politics, economy and employment & labour
Social Europe is an award-winning digital media publisher that publishes content examining issues in politics, economy and employment & labour. This archive brings together Social Europe articles on political issues.
The standoff over Catalan independence from Spain has split not only the region and country itself, but Europe as a whole. Beyond the ongoing pyrotechnics, this issue raises a bigger question: when is it appropriate for a smaller region of a larger geopolitical entity to secede? What criteria should be used to decide the legitimacy […]
The ‘European Pillar of Social Rights’: it could be a fine example of Euro-jargon masking very little substance, or it could be a chance for the European Union to turn a corner and demonstrate that its main priority is to promote social progress and a better life for European workers and citizens. The proof of […]
Seventy years ago in Fulton, Missouri, Churchill delivered one of his most influential speeches. In the cavernous hall of Westminster College, the former UK Prime Minister coined phrases that have stood the test of time: “special relationship,” “sinews of peace” and the “Iron Curtain.” In that speech Churchill famously cautioned that “an iron curtain has […]
Scratch the skin of any social democrat and s/he bleeds equality. Because of structural weakness we water the concept down into social justice or fairness or we try and dress equality up with more complex ideas like ‘capabilities’. The problem is that we aren’t getting it, indeed we’re moving further away from it. The great […]
When EU Heads of State and Government gather in Gothenburg this week to debate fair jobs and growth, it will be the first such ‘social summit’ in 20 years. At the heart of the agenda will be the formal proclamation of the European Pillar of Social Rights – 20 principles focused on equal opportunities and […]
As Germany’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and its Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union (CSU), seek to form an unprecedented “Jamaica coalition” with the liberal Free Democrats (FDP) and the Greens, the rest of Europe anxiously awaits the government program that will result from their negotiations. The stakes are high for Europe, because these […]
Europe needs a new breed of entrepreneur. Not just tech entrepreneurs who freeride on our personal data before becoming philanthropists. But civic entrepreneurs who dare to empower society without impoverishing it through their innovative ventures. But who is a civic entrepreneur? She’s someone who dares to be entrepreneurial in the part of society that most […]
Parties belonging to the ‘moderate’ political spectrum in today’s Europe have been claiming victory in national elections across EU countries. In the Netherlands, France, Germany and Austria, where the future of Europe was played out at high risk and high stakes, extremist forces ‘lost’. In the Czech Republic, even though Babis’ populists won the election, […]
On November 12, Greek progressives are electing a new leader through an open-to-all primary. Four parties and nine candidates are involved in the challenge. The process is similar to the Italian “Ulivo”, the predecessor of today’s Partito Democratico. But, unlike their Italian comrades, the Greeks have chosen to put the leader before the party. The […]
This discussion by Roger Scully about why people in the Welsh Valleys voted Leave is depressing although not surprising. In essence it is immigration, bolstered by local stories of Polish people coming into communities and reducing wages. I doubt if quoting econometric studies about how little immigration influences wages would make much difference to these attitudes (although […]
On May 9,1950 the French Foreign Minister Robert Schuman proposed “to make war not only unthinkable but materially impossible.” His plan was to create a common market of natural resources and production between France and Germany, along with the supranational institutions to administer it. Schuman hoped that the intense economic rivalry which had characterized much […]
I have always been a profound admirer of Spanish democracy, but especially since February 23, 1981. On that dramatic day, Colonel Antonio Tejero attempted a coup d’état against the young democratic regime. In his acclaimed book Anatomía de un instante (The Anatomy of a Moment), Javier Cercas describes how, under the threat of Tejero’s pistol, […]
