The Third Way - a difficult decision between the "opposition " and the "government" way


THE PROBLEM

Does the VirGlob-SP accept the reforms initiated by NewLabour in the United Kingdom, the SPD in Germany and the PSF in France ? If not: Which ways of socialism does it support ? Which socialist principles have to be kept and to communicate ?


THE SITUATION

A socialist party which wants governing (alone) has to win the majority of the voters - the left AND the center. By admitting privatizations? By reducing public and social services, ecological mesures or direct taxes ? How to persuade the centrists ? By information, formation, propaganda, gifts ? How to satisfy and to preserve in the same time the progressive forces of the left?

A socialist party which prefers to or has to influence the political decisions as opposition force should persuade the left only. This party must preserve, develop and communicate a left accentuated profile.


THE PRINCIPLE POSITION OF THE VIRGLOB-SP

The national labour parties must decide if they want to follow the government or the opposition stance BEFORE the elections start: Either you integrate with the center or not. In either case, the election program will not touch the 6 (international) principles of the VirGlob-SP Manifesto:

- A global economic order that benefits everyone and does not merely serve to profit a minority

- Meaningful and fairly compensated employment for everyone - not wage dumping, layoffs, and unemployment

- Sustainable development - not the destruction of the environment and of our planet's resources

- Tolerance - not ethnic, racial, gender or religious discrimination

- Democratic and peaceful mesures against dictatorships, oppression, and war

- Solidarity with the oppressed who must fight for their liberty and human rights


MEASURES

If a party follows the government way, it must preserve

- the level of the public and social services

- the priority of the direct taxes, the ecological taxes and the taxes of the profits banquaires

- the social institutions and the social contributions

- the seriosness of the party members responsible in the government; the grassroots members will have to limit the risks of corruption

If a party follows the government way, it must support

- official employment contracts, the minimum wages, the same wage level for the women

- important reductions of working time without loosing consumer power

- the right of professional organisation and education (initial and continue)

- sufficient basic pension based on the principle of contributions and pensions, and not on the principle of a capitalization system

- development of democratic control based on social effectiveness and not only on economic calculations


THE VIRGLOB-SP WILL NOT ACCEPT

- that the public services are privatisated

- that the social services are financed by "head"

- that the direct taxes are substituted by indirect taxes

- that the ecological standards are reduced or softened

- the weapon export


HOW TO USE THIS RESOLUTION

When the VirGlob-SP Plenum has accepted this resolution, it will be sent to the members and to the friends of the VirGlob-SP as well to the media. The members are searching ways to enter this mesures in their party structures and to realize them. Their experiencies might help the VirGlob-SP to adapt a more subtile approach since August 7, 2001.


DEFINITIONS / REFERENCES

The Manifesto of VirGlob-SP = http://www.virglob-sp.org/pages/02d_f_statuts.htm, http://www.virglob-sp.org/pages/14c_e_press_releases.htm

The Third Way = (it doesn't exist a definition)


MORE INFORMATION

1. http://www.virglob.f2s.com

2. http://www.virglob-sp.org/pages/14c_e_press_releases.htm

3. rolf.oberhaensli@virglob-sp.org

 

The Virtual & Global Social Democratic Party

Rolf Oberhaensli, President

Luetzelmattstrasse 4

CH-6006 Lucerne

Switzerland

 

END OF THE RESOLUTION