Yes to Europe and Yes to Democracy

The European Elections on June 4^th will be the first national election since the economic recession. We live in interesting times. The DGS has argued in previous editions that the current economic crisis is also a political crisis for the neo-liberal ideologues.  And whilst these interesting times create opportunities for the left we should not forget that these are also dangerous times. There is the very real possibility that, in some regions of England, the far right British National Party could win seats in the European Parliament.

Such a prospect worries any genuine progressive. But it is not enough for socialists to stand on the sidelines and say ‘Don’t Vote Fascist’.

Sadly, and once again in Scotland, there is going to be at least three left wing alternatives put before the electorate – No2EU, the SSP and the SLP. The Greens will also stand, potentially splitting the progressive left-green vote in Scotland four ways. Once again the DGS reiterates our call for left unity. As we have said before the left can claim only limited credibility if it is divided. But in the absence of electoral unity left wing candidates can once again prepare for a vote that will be very much about flying the flag (or flags) rather than any serious prospect of an electoral breakthrough.

But left unity is not just a question of organisation and greater partnership working, important as these issues may be. Left unity is also a political question. What is missing in the European elections is the common political ground which is a pre-requisite for any serious talks about unity; and no matter how hard some of us may try we cannot wish left unity into existence.

The forthcoming European elections are beginning to reveal one thing; the left, just like the right, is divided on Europe. The divisions appear to be on the question of how we approach the European Union. As progressives and internationalists it is a truism that we all want relationships with our European neighbours to be based on greater co-operation and harmony.

However, we should not let this ideal allow us to slip into the trap of thinking that to criticise the politics of the European Union is somehow anti-European. This is a nonsense and similar to saying that because someone is hostile to the policies of the Westminster parliament that they are somehow anti-Anglo Saxon!

We need to be clear that there is much which is not right with the current EU. And it is for this reason that we should broadly welcome the attempt made by some trade unionists, particularly in the RMT (Rail, Maritime and Transport union), to question the neo-liberal direction of the EU. And whilst not getting too carried away we need to welcome the fact that trade unions are ‘thinking outside the box’ to use this magazine’s term, and considering alternative electoral strategies to that of supporting Labour.

On many of the big questions of the day the EU has promoted an agenda which we in Scotland would call Thatcherism. The No2EU campaign, launched by the RMT and in which Solidarity is participating, is correct when it condemns rulings by the European Court that have enabled companies in the construction sector to drive down wages and at the same time undermine collective bargaining and decisions agreed at national level.

Moreover, No2EU puts its finger on the button when it raises awareness of the fact that the EU is highly centralised and suspicious of genuine grassroots democracy. But it is not just enough for progressives to outline what it is that they are against. Socialist and left voters are intelligent enough to want clear and achievable alternatives. We cannot reduce complex political discourse to simplistic slogans.

The EU is more than just a ‘bosses club’; it is also an alliance of twenty seven nation states and home to almost five hundred million people.

In these interesting and dangerous times and only a few months after some sections of workers demanded ‘British Jobs for British Workers’, the left uses slogans such as No to the European Union’ at its peril. The problem with the No2EU slogan is not just that it’s simplistic, but also that it is a slogan which some voters might normally associate with the political right and the Union Jack waving Tory party.

We also need to point out that not everything about the EU is bad. Its development has been uneven and contradictory (‘dialectical’ as Marxists might say). And whilst this uneven development has encouraged neo-liberal directives the EU has also pursued policies that are progressive (which Britain normally tries to opt out of).

The creation of a single market has allowed freedom of movement within the EU bloc something that anyone who calls themselves an internationalist should welcome. Any attempt by capitalism to use the age old tactic of using one group of workers to undercut the wages and conditions of another needs to be challenged on a socialist basis – but that should not mean reducing the question to participation or non-participation in the European political process.

We cannot pretend that the Europe Union does not exist. There can be no return to the 1970s when many on the left opposed the creation of a single market. These are different times and our analysis needs to be updated. Economic integration is a reality whether we like it or not. The challenge before us is how to make the EU more democratic. That means staying inside the EU and arguing for progressive reforms. Instead of simply dismissing the parliament as an ‘expensive fraud’ we should be arguing that its power and scope is extended, and its practices democratised. We also need a serious debate on which powers should be retained, recovered or devolved to nation states. The left should counter pose a vision of a Europe that is democratic, green and socialist to the current bureaucratic, pro-big business set up.

Many potential socialist voters will be wary of the slogan No2EU but there can be no doubt that there is in the current set up of the EU a democratic deficit. What we really need to fear is the ways in which this lack of democracy is leading to the rise of nationalistic and xenophobic arguments that threaten the very existence of European co-operation. And we all know the lessons of the twentieth century to see what happens when Europe is divided.

If an independent Scotland or the existing UK were to withdraw from the EU without a serious attempt to achieve the kind of reforms outlined above it would be a victory for the forces of jingoism and reaction. It is for those reasons that the left needs to warn of the dangers of isolationism and promote greater social and cultural unity between the peoples of Europe.

In regards to left unity in Scotland the challenges facing socialists will undoubtedly continue long after the European elections. In this space the DGS will continue to urge greater dialogue, co-operation and partnership working amongst socialist and progressives. Solidarity has taken a first step with the pro-unity resolution adopted at its December National Steering Committee. Is there anyone else on the left in Scotland brave enough to stick their head out of the trench that is party politics and call for unity? This is the real question facing the left.