Costa defends ‘more militant’ social democracy in the face of populism

The general secretary of the Social Democratic Party said in Germany on Tuesday that Social Democracy must be “more militant” and respond “confidently” to growing populism fueled by fear and uncertainty caused by the events of recent years.

“Populism feeds on fear, and we need to ensure trust,” defended António Costa, speaking at a panel discussion on “how to defend a democratic Europe” in the context of the European elections next June, held at the Frederic Foundation. Ebert, in Bonn.

The PS leader, who traveled to Germany from Monday to Tuesday to attend the celebrations of the 50th anniversary of the founding of the party in the city of Bad Münstereifel together with his German “sister” party, the Social Democrats of the SPD (socialist family), emphasized their the conviction that there is “every reason to have a more militant social democracy.”

“And one more thing: we need a more militant social democracy. We do not fight the far right and populism only with speeches. We must start by understanding how people feel and why there is such a rise in populism,” he said. .

Noting that these have been “very special years” recently, the PS Secretary General said that people are currently living in a “cocktail” where “there is a malaise” arising from the return of war to Europe, in the face of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. at a time when it was thought they could finally breathe after “two terrible years of the Covid-19 pandemic”, and which also had the effect of “rising energy prices, spreading inflation and the ECB raising interest rates”.

“It is impossible to create a society that is not afraid, anxious, and uncertain about the future. And that’s okay. And the responsibility of politicians is not to tell people that people are wrong, it is to give people a reason to regain confidence,” the PS leader advised.

António Costa argues that it is also a way to respond to people’s concerns about the consequences that the digital and energy transition will have on their lives, with politicians suggesting there will indeed be consequences, such as job losses and changing habits. – but explaining why these changes are so necessary, ensuring “investment that creates more and better jobs” and ensuring “no one is left behind”.

“We have to make these changes, and what answer can social democracy give? This is the answer it has always given: to be defenders of the welfare state, which is a protection in the face of the vicissitudes of life,” he said, pointing to the National Health and Social Care Service, for example.

António Costa also warned that we cannot forget, as often happens, “what led to the birth of social democracy, namely the fight against social inequality.”

Arguing that “it is important to fight all forms of inequality,” such as gender inequality or inequality based on sexual orientation, Costa emphasized that it is necessary to always keep in mind “the greatest inequality of all, the most transversal, which continues to be social inequality.”

“And our people, our voters, voters of social democracy, often did not feel represented in our speeches. They thought we stopped worrying about social inequality because we were so worried about other types of inequality,” he said.

Antonio Costa argued that progressive parties must continue to appeal to “those people who believed in social democracy” and who know that under social democracy today there are public schools, the National Health Service, labor laws, decent wages. “And we have to manage ourselves in a reliable and effective way so that people actually feel like they can improve.”

“With us, we increased the minimum wage by 72%, and the average salary increased by 40%. People know one thing: they live better today than in 2015. In what next year do they want to live better than this year?” year? Of course they do. And we need to work to ensure that next year they live better than this year,” he said.

António Costa, who resigned as Prime Minister on November 7 and will also leave the leadership of the PS, ended his two-day visit to Germany at the Friedrich Ebert Foundation at the head of the party delegation, one of his last actions as Secretary General, given that his successor will be chosen in direct elections on December 15 and 16, about three months before snap legislative elections scheduled for March 10.