On Saturday I had the pleasure of attending the annual Irish Congress of Trade Unions May Day Parade in Belfast to coincide with International Labour Day. The worsening economic crisis has meant that this year the mood of participants was particularly determined, resolute and with much more impetus.
At this time of economic crisis, when people are losing their jobs and employment protections are being rolled back, it is important that workers stand together in solidarity in the face of depreciating socio-economic conditions.
The local impacts of the economic crisis are now beginning to be revealed- with workers and small businesses across Europe finding themselves at the mercy of the failing economic markets.
In this climate of uncertainty it is vital that political parties work together to meet the economic challenges that people are facing in their everyday lives.
Currently the DUP/Sinn Fein regime is failing people and failing to meet the challenges laid down by this crisis. There can be no room for policy inertia- the DUP and Sinn Fein must set aside petty political positioning and start delivering for workers.
But these tough times must also be met with progressive policies- not the tired, old economic philosophy that has been responsible for this crisis and the same that was behind the failed DUP/Sinn Fein budget.
This destructive economic philosophy is failing people right across Europe and it is obvious that now is the time for new leadership.
Our current European representatives are failing us all. We haven't seen or heard from them for 5 years and now they have the bare faced cheek to ask for our support. People deserve better.
That is why in June’s European elections it is vital that the SDLP is returned with a strong mandate to the European Parliament.
Only by supporting candidates such as Alban Maginness can we have positive change for Europe- he is committed to creating a more Social Europe that puts people first.
Recently I attended the 4th European Community Of Socialist Youth[1] (ECOSY) Winter University in the Party of European Socialists (PES) Headquarters and the European Parliament, Brussels.
The event was attended by more than 30 young socialists and social democrats from all over Europe, including Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Finland, Greece, and Italy amongst others. The programme for the Winter University included various political seminars and themed discussions with a diverse range of panelists, including MEPs and NGO representatives.
Key priorities of the conference included tackling European and global inequality and the issue of global climate change.
On Tuesday we had a discussion with Anna Colombo MEP, Secretary General of the PES Group in the European Parliament. One of the many valuable points Anna made was that we, as social democrats, look at the creation of jobs as a value and not as a mean to tackle economic problems. Work must not be held as an end in itself and the principles of Decent Work, Decent Life must be secured.
On Wednesday we discussed with MEPs issues such as social security and the economical crisis, education and innovation, climate change and sustainable development, global governance and nuclear disarmament, integration and migration. On Thursday we discussed the development issues with Pia Locatelli MEP and Emma Ceery of Oxfam and closed with a debate on how to build a citizens Europe with Richard Corbett MEP.
Across Europe we socialists and social democrats want to ensure a better working environment for all workers in the EU, particularly marginalised workers. Economic development and prosperity has left many people behind and ECOSY, the youth section of the Party of European Socialists (PES), demands that the EU works towards a more equal and sustainable European model of development.
During the past year we, as ECOSY Young European Socialists, developed an election manifesto 'Change for Europe' for the forthcoming European Parliament elections.
The ECOSY manifesto demands include: Employment flexicurity not without social security; fight unemployment and under employed (particularly in young people); for full employment; increased job security; promotion of a knowledge-based economy; proper sustainable development and environmental protection; free access to education and life-long learning; more investment in research and development; better access to public services; improved youth exchanges; and better provision of information on EU policies for European citizens.
In particular I would like to see minimum standards of working conditions to be introduced in EU member states. This should include legal guarantee for social rights and protection, full rights for interim agency workers and treatment of internships as real jobs.
It is important that the ‘Decent Work, Decent Life’ agenda is promoted at EU level. The Lisbon strategy has an important external dimension and its social goals have to stand at the heart of Europe’s external policy. Official development aid needs be increased by 1% of GDP in order to achieve UN Millennium Development Goals and help alleviate global poverty levels.
There must be an end to exploitation and the creation of a more equal and sustainable Europe. This can only be done through the relaunching of the Social Europe Agenda.
This Winter University was a unique event because its programme included participation in a Global Progressive Forum conference on ‘The New Globalisation for Progressive Change’. Speakers at the conference included Bill Clinton, Howard Dean and Poul Nyrup Rasmussen (PES President). The event was attended by over 3000 progressives, trade union activists and NGO representatives from all over the world. I had the unique opportunity to take part in a PES interview that made up part of the below video production for the event.
During the various discussions throughout the week, one major issue was prominent: Europe needs new leadership - the current economic crisis can not be solved by those who created it. The same thinking that created these difficulties can not resolve them. Neo-liberals and conservatives want the marginalised, poor and unemployed to pay for the economic crisis created by them. This is unacceptable.
European inequality can only be tackled through social protection and an end to the neo-conservative political agenda across Europe that has only benefited the political and economic elite.
There must be social responses to the current economic crisis and to the rampant globalisation that has exacerbated global financial difficulties. The economic crisis must not become an excuse to dilute social principles. Social security systems must not be undermined and there must be strong safety nets for workers who lose their jobs.
That is why in June’s European elections it is vital that the PES is returned as the strongest group in the European Parliament. Only by supporting PES candidates such as Alban Maginness can we have positive Change for Europe. The PES and the SDLP want to create a New Social Europe that is people-centred and puts People First!”
[1] ECOSY is the youth group of the Party of European Socialists and the umbrella organisation for social democratic and socialist youth groups across Europe.
Regulatory competition, EU enlargement and economic globalisation, have all placed considerable pressures on the European Social Model. These pressures have been exacerbated by the recent financial crisis- with rising levels of public debt and decreasing levels of public expenditure across EU members states compounded by the collapse of currencies and banking systems across the globe.
In light of these pressures and with many EU states now clearly failing to meet the Lisbon Strategy’s targets it is imperative that the European Social Model is reformed.
The objectives of the Lisbon Agenda have shaped recent debates within the EU that stress the importance of competitiveness and innovation of the EU economy as a whole. But these objectives have been considerably undermined, and essentially made redundant, due to the impact of the recent financial crisis and the subsequent shift in priorities of European governments.
Much work needs to be done to reform pension provision, tackle unemployment and protect workers rights, integrate women better into the workforce, to raise secondary level educational participation, promote life long learning and reduce EU poverty in order to build the competitive knowledge based economy that Lisbon envisaged.
The current socio-economic challenges that face Europe and its people can not be addressed by states alone and must be addressed collectively as a regional project. The recent financial crisis has exposed the folly of standing alone in a globalised world- just look at what happened to Iceland who are now crying out for the security of EU membership. These news challenges are macro-economic, and micro-economic, there are external, and internal.
The European Social Model aspires to a certain type of society, a knowledge based society that is entrenched in the Social Europe Agenda. But to meet these challenges the European Social Model must reform and redefine itself in a Europe that is increasingly under pressure from the outside and within.
One notable aspect of the economic crisis is that it has highlighted that European-level regulation is as important as ever. EU regulations must now be used to foster solidarity and cooperation between EU member states at this time of crisis. Only through cooperation and solidarity can Europe survive this financial quagmire, we can not stand alone.
This solidarity can be achieved by the promotion of regulations to address the renewal of the European Social Model. The decision last December by the EU Parliament to revise and address the opt-out clauses of the EU Working Time Directive is one positive example of this.
Reform of the European Social Model must tackle issues of job quality; skills, life-long learning and career development; gender equality; health and safety at work; flexibility and security; inclusion and access to the labour market; work organisation and work-life balance; social dialogue and worker involvement; diversity and non-discrimination and finally overall economic performance and productivity.
The need to reform the ESM is apparent. In key areas EU member states are falling behind non-EU states such as Norway, Switzerland and the US, particularly in respect to Research & Development.
Reform of the European Social Model must not negate the Social Europe Agenda but must reaffirm this agenda through a process of competitive solidarity. It is important that the economic crisis is not used as an excuse to dilute social standards. Strong social standards are an important tool in fighting poverty and social exclusion- necessary ingredients for addressing the current economic malaise.
Tonight hundreds of farmers from across the six counties are gathering outside Department of Agriculture and Rural Development offices in the hope of obtaining a small slice of the £6m funding made available through the DARD Farm Modernisation Scheme (FMS).
In strange scenes, farmers are taking part in overnight queues in the hope to be some of the lucky few who obtain the much needed but limited financial assistance. The support measures are being provided through the EU Commission Rural Development Programme and are made available though the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development’s FMS.
The available funding will assist some 1200 farmers modernise farming measures in order to promote better animal welfare standards and efficiency within the farming sector.
In some places the PSNI will be present just in case the situation gets tense as can tend to happen in these circumstances- this is to be completely expected. Farmers are having a tough time as it is and do not deserve this type of treatment from the Department. There has to be a better way.
This 'first come, first serve' approach to funding distribution is denying many farmers particularly the old and immobile, who simply can’t not sit outside all night in the freezing cold outside their local DARD Direct Office, their entitlements under the Rural Development Programme.
Yes there may be limited funding available and interest in the programme is considerably high but the way DARD have handled this issue is scandalous. The Department have known for some time that this situation was inevitable due to the limited funds being made available. It really is astonishing that they have done nothing at all to mitigate these circumstances. It is a total mess.
Last week I had an informal discussion with a friend who is a farming representative and he suggested that the current free-for-all setup under the FMS is simply not fair on farmers. Farmers are being pitted against each other in competition for funding and this is completely unethical. It is demeaning, discriminatory and farmers are deeply hurt by the actions and attitude of DARD.
He suggested that a lottery system would be much more appropriate in these circumstances and this would prevent the current scrabble that we are seeing with potentially ugly scenes outside DARD Direct Offices. Lessons must be learned from this fiasco.
I must agree with him, with limited funds available DARD has a responsibility to ensure that what funding is available is distributed as equitably as possible. Otherwise the funding will not reach those that really need it the most.
+with+Alban+Maginness.jpg)
