The Third Way

[Larissa]

I've been trying to figure out if the Third Way works in Europe. All I know about this center-lef party is what has been published in the Internet and what the official media showed. But, for those who live in European countries (and even in the US, why not?), what's your experience about it? Is it a fake? Is is a weird way to introduce the left in a strong conservative society? Is it a strategy of the right to "capture" those who have not decided yet to support 100% left parties?

(As you can see, I'm really ignorant about it)

Let me have your comments, thanks!

[TheEndOfMan]

This is sumthing i want to know a bit more about aswell...... But i know even less than you.... Personally i support every and any means of making ppl more left... That is abide (is that the right word? lol) ofcourse of slaughtering them and stealing their children.... Then again?? :) Just joking... I think....

[redstar2000]

I'm sure the folks in England can provide you with all the dreary details. But as I understand it, the "third way" goes something like this:

Tony Blair = Margaret Thatcher with make-up.

It is not "left" in ANY sense of the word.

:cool:

[redstarshining]

From what I have read on their homepage ( thirdway.org ) I can tell that they are not really much "leftwing". Their idea of inflating private ownership sounds in fact very scary to me ( although it is possible that I misunderstood a few things, due to a lack of comprehension skills ).

"Our policy is: that employees of larger companies be made members of these companies through trust funds set up on their behalf, allowing them to exercise their individual right to vote according to the number of shares their interest in the trust fund represents. that company general meetings include representatives of employees and, if practical, consumers." ( http://www.thirdway.org/files/MF2001/econo...nomicdemoc.html (http://www.thirdway.org/files/MF2001/economicdemoc.html) )

What sense does it make to set up trustfunds if the means of production are still in the hands of the upper class? Despite of the fact that I reject the idea of a market economy in general, the workers would not benefit from this system. This is like having a democracy which is controlled by a dictator.

I don't want to make fun other peoples creative work, but some of the things on their website really made me smile ( their drug policy for example, among other things ) . Do they honestly believe the state could compete with established networks of drug dealers? The only way to get rid of them is by brute force, while at the same time improving living conditions.
They remind me of the german green party before they turned from 'very-moderate-utopian-left', to a party right of the social democrats. Something that did not make me smile though is their idea of nationalism. People who are promoting nationlist ideas are playing with a force they can hardly control.