Election in Germany

[jess64]

I was inspired to join this forum after reading about the recent election in Germany of the Conservative Chancelor.

In a NYT article an official from the Socialist Democratic Party in Germany says that the SD Parties across Europe are in serious trouble because the traditional working class no longer exists and there needs to be a re-evaluation of what this means for the Left.

What are peoples thoughts on this?

[Q]

The working class exists, and is vastly universal in Europe and the western world. It is the Social-Democracy who has betrayed the working class and are therefore in deep trouble, to repeat the understatement.

Sadly, this betrayal also marks the unorganisation of the working class as a class in its own right, with its own vested interests. This rotting process has left us with completely imploded organisations, not only in a political sense but more and more in the unions aswell.

The revolutionary left, who has long dwelled on the mass parties to build their own sects, has been completely unable to cope with that reality, isolating us further. Now, this may very well change, given that we're entering a new historic period of crises, not only economic, but also social and political. We however, the revolutionary left, need to stop bothering about our sectlets and need to address the class as a class. Yes, revolutionary organisation is important, but not more important than organising the class.

[red cat]

Elections and parliamentary parties will lead to nothing. But don't worry, the proletariat will strike some day to take over.

[redasheville]

I was inspired to join this forum after reading about the recent election in Germany of the Conservative Chancelor.

In a NYT article an official from the Socialist Democratic Party in Germany says that the SD Parties across Europe are in serious trouble because the traditional working class no longer exists and there needs to be a re-evaluation of what this means for the Left.

What are peoples thoughts on this?

I'd say that the SDP official has it backwards, in a way. The Social Democratic parties have all but abandoned their own reformism, and switched gears in a neo-liberal direction. This has led to a pretty serious problem with their credibility. The SPD had its worse turn out since the end of WWII, and they took a serious dive this election. Die Linke, a party left of the SPD (though still reformist) has made serious gains in this election. This says to me that workers are fed up with the SPD and looking for an alternative, and are set against the pro-business agenda and the right, which is a positive development.

[eyedrop]

I was inspired to join this forum after reading about the recent election in Germany of the Conservative Chancelor.

In a NYT article an official from the Socialist Democratic Party in Germany says that the SD Parties across Europe are in serious trouble because the traditional working class no longer exists and there needs to be a re-evaluation of what this means for the Left.

What are peoples thoughts on this?
Here, in Norway, our "red'n green" government stayed in power after the recent election which is quite unusual.

I think the left is loosing territory because all the traditional left in power are forced by economic conditions to enact neoliberal policies, and aren't even attempting to fulfill their election promises.

[Comrade Gwydion]

The working class exists, and is vastly universal in Europe and the western world. It is the Social-Democracy who has betrayed the working class and are therefore in deep trouble, to repeat the understatement.



A better way of frasing that might be that the Social Democratic parties have betrayed the working class, because they have dropped the social-democratic (Or democratic-socialist) ideologie.

[Q]

A better way of frasing that might be that the Social Democratic parties have betrayed the working class, because they have dropped the social-democratic (Or democratic-socialist) ideologie.
What else could have been meant with "social-democracy"? Social-democracy has become synonymous with reformism for a century now. 1914 was a breaking point between revolutionaries and reformists because of the rightwing's support of World War 1. Since then the reformists have even dropped the pretense of reformism and have evolved into a "kind face" of capitalism. When you want cuts "with a smile", vote social-democracy.

In any case, reformism is a dead road, leading only to betrayal and defeats. It's latest incarnation of "democratic socialism" is no less stinking than its predecessor.

[Die Neue Zeit]

Oooh! I like the subtle hint implied by the hyphen you put in that term! :D

[Shin Honyong]

The problem with NYT's point is that most Social Democratic parties in Europe have essentially become liberal parties and turned their backs on the working class. They also seem to forget that the CDU didn't do that great either or that The Left Party has taken away much of the support for the SPD and did very well in the election.

What we might be seeing is the death of New Labour/Third Way Social Democracy, which we should be happy about.