online campaigns and Facebook at the PES conference, Vienna by Jon Worth
Political blogging - something to bite by Jon Worth
Nuevos mecanismos para una Europa unida by Esteban Romero
Taking online campaigning seriously by me

Jean Asselborn (LSAP, Luxembourg), key-note speaker, stressed the role played by the Balkan region to stabilize Europe. The region must be stabilized in the frame of a peaceful Europe. Moreover, the failure of the “Balkan project” will have as a consequence the failure of Europe as a peace project.

Asselborn defended that the EU must assume a role in the Middle East. On the one hand Israel has the very right to exist, but it must stop its settlement policy and the blockade of the West Bank. The key to world peace lies in this region of the globe.

Piero Fassino (DP, Italy), the second key-note speaker on this session, underlined that what is lacking in Europe is not transparency – the procedures are very clear – but democracy! Citizens feel that they do not participate in the construction process of the EU.

Additionally, immigration will increase in the coming years and migration questions must be treated on a trans-national perspective. Europe it’s not about borders anymore, it’s about policies.

Tania Dimitrova, PES activist on the panel, said that EU has to continue its most successful foreign policy: its enlargement.

More than twenty activists intervened on this session. Here are some of the opinions expressed.

- Nuclear energy in general and the question of Iran in particular. Who is / should be in the position to allow or forbid a country to have nuclear energy?

- We shouldn’t mention exact dates (years) for EU membership of Balkan countries. The Copenhagen criteria must be decisive. Accession should be possible sooner or later

- Against Baltic pipeline. We need a common EU policy. We shouldn’t underestimate energy as a political issue

- We must spread a European vision in the world, especially in Africa

- We must make clear choices in Africa: Shall we support the dictators or the social democrats?

- We must do more to end poverty, working together with NGOs and trade unions. A clear commitment to (real) development aid is necessary

- In our paper we are too enthusiastic about the role of the NATO. We should rather advocate a stronger role of the United Nations

- We need a common procedure on migration in Europe. It is also important to prevent people to come to Europe

Do you agree with these points? What is concerning you the most regarding EU and the world?

Continuons par une moins bonne nouvelle : les européens n’assurent pas le renouvellement des générations. En effet, il faudrait une moyenne supérieure à 2 enfants par femme pour que cela soit le cas et nous en sommes loin. Avec des taux de fécondité de seulement 1,25 en Espagne, en Italie, en République Tchèque et en Pologne, la situation est parfois très inquiétante.

Le vieillissement de la population européenne aura dans les prochaines années des conséquences économiques et sociales très lourdes. Une pénurie de main d’œuvre et de matière grise qui fragilisera la croissance économique. L’augmentation du coût des soins médicaux et des retraites et les inégalités qui en découleront.

Face à ce défi démographique, l’Europe doit remettre en question sa politique en matière de migrations car elle fait fausse route. La construction de l’espace Schengen a conduit à l’édification de barrières juridiques ou matérielles qui équivalent à fermer nos territoires à la majorité de la population mondiale. La directive de la honte votée le mois dernier va encore plus loin dans cette direction.

Par 369 voix pour, 197 contre et 106 abstentions, le Parlement européen a adopté, mercredi 18 juin 2008, la directive sur le « retour des immigrés illégaux ». Ce texte qui a été massivement soutenu par les conservateurs prévoit : une durée de rétention excessivement longue, la détention d'enfants en centres fermés, l’absence d'obligation pour les Etats d'organiser une assistance juridique gratuite, la possibilité d'expulser des personnes gravement malades, des interdictions de séjour sur le territoire européen de 5 ans.

Cette politique est une catastrophe humanitaire, n’oublions jamais que des hommes et des femmes meurent tous les jours au pied de la forteresse que nous avons construits. Or, disons le clairement, c’est un mensonge qui fonde cette politique : l’idée que l’immigrant menace notre sécurité, nos emplois et même nos identités. Les medias relayant cette représentation renforcent cette peur irrationnelle. La réalité est bien différente. Les pays européens qui ont la croissance économique la plus rapide sont ceux où le solde migratoire positif est le plus élevé comme l’Irlande ou l’Espagne.

Nous devons combattre cette politique de fermeture des frontières et promouvoir à tous les niveaux des politiques d’accueil de nouvelles populations. De nombreux élus locaux ont engagés leurs territoires dans cette direction en Suède, en Espagne ou ailleurs mais à l’échelle nationale et européenne les décisions en matière d’immigration restent trop souvent marquées par une démagogie xénophobe.

L’enjeu est de passer de la perception du migrant comme une menace à celle du migrant comme une chance pour nos sociétés. "Le courage c’est de chercher la vérité et de la dire" comme le disait Jean Jaurès. Alors assumons cette vérité. Les migrants ne menacent pas nos emplois, ils viennent contribuer à garantir nos retraites et à pérenniser nos politiques sociales.

Il faut aller jusqu’à la remise en cause de la catégorie légaux/illégaux qui par nature est factice car ce sont les Etats qui décident de considérer ou pas tel ou tel migrant comme "légal". Les migrants sont des êtres humains, à ce titre nous devons leur reconnaître des droits et la possibilité de s’installer dans une Europe qui a aujourd’hui besoin d’eux.

Il s’agit enfin de considérer que ce qui fonde notre union ce n’est pas l’héritage du passé mais notre avenir commun. Cet avenir nous le voulons ouvert sur le monde. Chacun peut y avoir sa place. C’est un vrai et beau combat politique et culturel. De ceux qui donnent du sens à l’existence même d’un parti socialiste européen.

- More than 10 posts have already been published by activists on YourSpace.

- Nils, from the PES secretariat, created a Facebook group.

- Aleksander, from Paris, posted photos on Flickr. And so did Francisco and the PES Secretariat

. You can also find photos on Emilio's Picasa web albums.

- Paula, from Brussels, posted photos on Facebook. And so did Alice, Cécilia, Aleksander, Thierry and Kim.

- Some of the presentations made during the Forum are also online. These are the cases for José Reis Santos, Rikke Skovgaard Andersen, Aidan O'Sullivan and Jon Worth.

- A press article has been published in the weekly magasine of the French PS.

- Three blogs have been published about the Forum. One by the Mouvement des Jeunes Socialistes,other by Loja de Ideias and a third one by Emilio.

If you are communicating on Vienna, please send also a short message to contact@pes.org and we will post it here!

Video presented in Vienna during the first PES activists Forum. Read other posts on the Forum submited by participants here and leave us your contribution!

In the presentation "Experience Europe - Cross-border campaign exchanges" the panel was formed by four activists presenting different aspects of their campaigning in Ireland, Spain, Portugal and France.

Adrian O'Sullivan presented us his experience with PES activists coming to Ireland to help in their election. I wasn't planning to make a report, and therefore took no notes, just took pictures. Adrian mentioned that integrating the non Irish activists was a priority. There were the logistic aspects, picking them up at the airport, finding the most suited accomodation, and, very important, the pub. The pub is the first step to get into Irish culture. Door to door campaigning is popular in Ireland, guest activists were teamed with Irish; guests were appreciated and gave a european dimension to the campaign. I really regretted not having been able to take part, but we had our own campaigns in France.

Francisco Polo presented the PES activists campaign for the reelection of Zapatero. The campaign had two slogans, or rather a logo which was " ^^" which played with Zapatero's eyebrows and an upwards progressive policy, and a slogan "PAZ" (Peace) which were the first letters of the "Plataforma de Apoyo a Zapatero" (Platform of Zapatero supporters). This platform initially formed by personalities of all walks of life, extended to groups such as Women for Zapatero, Handicapped groups, Gays, Lesbians, Transsexuals, bisexuals etc. Internet campaigners and finally Europe with Zapatero coordinated by Francisco. He then invited PES activists to join, and they flocked to Madrid. Once the campaign finished, Francisco realized the need to organize PES activists through Spain, and shortly after he counted up to 2.000 members. Cataluña was already organizing and working on the manifesto.

José Reis Santos presented how Portugal's activists worked on the manifesto. The PES and the manifesto are about working together instead of each one in his own corner. Their idea was great, each manifesto subject was worked upon in different places and then put together in one.

Aleksander Glogowsky presented what was done in France namely in Paris. There is a well organized Federal Commission in Paris, with not only French members, but also from the SPD, PD, PSOE, SPÖ, PS Portugal, Labour and other Parties. Paris being a cosmopolitan city has many foreign communities, we therefore

campaign for other nationals to vote in elections of their national countries. Marches are organized, and leafleting at places where nationals from other member state citizens meet; Alexander pointed out that in the municipal elections of last March there were 28 candidates from other European countries, two of which were not French nationals.

Find here below the file of José Reis Santos's PowerPoint presentation. The presentation of Aidan O'Sullivan can be found here.

The inaugural meeting of PES activists in Ireland was held on Tuesday 24th June in the Labour Parliamentary Room in Leinster House, Dublin - the home of the Oireachtas (Irish Parliament). We met below a mural which showed the early and more modern leaders of the Irish labour movement grouped around an image of Marianne leading the French people in the Revolution of 1830. Ireland's republicanism and our socialism owe much to the example of the French revolutions and meeting beneath this mural was our way of paying homage to that tradition.

Our aim is to build European Left politics on the ground in Dublin. Since June, more than 70 activists have joined our city group. There is enormous interest both in Dublin and across Ireland in what we are proposing. PES people are "on the move" in Ireland! Two events in particular have brought in extra members: the Labour Party's annual "Tom Johnson Summer School" in Galway and the setting up of a Facebook page (only accessible if you have a Facebook account) for PSE Activists Dublin.

We have had considerable support from Nils and Sandrine in Brussels and from our own party head office here in Dublin. Indeed our members include Donna Pierce, Chairperson of the International Affairs Sub-committee of Labour's National Executive, Michael McLoughlin, the party's International Secretary and Proinsias de Rossa, MEP for Dublin.

We are also setting up a website at www.pes-dublin.eu and are planning a series of seminars with political figures from the PES across Europe. Our first seminar takes place in September and will be addressed by Richard Yung, a PS member of the French Sénat, on the subject of civil rights to social rights. If you know of any PES member who is resident in Dublin and might be interested in getting involved, please put them in touch with me through our website.

The PES manifesto consultation has ended – after over 300,000 visits to Yourspace and more than 600 contributions posted! But our dialogue on ‘Yourspace’ goes on! We will continue to debate the hot issues that will shape the European elections – migration, climate change, rising food and energy prices, jobs, equality, the EU treaty – as well as getting ready for the elections: presenting PES candidates from different countries, discussing campaign activities, hearing about your events, exposing opposition parties and candidates, drawing the dividing lines between the PES and the other European parties, and keeping you informed about the preparation of the PES manifesto.

We will kick off the post-consultation dialogue with a debate on migration – kicked off by Portuguese socialist and former European Commissioner Antonio Vitorino – as well as reports from the PES activists forum in Vienna on July 4-5 (the final event of the manifesto consultation) and a focus on mobilizing the votes of the millions of EU citizens living and working in other EU countries.

http://manifesto2009.pes.org/ - it’s still your space…

The biggest problem for Bulgaria is the corruption and control of European funds to reach their purposes.

Now let me present some other ideas for the manifesto...

Women’s rights:

Let me show you two exemples of countries where no one would say that women occupy important posts: in Iran (Islamic Republic) half of the board of directors or financial directors in State-owned companies are women and in Bulgaria (the poorest EU member) women have the same or better salaries.

Women should have more rights especially during their maternity.

Education and information!

Everybody should have access to good quality, state sponsored education. The processes in the world of education are terrible - we have less and less people that have real information about what is happening and knowledge on how to process it.

And it becomes to be like in old Egypt: two persons will know when there will be a solar eclipse and then they will manipulate a population of 20 million…

Peace means Peace

Socialism means peace, not war.

However it seems hard for EU politicians to admit it. Here are some facts:

90% of Bulgarian people were against Serbia bombing in 1994 but officially Bulgaria helped bombing and killing people.

I believe 80 to 90% of Europeans are against Iraq occupation or military presence in Afghanistan – what are we doing there?

In a way Bo was right, it was a beautiful week-end, nice and sunny in Vienna and there we were, a bunch of some 300 people sitting in a room with no windows, listening to other speakers talk, at times fighting against sleep, raising our hands to get a chance to say a word when instead we should have been pick-nicking in a park with friends or family. And, to make matters worse, we had to put our hands deep into our pockets to get those Euros out that paid for our trip to Vienna. And there was fatigue too. I had a General Assembly of my PS section and got home late on Thursday night, still having to pack, try to get a few hours of sleep before starting off and finding my way to the airport. Helène worked late on Friday, but I convinced her to go to because I was confident that she would love the experience. And she did, in spite of fatigue.

The Vienna forum was really worth it, and sorry Bo, but I wouldn't have traded it for the best pick-nick in the nicest park or field of the Union with the best possible company; company we had, and the best too! And if you, my fellow activist, missed the Vienna Forum, don't miss Madrid this winter!

"The PES treated us as kings"  

We in France had non-stop elections for the last two years. What's worse, we have our party's National Congress coming in November. Every one is getting busy on it, trying to come out in the best position for him or herself and their friends. And we all have the European elections in June. As I get more and more involved in political activism, the more I want and the more I am frustrated because I feel we didn't do enough, or that we didn't get the chance to do more. On the contrary, I left the Vienna Forum with the impression that there was a lot we could do, that the PES is giving us the chance to act and giving us clues of how to campaign.

Comparing with Porto, we were many more grass-roots activists present and from a much wider array of countries. I do not pretend here to give a complete overview of what went on, just the impressions I got and one or two conclusions I made which I want to share with you.

The PES treated us as kings. We were lodged in a very good hotel and food was excellent, not to say about drink which was good and plenty. We even got a town tour! In that sense, we could not expect more. Or could we? We had to pay for our own trip, and thinking about it, maybe it was probably better that way. Normally the cost of the flight would have been a deterrent for me to join the Forum, but I wonder if it was not better that way because, had the PES sent a limousine to pick me up at my doorstep and then put me on a first class flight to Vienna, would I have been invited or the guests would have only been those who had the right contacts? I believe this is one of the most important aspects we have to take into account: keep activism for dedicated activists and avoid it being coopted by party hierarchy. This of course I say from my limited point of view, and if you don't agree, please speak-up and let’s find the best way to have as may PES members as possible in the next EU parliament.

It was a pleasure to see the Spanish delegation, active and well represented. There were basically two groups, one from Barcelona and another from Madrid. Whereas in Porto there were only a few individuals. Speaking with Francisco Polo who made the presentation of how they campaigned for their election of Zapatero, it became clear to me that the Spanish PES activists have their place because the PSOE leadership does not control it. I don't know how it is with your own MEPs, but I know a little of how it is in France. We have some very good, competent hard working MEPs, but we also have some that are there just there to cash their paychecks and have "Member of European Parliament" printed on their cards. Europe and the PES deserve better. Other delegations were present too, mentioning the Spanish one does not mean that it was the only one.

Exchanging good practices 

Since Poul Nyrup Rasmussen was elected our president, the PES is going through a very important change, mutating from a club of leaders into a real political party made out of leaders as well as of activists. A door was slightly opened for us, lets all get in through it and not let it close behind.

Diversity is our advantage and we should use it as one of our trump cards. In one of the workshops Aidan O'Sullivan shared with us his Irish campaigning experience and how they managed to take advantage of activists that went to Ireland to help; Francisco showed us how they took advantage of the PES in the Zapatero campaign; Jose Reis Santos gave us an insight of the way they draw-up the manifesto in Portugal and Aleksander Glogowsky told us about what the Parisian group did to boost the PES. Out of all this it is clear to me that we have to exchange amongst PES activists as much as possible and share our experiences in order to gain in efficiency.

There is the manifesto2009 all right, a very good idea for next year's election. But the manifesto can't get us the votes all by itself, and the Vienna Forum helped me to see better on how we could organize our campaign. On one side the experience that others shared, my own experience in national and municipal campaigns and the expert advise we got from Bo Krogwig.

We have to exchange amongst activists throughout Europe. Meetings such as this one in Vienna are very good, but we can't have them every week. The PES puts forward some tools for us to use: Yourspace, for instance. Nevertheless, maybe because I don't know how to use it, or for some other reason, I think there is something still missing. Could we have a mailing group? It could be a good way to keep in touch. What do you think? One thing seems clear, let's stay abnormal! Let’s keep things moving!

In May 2007, we invited activists from all over Europe to come help in the Irish General Election campaign.

The initiative was a fantastic success! We knocked on doors together, we leafleted target areas together, we shared ideas and stories and we formed new cross-European political relationships!

This is how PES Activists works....activist to activist co-operation, building the New Social Europe from the grassroots level upward.

Check out the short presentation on our experience!

So far, more than 3000 young people joined the Network and are active in the fight against right wing extremism.

We as SJOE offer several things: concerts (rock against racism), seminars, workshops, exhibitions, meetings with contemporary witnesses, excursions and many materials. We consider that it is absolutely necessary to share our experiences with other organizations as many countries face similar problems.

Through this exchange we can have a look at “best practices”, but also discuss things that may have not worked as good as we expected. This communication forms the base for developing new strategies for campaigning and should therefore be in the center of the PES preparation of the upcoming European election campaigns.

We should spread our voice. Improve cooperation between European and national Socialist parties is the solution. We want to build a New Social Europe based on the equity of opportunities and solidarity but to achieve it we need your help and support.

It is important to defend women rights. Being a woman should not be an obstacle. Women are intelligent, talented… Women have innovative ideas. We, women, have the support of the socialist leaders and politics. Socialists have the challenge to create a New Social Europe. They engage themselves to think and find solutions for people’s real problems. That’s why the manifesto2009 is being prepared.µ

We have the resources, the organization, people and our essential strengths: our values!