euro|topics - The crisis on the Left

04/07/2009

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Main focus of Monday, September 1, 2008

The crisis on the Left

The leftist parties across Europe are in crisis. Relegated to the opposition in many countries, they are struggling with dwindling membership and ideological marginalisation. The European press analyses the decline of the Left.

Le Figaro - France

The convention of the French Socialist Party (PS) took place over the weekend. Le Figaro newspaper accuses the party of having lost track of its goals and convictions: "Not only is the Socialist Party wandering aimlessly in ideological terms, it is also living a permanent lie. It lies to itself. Because everyone knows the party will never recover without choosing an incontestable, uncontested leader. ... For a long time the PS has proposed nothing original or coherent, because it has not reflected, worked, or questioned itself. Cacophony reigns in the party regarding the future of Europe, the institutions, and how to deal with both the extreme left and the centre. ... In the midst of a methodological and ideological crisis, the Socialist Party has lost its bearings." (30/08/2008)

Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung - Germany

The Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) has betrayed its ideals, writes the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung. This is seen for example in its handling of the Caucasus crisis and the visit of the Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader of the Tibetans: "If you take a sober look at the SPD today, you see anything but a cosmopolitan party. What you do see is an autistic obsession with personalities ... and systems of reference that are only understandable to insiders, all of which refer to our welfare state. ... Appeals not to offend the sensibilities of wounded party leaders are slowly becoming the hallmark of a party that was founded to protect the poor. ... It is hard to imagine that social democratic parties once wooed dissidents, convicts and opposition figures. ... A return to the tradition of cabinet diplomacy is never amiss for reasons of state, but for a mainstream party it is not enough." (31/08/2008)

Famiglia Cristiana - Italy

The Catholic weekly Famiglia Cristiana accuses the left-wing democratic opposition party Partito Democratico (PD) of wasting its time with constant infighting: "While the government distracts our attention ... with alleged emergencies, the increasingly belligerent, masochistic and divided opposition presents us with the spectacle of its mental confusion and total lack of effective proposals for low-income families. ... It has nothing to say on issues that are the province of left-wing parties, and instead of coming up with a solid family policy it is tearing itself apart. A swift and conclusive initiative or a party congress aimed at establishing a joint strategy should be organised before the party drowns in a quagmire of schizophrenia and depression - both among its leaders and its voters. The nation has had enough of this Tower of Babel the party has become as it awaits the Flood." (01/09/2008)

» To the complete press review of Monday, September 1, 2008

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