For the heavy stuff...

As some may have noticed for the past weeks I have been posting my blogs on Maltatoday's new portal which obviously has a wider readership.
I was thinking of shutting down this blog. Instead I have decided to keep it alive so that from time to time I post blogs of a more personal and ideological nature which are of little interest for the general public. At the risk of rambling... here is some food for thought.

1. Globally social democracy is well past its expiry date (Locally we can't even speak of a normal social democracy but a mixture of populism and different nuances of social democracy and pure tribalism). Ironically in Europe most interesting debates are happening within the center right where liberal conservatives (like Cameron and Fini) are increasingly detaching themselves from "new right" populism while the only successful alternative discourse to the dominant model is that of the greens not just on issues like climate change but on fundamental issues related to citizenship, green jobs, immigration and sexuality.
Obviously the lib con "big society" agenda although one of the most innovative (reminiscent of green concept of grass root democracy and christian democratic subsidiarity) still conflicts with visions of modernity based on radical democracy and ecological sustainability.
One fundamental difference revolves around fiscal policies i.e. whether to simply ditch state responsibilities to private interests or whether to decentralise power while ensuring that communities have the resources to take care of themselves. The money always has to come from somewhere. Slashing taxes simply makes the big society poorer. It also ignores the defense of the commons (ex resources like water which belong to the collectivity).

2. Substituting social democracy with some vague progressive label at best a no starter and at worse a deception. There are different ways of being progressive in today's world and there is no natural hegemonic block which can serve as a container for all these shades of progressivism. Neither is the cause of progress better served by the popular front narrative of the 1930s (no use changing the unity between socialists, republicans and communists with a unity between socialists, greens, the left and social liberals). It may well also be served by coalitions between democrats and modernisers hailing from different traditions. What counts is the chemistry of shared values (ex human rights which are not always valued by those on the left who glorify Chavez and Castro) and the reality of numbers and the threat posed by populism, which is mostly right wing but sometimes is economically left-wing or at least statist. Obviously am not excluding a realignment of the centre left win Europe if it is based on a qualitative leap beyond the limits of social democracy towards more ecological and social liberal horizons. Is this best served by inclusive Democratic parties or by variable alliances? Much depends on local circumstances.

3. Precarious jobs is the only rallying cry left for the far left. But once more they seem to miss the whole point by attempting to resurrect the fixed job for life model instead of focusing on the creation of a social model which accommodates these changes while making poverty history. Part time work offers groups which were previously excluded from the labour market a greater chance to integrate themselves, if this process is accompanied by enlightened and inclusive social and educational policies. A reform of welfare along the lines of a citizenship income is needed to balance the unleashing of productive forces brought about by the breakdown of the old productive model. Obviously there is also an unacceptable non productive and purely speculative side of late modern capitalism.

4. A constitutional patriotism which celebrates a cosmopolitan identity is the only alternative to the exclusive discourse of the far right. This means that our societies must remain open to different cultures and ethnicities but at the same time they should remain bound by secular values enshrined in the constitution. So while fighting islamophobia we should be the first to uphold the right to satirize and even ridicule all religions including islam. While for example Muslims have the right to build mosques, they have to accept the right of others to question their most basic tenets in art and literature. We should remember that in countries like Malta even Catholics are not willing to accept this, something which throws doubts on our own status as a western democracy.