A New Left in Europe: Austerity Gves Rise to New Political Parties

[sabrina 1]

Populist Left Policies are regaining support Globally, after the horrific Neo-Liberal Policies imposed on once First World countries throughout Europe. The damage caused may never be totally repairable, the IMF/Word Bank having indebted countries there as they have elsewhere, a practice which ends up stealing their sovereignty.

They were a total failure for the Working Class. However their main goals were achieved, which did not include the working class. Wall St investors and other Financial predators, profited wildly from the distress imposed on many of these nations. Forced in many cases to sell of their national assets.

Naomi Klein's 'Shock Doctrine' tells about the same neo liberal policies once reserved for Third World nations, which have now been in full swing with the same disastrous results in Europe.

It was inevitable that the people would eventually reject them.

A New Left in Europe: Austerity Gves Rise to New Political Parties

A new Left is rising in Europe as the new year begins. And despite the fears it engenders in polite society, this New Left is less Marxian than it is — oh, the horror — Keynesian.

Keynesianism is a complex economic theory, but its central insight is simple enough: If every institution stops spending, economic activity will decline. Self-evident though this may be, this insight has eluded such global economic institutions as the International Monetary Fund, as well as Europe’s economic hegemon, Germany, when dealing with the depression that has devastated southern Europe, and Greece in particular.

Naturally cuts to Social Programs was a key feature of these Draconian 'Austerity' policies. They really hate to see the 'little people' using up any money their own greedy hands could be grabbing.

The policies that the European Union — that is, Germany — has imposed on southern Europe run counter to every lesson history teaches us about how to counter a prolonged economic crisis. In the 1930s, Franklin Roosevelt devised the New Deal not merely to counter the Depression’s effects but specifically to bolster what was then the underdeveloped economy of the American South and Southwest. His remedies extended beyond such successful stimulus programs as the Works Progress Administration , which gave millions of Americans jobs building needed public infrastructure. His policies also were crafted to bring the Southern economy into the 20th century through such programs as the Tennessee Valley Authority and rural electrification. The Jeffersonian anti-statism of today’s South notwithstanding,

it was the New Deal and postwar military spending, as well as minimum wage and civil rights legislation, that enabled the Southern economy to catch up with the rest of the nation

.

I could see why the Third Way and the Republicans have worked hard to get rid of the New Deal programs here since Austerity European Style neo liberal policies are policies THEY support also.

A similar understanding of the economics of depression and under-development could have yielded more successful economic outcomes in the European south over the past few years. German Chancellor Angela Merkel also could have learned a lesson closer to home: It was the austerity policies enacted by Chancellor Heinrich Brüning in the early 1930s that plunged Germany deeper into depression and paved the way for the Nazi takeover. Say this for the German misunderstanding of macroeconomics: It’s consistent.

Is it possible that the world has had enough of these neo-liberal, Wall St, Third Way policies?

It does seem to be spreading, the movement toward a more populist agenda and the failure, for ordinary people, of the policies supported by the Right and neo-liberals, does seem to be what is driving this movement towards the Left.

So maybe the time is right now for Populist Reform of the Democratic Party?

[whereisjustice]

1. it can't happen soon enough eom

[Jackpine Radical]

2. Great work, Sabrina.

[Demeter]

3. There's never a wrong time, just the wrong people

but things are changing, and the young are returning to the political stage. Our grandchildren! They are picking up where the Boomers left off.

[jtuck004]

4. "Populist Reform of the Democratic Party" - never gonna happen. n/t

[L0oniX]

8. Both parties suck on the corporate $$$ teat...

they and the 1% win either way.

[jtuck004]

13. Mergers are all the rage these days. n/t

[grahamhgreen]

12. It's as inevitable as water moving mountains.

[sabrina 1]

14. Why do you think that? Polls show that a majority of the people support Progressive

policies and even vote for them when they are on ballots across the country.

I understand it seems impossible to reverse the Corporate takeover of the party, but nothing ever is impossible when there is enough will to get something done.

So, imo, since the Dem Party was populist before and when it was, did so much for the Working Class, Minorities, Civil Rights, Financial security to a great extent for All Americans and history seems to go through cycles, I see no reason to believe, especially now that people have suffered so much through Third Way/Reaganomics, that it can't happen again.

[Mustellus]

5. Joseph in Egypt was the first Keynsian.....

Remember? Save during the seven fat years, so that you can feed the people during the seven lean years?

Not like Republicanism: Spend like a drunken sailor during the seven fat years, and then force the poor to give up their food during the seven lean years.

Just a little ammo to use with your fundie free market friend....

[sabrina 1]

15. Thanks I like that. I will definitely use it for my fundy adversaries!

[RoccoR5955]

6. If it should happen here in the US

it will take quite some time and effort, as the current tweedle-dee and tweedle-dum parties are so ingrained in the society and the system.

[L0oniX]

7. The oligarchy must be over thrown.

[LiberalLovinLug]

9. Maybe the US needs a third party on the left

I'm just thinking that here in Canada, we have basically three parties. A more progressive party, left of center, New Democratic Party. The more third way neo-liberal Liberal party, who are almost the same as the modern DLC Democrats.. and the die hard Conservative party. Right now the Cons rule mostly because the Liberals got too full of themselves and people tired of them. Otherwise the Liberals have been the dominate party in the past, and I suspect in the near future as the son of one of our more admired PMs Trudeau, is running for the Liberal party next election. What traditionally happens is the Liberals skate into office because of Liberal party faithful, combined with moderate left and moderate right voters, support them and its a shoe in. I'd much rather have an NDP government, but I'm starting to come to the conclusion that perhaps the Liberals are the best we can do.

And so the same would be in the US. If you had a third populist more left party, who FOX and the rest of the corporate news media could pile on as the devil incarnate, and with the Republicans sinking lower and lower into tea bagger crazyville, and their eggs all in the 1% basket, the Democratic Party would be the winners. Sure, as in Canada, once in awhile the Cons will get in, but for the most part the Democrats will win most times. Of course the corporate pleasing blue dogs and third-wayers will still be a part, at least there is some kind of balance and catering to the actual 99%. But maybe thats the best we can hope for. I don't see Hillary as the beacon of progressive enlightenment, but compared to the alternative...

Having only two parties makes it too dangerous to be defined by the press as all one way or all the other. Its so much easier to create that kind of narrative. As black or white, as terrorist fighters or appeasers, as economic geniuses, or destroyers etc..

Then again, there'd be a lot of years of growing pains. It hasn't worked out too well for Nader. But maybe the mistake was in not pushing forward with that party after 2001. Being more aggressive afterwards despite the hand wringing from some on the left.

Its just so frustrating when there is no left criticism from any official political party on a third-way Democrat's plans. The only criticism is from a Republican who then will define some pro-corporate boondoggle (like the ACA) as some kind of socialist takeover.

[RiverLover]

10. Thanks for this very insightful post, LLL.

The press does try to define us, and simple minds follow suit. We may -have- to form a 3rd party at some point, a large one, populist, if the current Democratic party continues running on populist themes but acting as republicans in office.

We are seeing criticism now from the left. It's a rising tide. So hopefully, we can bring Democrats back to the left, for real. I'm hopeful anyways.


Democrats see rising populist sentiment. But can it shake Hillary Clinton?

http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/democrats-see-rising-populist-sentiment-but-can-it-shake-hillary-clinton/2014/12/22/a07434c4-8801-11e4-b9b7-b8632ae73d25_story.html

[sabrina 1]

16. Yes, the big question is 'can the Democratic Party be taken back from the Third Way

from inside the party or not?

I think it can. But it will take a lot of very hard work and TIME.

Starting with, rather than focus so much time, effort and money on the Presidential Election, as it appears no matter who wins the Billion Dollar race, Wall St wins, focus EVERYTHING on Congress.

Congress, in the hands of real Representatives of the PEOPLE, can stop any Corporate action from the WH. But that doesn't work in reverse as far as I can see.

So the focus should be on Congress. We will be distracted by all the billion dollar hype for the WH race, so that we are not focusing where the people DO have power.

I hope that doesn't happen, but it is, already so it will take an effort not to fall for it and to concentrate on winning seats in Congress for the people.

[KoKo]

20. It has to be bottom up and not focus on top down!

We have been trying...but, the loss of Howard Dean's "50 State Strategy" efforts set us back. Then the "Citizens United Decision" mucked up everything.

Getting "Citizens United" overturned should be a priority along with grassroots efforts to focus on Congress. Media comes into it also. Some kind of "Fairness Doctrine" restrictions on those ads that come from outside the campaign dark money from foreign and corporate interests.

[Enthusiast]

11. K&R! Populist Reform of the Democratic Party isn't a choice, it is essential.

[jtuck004]

17. When the Federation of Labor was trying to kill the CIO, some at the CIO

argued that they should join, to try and change the AF of L from the inside.

One can read Matles book "Them and Us" (as well as others) for more info. If you haven't you probably should anyway. That and "Wanted: Men to Fill the Jails of Spokane: Fighting for Free Speech with the Hobo Agitators of the I.W.W". Both are educational, though the second one has nothing to do with the subject.

Some of the more experienced and passionate forces attempted to show that trying to change the business-oriented Federation would result in the destruction of the CIO, that the strength of the working person was in each other, but that they needed to control the decision making. The CIO (and the IWW folks among them) they were about as successful as Jimmy Carter was in getting everyone to recognize their self interest, and in the end the allied forces of business, trade unions, and the government destroyed their movement, and the CIO was subsumed into the AF of L. And here we are.

I suspect a "reform" would be a good way to keep busy while more people get used to living with less, but I don't see any force from inside being potentially as strong as what is happening outside, and I don't mean the other party, such as it is. And it isn't necessarily positive.

[sabrina 1]

18. Could you elaborate on the last part of your last paragraph? I do not want to misunderstand

you but it is rather cryptic.

[rhett o rick]

22. What it says to me is that the power of goodness is nothing compared to the power of badness.

But they didn't make the "so what" point. I hope they aren't recommending we give up and capitulate.

[KoKo]

19. Recommend....Green Shoots of Populism appearing Globally

We have to have hope. It's gonna take a lot of work.....

[rhett o rick]

21. The embers of a revolution (peaceful) are smoldering. At some point they will

ignite. We must keep up our hope. We must stick to our principles thru thick and thin and not support those that are ok with the status quo.

[TBF]

23. This is why defeating TPP is critical -

we need to be able to communicate with other workers worldwide.

If the large corporations/banks (republicans and third way) take over the internet we will lose this potential to fight back with modern tools of communication. They fight globally against us & we need to be able to do the same.

[sabrina 1]

25. Yes, exactly. Corps have been global for a long time. Now the Working Class is beginning

to do the same.

The Longshoremen eg, who have already been dealing with a version of the TPP, foreign corps changing decades of US tradition eg, have worked with Longshoremen across the ocean.

And OWS did so also.

[Cosmic Kitten]

24. Is it 1968 again?