Published Tuesday, June 24, 2008 at 11:56
by
Editor
in New Social Europe (432 views and 1 comments)
Have you ever
imagined how many elderly can not afford to go on holidays and the
consequences on their wellbeing?Published Monday, June 2, 2008 at 16:50
by
jose reis santos 
in New Social Europe (341 views and 0 comments)
Today, the Portuguese Secretary of State Fernando Medina takes the floor to present some of his ideas on the “New Social Europe”!
In a time where all over Europe people are presenting proposals for the common European manifesto for the 2009 election, the work developed by the PES activists in Portugal should be praised. I believe that we will have the necessary ideas to build a political agenda that will reinforce the social dimension of the European project. For example, we need to insist in the battle for a European minimum wage, as a protection mechanism, and to appeal to people. Naturally, each country has the liberty to adjust their measures regarding this issue but they should do so respecting common criteria. If most European countries already have this kind of measures, why can’t we give them a political hype, with the necessary visibility attached? We can actually make the same with the struggle against poverty and exclusion, especially when concerning children and youth. This is a crucial dimension in the sustainability of our social and economical models because it reinforces the cohesion dimension of our citizenship; because it fights the spread of poverty and maximizes the human and labor potential of our societies. These themes show that the politics of equality of opportunities should go beyond the non-discrimination approach.
Another issue is active aging and...
read morePublished Friday, May 30, 2008 at 14:36
by
lewismsyp
in New Social Europe (382 views and 0 comments)
(I'm Lewis Miller,
16 year old, a member of various organisations involving young
people politically in Scotland such as the Scottish Youth
Parliament and I enjoy trying to enthuse young peple in politics)
As a very politically aware young person in Scotland it seems to me like the our society losing sight of what it means to be a person and what it means to be a human being.
I think, and many others amoungst me think, that our society needs to uphold the values we were tought at a young age, we need to look at achieving goals that sound simple and yet are very rewarding. What a lot of young people (particualrly on the left) want is a society where people are cared for, we want to see Europe become a place where countires can support each other and where the poorest people can be helped. When we are only bairns we are told to share our food, we are told to look after each otehr, and so many of us forget that this is what society expects of us, and I think that the older politicians ought to remember seeing the world this way and never forget what society really stands for.
"But what should be our priorities for 2009-14?" Was the first question asked by the website. I think we should have a simple goal, to work towards creating a more equal, a more caring and a more enriched society. We should do...
read morePublished Thursday, May 15, 2008 at 15:32
by
Editor
in New Social Europe (492 views and 0 comments)
A New Social
Europe calls for solidarity between citizens of all ages.Published Monday, April 28, 2008 at 14:33
by
raphi sternfeld
in New Social Europe (596 views and 2 comments)
Tags: elderly, food crisis, welfare
File:
Hungerkrise_DE.pdf
Published Tuesday, March 11, 2008 at 10:00
by
carl0s
in New Social Europe (892 views and 3 comments)
In the Labour Party
we have always thought of full employment as a desirable goal. This
reflects the influence of those such as Keynes and Galbraith on our
thinking (despite Keynes being a Liberal). It also reflects the
localized depressions of the 1930s, 1980s and 1990s where classical
and neo-classical economics failed so many people. Simple fact:
markets are prone to failure. We should not let any prior
commitments prevent us from offering clear, humane alternatives
should this failure happen again. Around Europe, most people will
look to socialist parties to help them.Published Tuesday, November 27, 2007 at 10:26
by
carl0s
in New Social Europe (871 views and 0 comments)
I think we can identify four distinct "stages" where people make the most use of public services, particularly in regard to welfare and education services. They are not necessarily sequential. Firstly, from childhood to early adulthood, people need free-at-point-of-use education - its important that this is not only of academic quality, but also that the environment results in a decent formative experience. Secondly, families with a young child need a lot of support, from the birth through to free childcare. Thirdly, people with illness at any time in their lives should not be thrown back on the resources of the family, as the fear that this engenders will act to the detriment of general public health. And lastly, people who have finished work will need a future where they aren't worried about subsistence living. That way, younger people can look to the future with a degree of confidence.
If I'm stating the obvious here, then apologies. But for all four of these stages, there is no indication that private schemes or private insurance can adequately and securely provide for individuals. Private involvement at these times always involves public provision at some stage - for example, someone with health insurance always goes to their local hospital in an emergency. My belief is that public hospitals should not be charging their patients for care.
By combining health and social services for these different groups it should be possible to treat everyone...
read morePublished Monday, November 12, 2007 at 15:27
by
Editor
in New Social Europe (891 views and 0 comments)
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