FOREWORD
IS 2014 REALLY THAT SPECIAL? Arguing for a strategy of credible prospects and partisan behaviour.
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uropean citizens seem to have lost their belief that electing a European Parliament is exceptional. Throughout the past 34 years, turnouts have been gradually declining. Next year it is likely to drop even further because of the continuing crisis. The European Union no longer appears as a credible promise of a better future. Social and economic policies seem exempted from citizens’ scrutiny, and estranged from serving the goal of building prosperous and fairer societies. In opinion polls, people declare that their focus is on making it from one day to the next. They neither think that they can shape their own lives, nor they trust politicians to do so. Why would citizens vote in 2014? Political families, including the progressive one, have proposed a number of arguments, which range from traditional appeals such as “this is a historical opportunity to shape Europe”
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to “this is the first time after the global crisis”, or “there will be top candidates”. All of these are valid, but then again, they somewhat
THE CRISIS HAS LIMITED THE DEBATE TO TWO QUESTIONS: “WHAT IS IMPOSSIBLE ?” AND “WHAT IMMEDIATE EXIT STRATEGY COULD THERE BE ?” seem politically polished. If the goal of social democracy is to inspire citizens to vote and change the direction of Europe, more will be required.
DELIVERING CREDIBLE PROSPECTS
Politics of the last five years have been determined by the multilayered crisis. It has set its own rules for deliberating and debating. The long-term perspective has been wiped out, which has undermined ideologies and blurred differences between parties, impoverishing all levels of politics, including the European one. The crisis has limited the debate to two questions: “what is impossible?” and “what immediate exit strategy could there be?” This attitude deprived the European project from the core meaning of its promise: working together for a better tomorrows. As political distinctions fade away, societies divide themselves according to different lines, defined by parties that play on negative messages and induce feelings of fear. The current European Parliament is already the most fragmented and has the largest percentage of extremist, protest and populist groups in history – and it is possible
QUERIES — Summer 2013