In the CiF section of The Guardian online, Spanish President José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero took time to explain why he is backing Brown in a blog article entitled "I back Brown. And this is why"
As G20 leader the British prime minister proved his ability to deal with post-crisis policy both globally and in Europe.
My response follows (with corrections):
José Luis:
I can well understand why a socialist like you would want to show solidarity with the leader of the UK's Labour party. However, if Tony Blair had been more Felipe Gonzalez and less Margaret Thatcher then the UK would be in a much better position, indeed, if Gordon Brown had been more ZP and less an imitation of Tony Blair, things might have improved. However, this is not the case.
The New Labour party, distinct from the old Labour party I was once a member of, is nothing like the PSOE, it has become more like a schizophrenic that does not know if it is the CDS or Alianza Popular. The New Labour party in Europe behave far more as socialists than the New Labour party at home, in the UK; maybe this also causes some confusion. It is a pity that the New Labour party will lose votes in the EU elections, because, their work in Brussels and Strasbourg has been quite good, in sharp contrast to the work of some of their colleagues back home in the UK.
I need hardly remind anyone of the sight of New Labour leadership jumping eagerly into bed with the Bush Administration at the very first opportunity. This was another indication that Blair and company had ripped the socialist heart out of the UK's Labour party.
On the subject of Europe, I think you as well as I know that it's the most important political project that is before Europe's citizens today. In Spain, the turnout for the EU elections are somewhat lower than for the General Elections, in the UK the turnout will also be low, but not specifically for the same reasons.
New Labour have been in government in the UK for more than a decade, and they still can't decide whether they want to be fully in Europe or not. Even the pathetic delays regarding the UK's incorporation into the Eurosystem have been the result of New Labour's inability to think, decide and act with logic, reason and decisiveness. They can almost invariably snatch failure from the jaws of success, as they have skilfully done for a dozen years, or so.
The only option for socialists is either, to bite the bullet and vote for a Labour MEP, in spite of Gordon Brown, and his dreadful cabinet, or, to vote for one of the very small left wing parties, alternatively there are always the Greens. Therefore, it's a problem. , Socialists have marginalized and isolated by the New Labour party, for more than fifteen years, and no strong alternative or indeed a strong socialist current in the New Labour party, has emerged. This was also due to the deliberate policy of the New Labour leadership to keep socialists out of the photograph.
I could go on and on about how New Labour have let down their traditional voter base, their traditional membership and their traditional supporters. For many old time members of the Labour party, New Labour has been a particularly tragic letdown, involving an abandonment of basic democratic socialist values and principles.
Another thing to consider is issues such as the participation of women in politics, and especially in government. This is not something that New Labour has managed even as well as the PP in opposition. It is when a so called socialist party, in government in the UK, cannot address issues of equality as effectively as the Spanish rightwing opposition party, that you have to sit up and take notice. New Labour are light-years away from PSOE, and come the next general election they will probably be defeated, it is, at that time, that European socialists should be prepared to help the Labour party recover it's sanity, it's dignity, it's democratic socialist principles and its values.
As for Spain's Presidency of the EU, I am sure it will go just fine.
Fortunately for me, I now live in a country and community that does have a socialist government, and I also have the good fortune to live in Cordoba, where we recently lost our excellent Mayor (Rosa Aguilar) to the Andalusian government of José Antonio Griñán, where I'm sure she will do a great job in charge of Public Works.
On a more serious note, it was a good win in Rome the other night.
Anyway, un abrazo, Presidente.
Print | posted on Wednesday, June 03, 2009 4:52 AM