Social Europe

  • EU Forward Project
  • YouTube
  • Podcast
  • Books
  • Newsletter
  • Membership

Bridges, Not Trenches, Between Social Democrats!

Christian Krell and Sönke Hollenberg 27th September 2018

Christian Krell

Christian Krell

A common analysis of the political tensions in western democracies focuses on a conflict between cosmopolitan and communitarian values and voters. Political scientists like Wolfgang Merkel see a big divide in western societies between cosmopolitan citizens, who are well educated, economically middle- or upper class, culturally liberal, internationally oriented and very open to migration and globalization, and communitarians. These tend to be less educated, from a working class background, more skeptical about refugees and open borders and put the stress on a strong nation state, local communities and Heimat.

Sönke Hollenberg

Sönke Hollenberg

Not only can we see this divide in the electorate, the argument goes, but also in the analysis of the problems of left parties. Some analysts see the social-liberal take on cultural matters, and the focus on identity politics, in combination with a neoliberal positioning in economic matters, as the main reason for left parties losing support among workers and thereby losing elections in general. A perfect illustration is the case of Hillary Clinton´s campaign during the last US presidential election: she managed to mobilize cosmopolitan voters in California, but couldn´t win the support of rust belt workers.

Others instead insist upon the duty of left parties to ensure open societies, strengthening the rights of sexual and ethnic minorities and prioritizing international cooperation, or even globalization, over national self-interest.

Left populists

In parties on the left spectrum one can also observe the same tendencies and politicians grouping around these two poles. In the German case the conflict is clearest in the left party, Die Linke, where one of the two party leaders, Katja Kipping, insists on open borders and international solidarity, while the other, Sahra Wagenknecht, the popular group leader in the Bundestag, criticizes cosmopolitans for only acting for refugees’ instead of worker’s rights and highlights the neoliberal background of identity politics.

The Social Democratic party (SPD) remains pretty united but some do want a change of course. Sigmar Gabriel, the former long-time party leader, has criticized what he thinks was a too dominant role of environmental issues in the party’s politics and demanded a reorientation to matters of identity and Heimat. Left parties often seem to be insecure in this new conflict, afraid of losing either former loyal voters like workers or newly gained, urban and liberal ones. Some political scientists like Merkel believe that left parties like Die Linke or the SPD have to decide between the two groups and advises them to choose the communitarian camp.

The advice implies the two positions are wholly incompatible, both substantially and strategically.

But do left parties have to decide between cosmopolitans and communitarians? Or can they address both? We believe a one-sided positioning here would be unwise, putting it mildly. Instead, there are historical, empirical and normative reasons for a symbiotic approach.

Big tent

Left ‘big tent’ parties like the Social Democrats have always had to combine different values among their electorate and mediate between different groups, both within the party and within society. The most successful period was also the most broadly-based one, when the SPD was able to represent a widespread societal consensus. Further, the success of candidates like Bernie Sanders and Jeremy Corbyn demonstrates how one can attract voters from different left positions: communitarian-type workers desiring social justice as well as cosmopolitan, urban liberals, prioritizing minority rights. Nevertheless, a candidate’s success in either group depends on their credibility in both of these. They highlight the increasing likelihood of success when common interests and experiences of the two supposedly very different groups are made clear, while at the same time opposing neoliberalism, inequality and injustice.

Social fabric

Moreover, normative reasons for uniting the two sides can be seen in the division of society and lack of community itself. Segregated areas within cities, filter bubbles in social networks and the loss of contact with people different to one’s own background lie at the core of today’s societal problems. Individualistic isolation and the absence of belief in belonging together as citizens of a republic indeed back up the communitarian complaint. But does a community have to be ethnically homogeneous or can it be built by everyone and based on a narrative of “us”? And is Heimat really endangered by refugees and foreigners or isn’t it rather threatened by an aggressive capitalism, ruining the social fabric of cities as well as destroying nature?

If the political left wants to unite the two sides and attract voters from both groups, it must address several aspects. First of all, there is a need for an inclusive discourse of solidarity, towards both minorities or workers. Solidarity is a value that still has strong backing in society, despite three decades of neoliberalism. Further, left parties must regain the capacity to act against the alleged constraints of international markets and to offer genuine alternatives for how future societies could be structured, instead of remaining under neoliberal hegemony. Last but not least, left parties have to improve the living conditions of ordinary people and enhance public infrastructure as well as address issues that impact locally but need international solutions, such as tax justice and tax evasion or climate change because that is the level where these battles can be fought and won.

For all these reasons, we believe that a winning strategy for the left cannot be built on one-sided arguments, but rather in uniting both sides of the debate in their common desire for recognition, equality and freedom. The road to success will be built with bridges, not by digging trenches.

Christian Krell and Sönke Hollenberg

Dr. Christian Krell is the Director of the Nordic Office of the Friedrich Ebert Foundation in Stockholm. Member of the SPD's Basic Values Commission and lecturer at the University of Bonn, where his academic focus includes the theory and practice of social democracy. Sönke Hollenberg is Scientific Advisor for integration and participation, Forum Berlin, Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung; From October 2018 he is Lecturer in political theory at the University of Bonn.

Harvard University Press Advertisement

Social Europe Ad - Promoting European social policies

We need your help.

Support Social Europe for less than €5 per month and help keep our content freely accessible to everyone. Your support empowers independent publishing and drives the conversations that matter. Thank you very much!

Social Europe Membership

Click here to become a member

Most Recent Articles

u421983467f bb39 37d5862ca0d5 0 Ending Britain’s “Brief Encounter” with BrexitStefan Stern
u421983485 2 The Future of American Soft PowerJoseph S. Nye
u4219834676d582029 038f 486a 8c2b fe32db91c9b0 2 Trump Can’t Kill the Boom: Why the US Economy Will Roar Despite HimNouriel Roubini
u42198346fb0de2b847 0 How the Billionaire Boom Is Fueling Inequality—and Threatening DemocracyFernanda Balata and Sebastian Mang
u421983441e313714135 0 Why Europe Needs Its Own AI InfrastructureDiane Coyle

Most Popular Articles

startupsgovernment e1744799195663 Governments Are Not StartupsMariana Mazzucato
u421986cbef 2549 4e0c b6c4 b5bb01362b52 0 American SuicideJoschka Fischer
u42198346769d6584 1580 41fe 8c7d 3b9398aa5ec5 1 Why Trump Keeps Winning: The Truth No One AdmitsBo Rothstein
u421983467 a350a084 b098 4970 9834 739dc11b73a5 1 America Is About to Become the Next BrexitJ Bradford DeLong
u4219834676ba1b3a2 b4e1 4c79 960b 6770c60533fa 1 The End of the ‘West’ and Europe’s FutureGuillaume Duval
u421983462e c2ec 4dd2 90a4 b9cfb6856465 1 The Transatlantic Alliance Is Dying—What Comes Next for Europe?Frank Hoffer
u421983467 2a24 4c75 9482 03c99ea44770 3 Trump’s Trade War Tears North America Apart – Could Canada and Mexico Turn to Europe?Malcolm Fairbrother
u4219834676e2a479 85e9 435a bf3f 59c90bfe6225 3 Why Good Business Leaders Tune Out the Trump Noise and Stay FocusedStefan Stern
u42198346 4ba7 b898 27a9d72779f7 1 Confronting the Pandemic’s Toxic Political LegacyJan-Werner Müller
u4219834676574c9 df78 4d38 939b 929d7aea0c20 2 The End of Progess? The Dire Consequences of Trump’s ReturnJoseph Stiglitz

KU Leuven advertisement

The Politics of Unpaid Work

This new book published by Oxford University Press presents the findings of the multiannual ERC research project “Researching Precariousness Across the Paid/Unpaid Work Continuum”,
led by Valeria Pulignano (KU Leuven), which are very important for the prospects of a more equal Europe.

Unpaid labour is no longer limited to the home or volunteer work. It infiltrates paid jobs, eroding rights and deepening inequality. From freelancers’ extra hours to care workers’ unpaid duties, it sustains precarity and fuels inequity. This book exposes the hidden forces behind unpaid labour and calls for systemic change to confront this pressing issue.

DOWNLOAD HERE FOR FREE

ETUI advertisement

HESA Magazine Cover

What kind of impact is artificial intelligence (AI) having, or likely to have, on the way we work and the conditions we work under? Discover the latest issue of HesaMag, the ETUI’s health and safety magazine, which considers this question from many angles.

DOWNLOAD HERE

Eurofound advertisement

Ageing workforce
How are minimum wage levels changing in Europe?

In a new Eurofound Talks podcast episode, host Mary McCaughey speaks with Eurofound expert Carlos Vacas Soriano about recent changes to minimum wages in Europe and their implications.

Listeners can delve into the intricacies of Europe's minimum wage dynamics and the driving factors behind these shifts. The conversation also highlights the broader effects of minimum wage changes on income inequality and gender equality.

Listen to the episode for free. Also make sure to subscribe to Eurofound Talks so you don’t miss an episode!

LISTEN NOW

Foundation for European Progressive Studies Advertisement

Spring Issues

The Spring issue of The Progressive Post is out!


Since President Trump’s inauguration, the US – hitherto the cornerstone of Western security – is destabilising the world order it helped to build. The US security umbrella is apparently closing on Europe, Ukraine finds itself less and less protected, and the traditional defender of free trade is now shutting the door to foreign goods, sending stock markets on a rollercoaster. How will the European Union respond to this dramatic landscape change? .


Among this issue’s highlights, we discuss European defence strategies, assess how the US president's recent announcements will impact international trade and explore the risks  and opportunities that algorithms pose for workers.


READ THE MAGAZINE

Hans Böckler Stiftung Advertisement

WSI Report

WSI Minimum Wage Report 2025

The trend towards significant nominal minimum wage increases is continuing this year. In view of falling inflation rates, this translates into a sizeable increase in purchasing power for minimum wage earners in most European countries. The background to this is the implementation of the European Minimum Wage Directive, which has led to a reorientation of minimum wage policy in many countries and is thus boosting the dynamics of minimum wages. Most EU countries are now following the reference values for adequate minimum wages enshrined in the directive, which are 60% of the median wage or 50 % of the average wage. However, for Germany, a structural increase is still necessary to make progress towards an adequate minimum wage.

DOWNLOAD HERE

Social Europe

Our Mission

Team

Article Submission

Advertisements

Membership

Social Europe Archives

Themes Archive

Politics Archive

Economy Archive

Society Archive

Ecology Archive

Miscellaneous

RSS Feed

Legal Disclosure

Privacy Policy

Copyright

Social Europe ISSN 2628-7641