Build back better—then pay for it
The pandemic-linked crisis is not the time for fiscal consolidation. But introducing a genuinely progressive tax system will become essential.
Politics
Social Europe is an award-winning digital media publisher driven by the core values of freedom, sustainability, and equality. These principles guide our exploration of society’s most pressing challenges. This archive page curates Social Europe articles focused on political issues, offering a rich resource for innovative thinking and informed debate.
The UK’s European question is far from over
‘Brexit’ stemmed from the takeover of the Tory party by its Eurosceptic fringe, whose prejudices will now collide with reality.
Border pushbacks: it’s time for impunity to end
Research on pushbacks of asylum-seekers reveals a massive number of such human-rights violations—yet it could be just the tip of the iceberg.
Closing the representation gap
Sheri Berman argues that the embourgeoisement of centre-left parties has fostered a crisis of representation, at the heart of democratic dissatisfaction.
Corporate taxation—momentum is building
The international system for business taxation is starting to crumble. Now is the time for civil society to apply pressure.
Joe Biden’s missing coat-tails
Attention across the world to the US elections has focused only on the federal level. But the battle for the statehouses mattered too.
A fair, humane and realistic asylum policy
A workable asylum policy in line with European values could be pursued by a Schengen-style coalition of the willing.
Brexit and the misunderstanding of sovereignty
While the negotiators haggle over a deal to avoid a new-year car crash, the fundamental problem is the obsolete notion of sovereignty held in London.
Reform of global taxation cannot wait
The huge fiscal pressures occasioned by the pandemic mean global tax-gaming by corporations and the wealthy is a luxury we can no longer afford.
The Biden victory and the future of the centre-left
Postwar global progress has hinged on a transatlantic alliance of progressive parties. The election in the United States potentially opens a new chapter.
The rule of law: a simple phrase with exacting demands
If the finger is to be pointed—rightly—at Hungary and Poland, then the EU must insist on compliance by all with universal norms.
Care, capitalism and politics
The coronavirus crisis has highlighted how the welfare state of the future must be built on an ethic of care rather than self-interest.
Barrelling towards the ‘Brexit’ cliff edge
The most frightening thing is not the UK government’s end-game strategy, Paul Mason writes. It’s that there isn’t one.
Europe must stand up to Hungary and Poland
The European Union cannot afford to compromise on the rule-of-law provisions it applies to the funds it allocates to member states.
The rise of right-wing nationalism: from Poland to Polanyi
Karin Pettersson argues that far from history ‘ending’ in 1989 it has returned, with a vengeance, due to the very deregulation its trumpeters embraced.
The lost cause of the Trumpocracy
Like the southerners who never could get over their loss in the American civil war, Trump has nothing left but his own mythology.
Minimum-wage directive: yes, but …
The draft minimum-wage directive is a crucial first step but more needs to follow on the way to a social Europe.