Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Who will raise the progressive flag in the European political battlefield? Hollande or SPD - Greens?

Will Hollande or SPD - Greens put an end to the neocons (Merkoz et al) destruction of Europe?

1) 2011 was politically a very good year for European conservatives, EPP or other. With the exception of Denmark, all the national elections of 2011 brought conservative EPP member parties to power!

At present only 4 EU (3 Eurozone) member states are not governed by conservative governments or technocrats (the cases of Italy and Greece): Cyprus, Austria (a grand coalition but with a social democrat PM), Slovenia and Denmark.

Hardcore austerity has been a key element of the conservative domination of  EU and Eurozone politics.

Until Saturday, the French Presidential election in France and the potential election of Francois Hollande was where the Eurozone's "battle for Middle Earth" was going to be "fought". The next day of the second round, May 7, could be the one that marked a new tide in Europe, a progressive one!

2) But the Art 23 issue in Germany (see my previous post: "Merkel's fiscal compact evokes article 23 of the German constitution: a) An own goal by Merkel or b) A clever plot?") offers SPD and Greens the chance to reverse the tide, bfore Hollande. By rejecting the fiscal compact! 

Will they do it or prove they are "Ordoliberal" too as Ulrike Guérot and Sebastian Dullien seem to suggest in their article "Why Berlin is fixed on a German solution to the eurozone crisis" in The Guardian last Friday?

In other words the Art 23 issue forces the SPD and Greens to take a stand. Are they part a) of the conservative or b) the progressive Europe?


The progressive social and political forces of Europe are looking at SPD and the Greens and wondering. Are they ready to raise the flag of progressive politics in Germany and the Euroaone and EU by rejecting Merkozy's Fiscal Compact in the votes in the Bundestag and the Bundesrat or will they contain themselves with minor growth trade offs and wait for Hollande to make the difference?

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