Who's left?

"Quand les hommes ne peuvent plus changer les choses, ils changent les mots."
Jean Jaurès

A year on from their loss to Sarkozy and 6 years from their loss to Le Pen, the PS has not been able to go beyond it's largely uncomfortable and disjointed Gauche Plurielle, the left cause isn't stuck in 1968 it's stuck in 1982. The Socialist in the Socialist Party became redundant the moment Mitterant admitted the failure of his Statist economic policy in 1981, since then it has been relying on it's own dwindling electoral base and the imposing personality of it's leader, that and a divided RPR. Ever since the end of the Mitterand years, the left seems unable to move on and challenge it's principles, and it's electoral success (if any) has more to do with the failures of it's opponents (Sarkozy and Chirac) then the actual popularity of their policies and their visions.

That's not to say that Jospin or Royal were not appealing to the French Electorate, but the dissatisfaction with the Party was evident in 1995 and 2002, with the trickling away of votes to the extremes, as was it's redundancy in 2007, considering the Campaign wasn't really a movement for change, more one against change with a pretty smile. If one were to look at the actual election pledges and promises of the Socialist Manifestos of 2002 and 2007 they are largely the same, though one was called "le droit d'inventaire" and the other "Le Pacte Presidentiel" they only differed really in presentation and wording. Though the latter did stress the importance of knowing La Marseillaise and Flag Waving, one does wonder whether the party is stuck in some odd time warp.

The party has been promptly deserted by two of it's most promising and in my opinion Presidential Members: Bernard Kouchner and Dominique Strauss Kahn. The former, joining the Fillon Government upon it's election and subsequently being excluded from the Party, and the latter, being so embarrassed by the state of the Party and tired of it's seeming unwillingness (though clear need) for a social democratic revolution, has gone and joined the ranks of the IMF.

Other leading Socialists such as Francois Hollande and Martine Aubry have disappeared into the wilderness, not that they have much to offer anyway in terms of novelty and fresh thinking. So what are we left with? What's left? (I will stop with the bad puns soon, I promise) Well the factions seem to have risen and polarised since the fallout of last year's election which resulted in the lynching of failed candidate Royal by a party shamelessly unable to admit collective defeat.

The first we can identify, is the one which has always existed, the branch epitomised by Laurent Fabius, as former Prime Minister in the 80s, he's no spring chicken and neither are his ideas which are pretty much your standard socialist agenda. He represents the old administration of the Mitterand years and what some would qualify the comfort zone of the Party.Bertrand Delanoë (the recently re-elected Mayor of Paris) and Segolene Royal are sparring on similar territory, both trying to bring the Party more to the centre, both claiming to represent the third way for the Party. Their approach differs more in tactic then actual ideology, as Segolene Royal intends to forge an alliance with the centre party Modem, while Delanoë prefers to foster change within the party itself.

While to some this might seem like the burgeoning of a direction for the party, the dust has yet to be stirred, as they all may talk of change or renewed outreach, but their words mean little since no new ideas are coming to the fore and the debate within the party is very stale. After all talk of change has been going on since 1995 by roughly the same people.

The recent blues of the Sarkozy administration has given the Party a boost in support which has once again delayed the perceived need for change, and encouraged that dreadful spirit of nostalgia for their Golden Age and their subsequent apathy. The leaders of the Party are all too busy with their own self promotion to bother trying to unify the party, while other party elders are scared to interfere for fear that the party will tear itself to pieces and split.

Hollande needs to be more open to debate and start trying to reforge the identity of the party instead of idly watching the Punch and Judy show which is the forefront of Socialist politics today. They also need to start challenging the Government, that is to say not only defining themselves as opposition but as credible opposition. With the death of the centre which has been incorporated into the UMP (UDF) or failed miserably (Modem) and the current dissatisfaction with Sarkozy gives the party an opportunity to fill in the gap and set the tone of the political debate.

Reforming the Secu to become income assessed, or the liberalisation of Universities, the end of weapons manufacturing and selling to Third World Countries, an end to the witch hunt for the Sans Papiers, a specialisation of Secondary education or the rationalisation of medical reimbursements... there are so many notions and values inherent to the left which can be translated into the modern post industrial consensus.Though I'm mainly basing myself on some of DSK's ideas, there is hope for the resurgence of a more effective and pragmatic left in France which doesn't need to become the burnt out husk New Labour is today, but at the moment very little.

It's not a good time to be a Socialist in France.