FR | EN

Europe Solidaire Sans Frontières

    • Issues
      • Health (Issues)
        • Epidemics, pandemics (health, Issues)
          • AIDS / HIV (Health)
      • Individuals
        • Amilcar Cabral
          • Miguel “Moro” Romero
        • Antonio Gramsci
        • Baghat Singh
        • Benedict Anderson
        • C.L.R. James
        • Che Guevara
          • Che Guevara (obituary)
        • Clara Zetkin
        • Claude Jacquin, Claude Gabriel
        • Daniel Bensaïd
          • Daniel Bensaïd (obituary)
        • David Graeber
        • David Rousset
        • David Sanders
        • Diego Maradona
        • Ellen Meiksins Wood
        • Enzo Traverso
        • Eric Hobsbawm
        • Erik Olin Wright
        • Ernest Mandel
        • Fernando Cardenal
        • Fidel Castro
        • Franz Fanon
        • Franz Kafka
        • Gabriel Kolko
        • Gisèle Halimi
        • Görgy Lukács
        • Henk Sneevliet
        • Herbert Marcuse
        • Hugo Blanco
        • Immanuel Wallerstein
        • István Mészáros
        • James Cockcroft
        • James Connolly
        • John Lewis
        • Karl Marx & Friedrich Engels
        • Ken Post
        • Lal Khan
        • Larry Kramer
        • Lenin
        • Leo Panitch
        • Leon Trotsky
          • Leon Trotsky (obituary)
        • Livio Maitan
        • Louis Althusser
        • Mahdi Amel / Hassan Hamdan
        • Malcolm X
        • Marielle Franco
        • Marshall Berman
        • Marta Harnecker
        • Martin Luther King
        • Michael Löwy
        • Michel Lequenne
        • MN Roy
        • Neil Davidson
        • Nelson Mandela
        • Norman Geras
        • Orlando Gutiérrez
        • Patrice Lumumba
        • Paul Levi
        • Peter Gowan
        • Peter Waterman
        • Pierre Granet
        • Randolf “Randy” S. David
        • Roland Lew
        • Rosa Luxemburg
          • Rosa Luxemburg (obituary)
        • Rossana Rossanda
        • Samir Amin
        • Sergio D’Amia
        • Stuart & Brenda Christie
        • Sultan Galiev
        • Troglo – José Ramón Castaños Umaran
        • Victor Serge
        • Walter Benjamin
      • Solidarity
        • Solidarity: ESSF campaigns
          • ESSF: Bangladesh
          • ESSF: Burma, Myanmar
          • ESSF: Funds
          • ESSF: Global balance sheets
          • ESSF: Indonesia
          • ESSF: Japan
          • ESSF: Malaysia
          • ESSF: Nepal
          • ESSF: Pakistan
          • ESSF: Philippines
        • Solidarity: Geo-politics of Humanitarian Relief
        • Solidarity: Humanitarian and development CSOs
        • Solidarity: Humanitarian Disasters
        • Solidarity: Humanitarian response: methodologies and principles
        • Solidarity: Internationalism
          • Solidarity: Pandemics, epidemics (health, internationalism)
        • Solidarity: Political economy of disaster
      • Capitalism & globalisation
        • History (Capitalism)
      • Civilisation & identities
        • Civilisation & Identities: unity, equality
      • Ecology (Theory)
        • Animals’ Condition (Ecology)
        • Biodiversity (Ecology)
        • Climate (Ecology)
        • Commodity (Ecology)
        • Ecology, technology: Transport
        • Energy (Ecology)
        • Energy (nuclear) (Ecology)
          • Chernobyl (Ecology)
        • Technology (Ecology)
        • Water (Ecology)
      • Agriculture
        • GMO & co. (Agriculture)
      • Commons
      • Communication and politics, Media, Social Networks
      • Culture and Politics
      • Democracy
      • Development
        • Demography (Development)
        • Extractivism (Development)
        • Growth and Degrowth (Development)
      • Education (Theory)
      • Faith, religious authorities, secularism
        • Family, women (Religion, churches, secularism)
          • Religion, churches, secularism: Reproductive rights
        • Abused Children (Religion, churches, secularism)
        • Blasphemy (Faith, religious authorities, secularism)
        • Creationism (Religion, churches, secularism)
        • History (Religion, churches, secularism)
        • LGBT+ (Religion, churches, secularism)
        • Marxism (Religion, churches, secularism)
        • Political Islam, Islamism (Religion, churches, secularism)
        • Secularism
        • The veil (faith, religious authorities, secularism)
      • Fascism
      • Gender: Women
      • History
        • History: E. P. Thompson
      • Labor & Social Movements
      • Language
      • Law
        • Exceptional powers (Law)
        • Religious arbitration forums (Law)
        • Women, family (Law)
      • LGBT+ (Theory)
      • Marxism & co.
        • Theory (Marxism & co.)
        • Postcolonial Studies / Postcolonialism (Marxism & co.)
        • Identity Politics (Marxism & co.)
        • Intersectionality (Marxism & co.)
        • Africa (Marxism)
        • France (Marxism)
      • National Question
      • Parties: Theory and Conceptions
      • Patriarchy, family, feminism
        • Ecofeminism (Patriarchy, family, feminism)
        • Fashion, cosmetic (Patriarchy, family, feminism)
        • Feminism & capitalism (Patriarchy, family, feminism)
        • Language (Patriarchy, family, feminism)
        • Prostitution (Patriarchy, family, feminism)
        • Reproductive Rights (Patriarchy, family, feminism)
        • Violence against women (Patriarchy, family, feminism)
        • Women and Health ( (Patriarchy, family, feminism)
        • Women, work (Patriarchy, family, feminism)
      • Political Strategy
      • Politics: Bibliographies
      • Politics: International Institutions
      • Psychosociology and politics
      • Racism, xenophobia, differentialism
        • Jewish Question
      • Science and politics
      • Sciences & Knowledge
      • Sexuality
      • Social Formation, classes, political regime, ideology
        • Populism (Political regime, ideology)
      • Sport and politics
      • The role of the political
      • Transition: before imperialism
      • Transitional Societies (modern), socialism
      • Wars, conflicts, violences
      • Working Class, Wage labor, income, organizing
    • Movements
      • Analysis & Debates (Movements)
        • Epidemics, pandemics (Movements)
        • History of people’s movements (Movements)
      • Asia (Movements)
        • Globalization (Movements, Asia) (Movements)
        • APISC (Movements, Asia)
        • Asian Social Forum (Movements, Asia)
        • Asian Social Movements (Movements, Asia)
        • Counter-Summits (Movements, Asia)
        • Free Trade (Movements, Asia)
        • IIRE Manila (Movements, Asia)
        • In Asean (Movements, Asia)
        • People’s SAARC / SAAPE (Movements, Asia)
        • Social Protection Campaigns (Movements, Asia)
      • World level (Movements)
        • Feminist (Movements)
          • Against Fundamentalisms (Feminist Movements)
          • Feminist Movements: Epidemics / Pandemics (health)
          • Feminist Movements: Rural, peasant
          • Feminist Movements: World March of Women
          • History of Women’s Movements
        • Asia-Europe People’s Forums (AEPF) (Movements)
        • Ecosocialist Networks (Movements, World)
        • Intercoll (Movements, World)
        • Internationals (socialist, communist, revolutionary) (Movements, (...)
          • International (Fourth) (Movements, World)
          • International (Second) (1889-1914) (Movements, World)
          • International (Third) (Movements, World)
        • Internet, Hacktivism (Movements, World)
        • Labor & TUs (Movements, World)
          • Epidemics, pandemics (TUs, international) (Movements, World)
        • Movements: Indignants
        • Movements: World Days of Action
        • Radical Left (Movements, World)
          • IIRE (Movements, World)
          • Movements: Sal Santen (obituary)
          • Radical Parties’ Network (Movements, World)
        • Social Movements Network (Movements, World)
        • World Social Forum (Movements)
      • Africa (Movements)
        • Forum of the People (Movements)
      • America (N&S) (Movements)
        • Latin America (Mouvments)
        • US Social Forum (Movements)
      • Europe (Movements)
        • Alter Summit (Movements, Europe)
        • Anti-Austerity/Debt NetworksAlter Summit (Movements, Europe)
        • Anti-G8/G20 in EuropeAlter Summit (Movements)
        • Counter-Summits to the EUAlter Summit (Movements, Europe)
        • Free TradeAlter Summit (Movements, Europe)
        • Movements: European Social Forum
      • Mediterranean (Movements, MEAN)
        • Mediterranean Social Forum (Movements)
        • Political Left (Movements, MEAN)
      • Agriculture & Peasantry (Movements)
        • Women (Movements, Peasantry)
      • Antiwar Struggles (Movements)
        • History of antimilitarism (Movements)
        • Military Bases (Movements)
        • Nuclear Weapon, WMD (Movements)
      • Common Goods & Environment (Movements)
        • Biodiversity (Movements)
        • Climate (Movements)
        • Ecosocialist International Networky (Movements)
        • Nuclear (energy) (Movements)
          • AEPF “No-Nuke” Circle (Movements)
        • Water (Movements)
      • Debt, taxes & Financial Institutions (Movements)
        • IMF (Movements)
        • World Bank (Movements)
      • Health (Movements)
        • Women’s Health (Movements)
        • Asbestos (Movements, health, World)
        • Drugs (Movements, health, World)
        • Epidemics (Movements, health, World)
        • Health & Work (Movements, health, World)
        • Health and social crisis (Movements, health, World)
        • Nuclear (Movements, health, World)
        • Pollution (Movements, health, World)
      • Human Rights & Freedoms (Movements, World)
        • Women’s Rights (Movements, HR)
        • Corporate HR violations (Movements, HR)
        • Disability (Movements, HR)
        • Exceptional Powers (Movements, HR)
        • Justice, law (Movements, HR)
        • Media, Internet (Movements, HR)
        • Non-State Actors (Movements, World)
        • Police, weapons (Movements, HR)
        • Rights of free meeting (Movements, HR)
        • Secret services (Movements, HR)
      • LGBT+ (Movements, World)
      • Parliamentary field (Movements, health, World)
      • Social Rights, Labor (Movements)
        • Reclaim People’s Dignity (Movements)
        • Urban Rights (Movements)
      • TNCs, Trade, WTO (Movements)
        • Cocoa value chain (Movements)
    • World
      • The world today (World)
      • Global Crisis (World)
      • Global health crises, pandemics (World)
        • Epidemics, pandemics (economic crisis, World)
      • Economy (World)
        • Financial and economic crisis (World)
          • Car industry, transport (World)
      • Extreme right, fascism, fundamentalism (World)
      • History (World)
      • Migrants, refugees (World)
      • Terrorism (World)
    • Africa
      • Africa Today
      • African environment
      • African history
      • Women (Africa)
      • Africa: epidemics, pandemics
      • African economy
      • Angola
        • Angola: History
      • Burkina Faso
      • Cameroon
        • Cameroon: LGBT+
      • Central African Republic (CAR)
      • Chad
      • Congo Kinshasa (DRC)
      • Djibouti (Eng)
      • Eritrea
      • Ethiopia
      • Gambia
      • Ghana
        • Epidemics, pandemics (health, Ghana)
        • Ghana: LGBT+
      • Guinea (Conakry)
      • Ivory Coast
      • Kenya
        • Kenya: WSF 2007
      • Liberia
        • Liberia: LGBT+
      • Madagascar
      • Mali
        • Women (Mali)
        • Mali: History
      • Mauritania
      • Mauritius
        • Women (Mauritius)
      • Mozambique
      • Namibia
      • Niger
        • Niger: Nuclear
      • Nigeria
        • Women (Nigeria)
      • Réunion
      • Rwanda
      • Senegal
        • Women (Senegal)
      • Seychelles
      • Sierra Leone
        • Sierra Leone: LGBT+
      • Somalia
        • Women (Somalia)
      • South Africa
        • Epidemics, pandemics (health, South Africa)
        • On the Left (South Africa)
        • Women (South Africa)
        • Culture (South Africa)
        • Economy (South Africa)
        • Environment (South Africa)
        • History (Freedom Struggle and first years of ANC government) (South (...)
        • Institutions, laws (South Africa)
        • Labour, community protests (South Africa)
          • Cosatu (South Africa)
          • SAFTU (South Africa)
        • Land reform and rural issues (South Africa)
        • Students (South Africa)
      • South Sudan
      • Sudan
        • Women (Sudan)
      • Tanzania
      • Uganda
        • Uganda: LGBT
      • Zambia
      • Zimbabwe
    • Americas
      • Ecology (Latin America)
      • Epidemics, pandemics (health, Latin America)
      • Indigenous People (Latin America)
      • Latin America: History
      • LGBT+ (Latin America)
      • Migrations (Latin America)
      • Women (Latin America)
      • Amazonia
      • Argentina
        • Economy (Argentina)
        • History (Argentina)
        • Women (Argentina)
          • Reproductive Rights (Women, Argentina)
      • Bahamas
        • Bahamas: Disasters
      • Bolivia
        • Women (Bolivia)
      • Brazil
        • Epidemics, pandemics (health, Brazil)
        • Women (Brazil)
        • Ecology (Brazil)
        • History (Brazil)
        • History of the Left (Brazil)
        • Indigenous People (Brazil)
        • Justice, freedoms (Brazil)
        • Labor (Brazil)
        • LGBT+ (Brazil)
        • Rural (Brazil)
        • World Cup, Olympics, social resistances (Brazil)
      • Canada & Quebec
        • Women (Canada & Quebec)
        • Ecology (Canada & Quebec)
        • Fundamentalism & secularism (Canada & Quebec)
        • Indigenous People (Canada & Quebec)
        • LGBT+ (Canada & Quebec)
        • On the Left (Canada & Quebec)
      • Caribbean
      • Chile
        • Women (Chile)
        • Epidemics, pandemics (health, Chile)
        • History (Chile)
        • LGBT+ (Chile)
        • Natural Disasters (Chile)
      • Colombia
        • Women (Colombia)
      • Costa Rica
      • Cuba
        • Women, gender (Cuba)
        • Epidemics / Pandemics (health, Cuba)
        • History (Cuba)
          • Cuban Revolution (History)
        • LGBT+ (Cuba)
      • Ecuador
        • Women (Ecuador)
        • Ecuador: Ecology
        • Ecuador: Humanitarian Disasters
      • El Salvador
        • Women (El Salvador)
        • El Salvador: Salvadorian Revolution and Counter-Revolution
      • Grenada
      • Guatemala
        • Guatemala: History
        • Guatemala: Mining
        • Guatemala: Women
      • Guiana
      • Haiti
        • Women (Haiti)
        • Haiti: History
        • Haiti: Natural Disasters
      • Honduras
        • Women (Honduras)
        • Honduras: History
        • Honduras: LGBT+
      • Latin America: Left
      • Mexico
        • Women (Mexico)
        • Disasters (Mexico)
        • Epidemics / Pandemics (health, Mexico)
        • History of people struggles (Mexico)
      • Nicaragua
        • Women (Nicaragua)
        • Nicaragua: History
        • Nicaragua: Nicaraguan Revolution
      • Paraguay
        • Women (Paraguay)
      • Peru
      • Puerto Rico
        • Disasters (Puerto Rico)
      • Uruguay
        • Women (Uruguay)
      • USA
        • Women (USA)
        • Disasters (USA)
        • Far Right, Religious Right (USA)
        • Health (USA)
          • Epidemics, pandemics (health, USA)
        • On the Left (USA)
          • History: SWP and before (USA)
        • Secularity, religion & politics
        • Social Struggles, labor (USA)
          • Epidemics / Pandemics (health, Social struggles, USA)
        • Agriculture (USA)
        • Ecology (USA)
        • Economy, social (USA)
        • Education (USA)
        • Energy (USA)
        • Foreign Policy, Military (USA)
        • History (USA)
          • History of people’s struggles (USA)
        • Human Rights, justice (USA)
        • Human Rights: Guantanamo (USA)
        • Human Rights: Incarceration (USA)
        • Institutions, political regime (USA)
        • LGBT+ (USA)
        • Migrant, refugee (USA)
      • Venezuela
        • Women (Venezuela)
        • Ecology (Venezuela)
        • Epidemics, pandemics (health, Venezuela)
      • West Indies
    • Asia
      • Disasters (Asia)
      • Ecology (Asia)
      • Epidemics, pandemics (health, Asia)
      • History
      • Women (Asia)
      • Asia (Central, ex-USSR)
        • Kazakhstan
        • Kyrgyzstan
          • Kyrgyzstan: Women
        • Tajikistan
        • Uzbekistan
      • Asia (East & North-East)
      • Asia (South, SAARC)
        • Disasters (South Asia)
        • Epidemics, pandemics (health, South Asia)
        • LGBT+ (South Asia)
        • Religious fundamentalism
        • Women (South Asia)
      • Asia (Southeast, ASEAN)
        • Health (South East Asia, ASEAN)
          • Epidemics, pandemics (health, South East Asia, ASEAN))
      • Asia economy & social
        • Epidemics / Pandemics (health, Asia)
      • Afghanistan
        • Women, sharia, fundamentalism (Afghanistan)
        • Afghanistan: History, society
      • Bangladesh
        • Epidemics, pandemics (health, Bangladesh)
        • Ecological Disasters, climate (Bangladesh)
        • Fundamentalism & secularism (Bangladesh)
        • The Left (Bangladesh)
        • Women (Bangladesh)
        • Economy (Bangladesh)
        • History (Bangladesh)
        • Human Rights (Bangladesh)
        • Indigenous People (Bangladesh)
        • Labour (Bangladesh)
        • LGBT+ (Bangladesh)
        • Nuclear (Bangladesh)
        • Rohingya (refugee, Bangladesh)
        • Rural & Fisherfolk (Bangladesh)
      • Bhutan
        • LGT+ (Bhutan)
      • Brunei
        • Women, LGBT+, Sharia, (Brunei)
      • Burma / Myanmar
        • Epidemics, pandemics (health, Burma/Myanmar)
        • History of struggles (Burma/Myanmar)
        • Labor (Burma/Myanmar)
        • Natural Disasters (Burma/Myanmar)
        • Rohingyas (Burma/Myanmar)
        • Women (Burma/Myanmar)
      • Cambodia
        • Women (Cambodia)
        • History (Cambodia)
          • The Khmers rouges (Cambodia)
        • Labour / Labor (Cambodia)
        • Rural (Cambodia)
        • Urban (Cambodia)
      • China (PRC)
        • Health (China)
          • Epidemics, pandemics (health, China)
        • Gender equality and women’s movements (China)
        • Global Rise (China)
          • China Today
          • China & Japan
          • China & Latin America
          • China & North America
          • China & South Asia
          • China and Africa
          • China and Europe
          • China § Asia-Pacific (economy)
          • China, ASEAN and the South China Sea
          • China, Korea, & North-East Asia
          • Military expansion (China)
          • Silk Roads/OBOR/BRICS (China)
          • World Economy (China)
        • On the Left (China)
        • Political situation (China)
        • China § Xinjiang/East Turkestan
        • Civil Society (China)
        • Economy, technology (China)
        • Environmental struggles (China)
        • History (China)
          • Beijing Summer Olympic Games 2008
          • History pre-XXth Century (China)
          • History XXth Century (China)
          • History: Transition to capitalism (China)
        • Human Rights, freedoms (China)
        • Labour and social struggles (China)
        • LGBT+ (China)
        • Rural poverty and struggles (China)
        • Social Control, social credit (China)
        • Social Protection (China)
      • China: Hong Kong SAR
        • Hong Kong: Epidemics, pandemics (health)
        • Hong Kong: LGBT+
        • Hong Kong: Migrants
      • China: Macao SAR
      • East Timor
        • East Timor: News Updates
      • India
        • Political situation (India)
        • Caste, Dalits & Adivasis (India)
        • Fundamentalism, communalism, extreme right, secularism (India)
        • Health (India)
          • Epidemics, pandemics (health, India)
        • North-East (India)
        • The Left (India)
          • The Left: ML Updates (DISCONTINUED) (India)
          • Trupti Shah (obituary) (India)
        • Women (India)
        • Antiwar & nuclear (India)
        • Digital Rights (India)
        • Ecology & Industrial Disasters (India)
        • Economy & Globalisation (India)
        • Energy, nuclear (India)
        • History (up to 1947) (India)
          • Baghat Singh (India)
        • History after 1947 (India)
        • Human Rights & Freedoms (India)
        • International Relations (India)
        • Labor, wage earners, TUs (India)
        • LGBT+ (India)
        • Military (India)
        • Narmada (India)
        • Natural Disaster (India)
        • Refugees (India)
        • Regional Politics (South Asia) (India)
        • Rural & fisherfolk (India)
        • Social Forums (India)
        • Social Protection (India)
        • Urban (India)
      • Indonesia & West Papua
        • Epidemics / Pandemics (health, Indonesia)
        • Papua (Indonesia)
          • Pandemics, epidemics (health, West Papua)
        • The Left (Indonesia)
        • Women (Indonesia)
        • Common Goods (Indonesia)
        • Ecology (Indonesia)
        • Economy (Indonesia)
        • Fundamentalism, sharia, religion (Indonesia)
        • History before 1965 (Indonesia)
        • History from 1945 (Indonesia)
        • History: 1965 and after (Indonesia)
        • Human Rights (Indonesia)
          • MUNIR Said Thalib (Indonesia)
        • Indigenous People (Indonesia)
        • Indonesia / East Timor News Digests DISCONTINUED
          • Indonesia Roundup DISCONTINUED
        • Labor, urban poor (Indonesia)
        • LGBT+ (Indonesia)
        • Natural Disaster (Indonesia)
        • Rural & fisherfolk (Indonesia)
        • Student, youth (Indonesia)
        • Urban Poor (Indonesia)
      • Japan
        • Political situation (Japan)
        • Health (Japan)
          • Epidemics, pandemics (health, Japan)
        • Okinawa (Japan)
        • Women (Japan)
        • Anti-war movement (Japan)
        • Disasters (Japan)
        • Ecology (Japan)
        • Economy (Japan)
        • Energy, nuclear (Japan)
          • History (nuclear, Japan)
        • History (Japan)
          • History of people’s struggles (Japan)
        • Human Rights (Japan)
        • Institutions (Japan)
        • International Relations (Japan)
        • Labor, TUs & the Left (Japan)
        • LGBT+ (Japan)
        • Migrants, Racism (Japan)
        • Military, Nuclear weapon (Japan)
      • Kashmir (India, Pakistan)
        • Kashmir: Pakistan
        • Kashmir: K&J, India
      • Korea
        • Antiwar, military bases (Korea)
        • History (Korea)
        • Korean Crisis (Geopolitics)
        • North Korea
        • South Korea
          • Epidemics (health, South Korea)
          • Women (South Korea)
          • Ecology, common goods (South Korea)
          • Free Trade, FTA & WTO (South Korea)
          • Labor & co. (South Korea)
          • LGBT+ (South Korea)
          • Migrant (South Korea)
          • Nuclear (South Korea)
          • Rural & fisherfolk (South Korea)
          • The Left (South Korea)
      • Laos
      • Malaysia
        • Women, family (Malaysia)
        • Clean elections, clean government! (Malaysia)
        • Ecology (Malaysia)
        • Health ( Malaysia)
          • Malaysia: Epidemics, pandemics (health, Malaysia)
        • History (Malaysia)
        • Labor, TUs & people’s movements (Malaysia)
        • LGBT+ (Malaysia)
        • Malaysian international solidarity initiatives
        • Migrant, Refugee (Malaysia)
        • Religion, law, fundamentalism (Malaysia)
        • The Left (Malaysia)
          • The Left: PSM (Malaysia)
      • Maldives
      • Mongolia
      • Nepal
        • Women (Nepal)
        • Nepal: Background articles
        • Nepal: Ecology, Climate
        • Nepal: Humanitarian Disasters
        • Nepal: Rural
      • Pakistan
        • Balochistan (Pakistan)
        • Gilgit Baltistan (Pakistan)
          • Baba Jan (Gilgit Baltistan, Pakistan)
        • Health (Pakistan)
          • Epidemics, pandemics (health, Pakistan)
        • Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (NWFP - Pakistan)
        • Labor & Women (Pakistan)
        • Women, fundamentalism (Pakistan)
        • AWP (The Left, Pakistan)
        • China & CPEC (Pakistan)
        • Ecology, Nuclear (Pakistan)
        • Economy (Pakistan)
        • Fundamentalism, Taliban (Pakistan)
        • History (Pakistan)
        • Human Rights & religious violence (Pakistan)
        • Human Rights (Pakistan)
        • Labor & TUs (Pakistan)
        • LGBT+ (Pakistan)
        • Natural Disasters (Pakistan)
        • Nuclear, antiwar, solidarity (Pakistan)
        • Regional Politics (Pakistan)
        • Rural & fisherfolk (Pakistan)
        • Social Forum (Pakistan)
        • Student, youth (Pakistan)
        • The Left (Pakistan)
          • LPP (The Left, Pakistan)
          • The Struggle (The Left, Pakistan)
        • Urban (Pakistan)
      • Philippines
        • Health (Philippines)
          • Epidemics, pandemics (health, Philippines)
        • Mindanao (Philippines)
          • Political Situation (Mindanao)
          • Epidemics, pandemics (health, Mindanao)
          • The Left (Mindanao)
            • CPP (killings) (Philippines)
            • CPP (Purges) (Philippines)
            • The Left and self-determination (Mindanao)
          • Bangsamoro Political Entity (Mindanao)
            • Moros Movements (history, Mindanao)
          • Clans & violence (Mindanao)
          • Climate (Mindanao)
          • Economy, social (Mindanao)
          • Humanitarian Disasters (Mindanao)
          • Lumad (Mindanao)
          • Peace process (Mindanao)
          • Secular, Politics & Churches (Mindanao)
        • Women (Philippines)
        • Antiwar, International Solidarity (Philippines)
        • Debt, poverty, Common Goods (Philippines)
        • Disasters (Philippines)
        • Ecology (Philippines)
        • Economy & trade, social (Philippines)
        • Education (Philippines)
        • Geopolitics and international relations (Philippines)
        • History, society, culture (Philippines)
        • Human Rights (Philippines)
        • Labor (Philippines)
          • Migrant, Migration (labor, Philippines)
        • LGBT+ (Philippines)
        • Military policy (Philippines)
        • Nuclear (Philippines)
        • Rural (Philippines)
        • Urban (Philippines)
      • Singapore
        • Singapore: Epidemics / Pandemics (health)
        • Singapore: Migrant workers
      • Sri Lanka
        • Epidemics, pandemics (health, Sri Lanka)
        • The left (Sri Lanka)
          • Left Voice / Wame Handa (The Left, Sri Lanka)
          • NSSP-NLF (The Left, Sri Lanka)
          • Working People Party (Sri Lanka)
        • Women (Sri Lanka)
        • Aid, humanitarian crisis (Sri Lanka)
        • Economy (Sri Lanka)
        • Fundamentalism, Religious violences (Sri Lanka)
        • History (Sri Lanka)
          • History (after independence, Sri Lanka)
          • History (Ceylon before independence)
        • Labor & TUs (Sri Lanka)
        • LGBT+ (Sri Lanka)
        • Muslims (Sri Lanka)
        • Rural (Sri Lanka)
        • Tamils (Sri Lanka)
      • Taiwan
        • Taiwan: Epidemics / Pandemics (health)
        • Taiwan: LGBT+
      • Thailand
        • Health (Thailand)
          • Pandemics (health, Thailand)
        • On the Left (Thailand)
        • Regime, society (Thailand)
        • Women (Thailand)
        • Culture, society (Thailand)
        • Deep South (Thailand)
        • Disasters (Thailand)
        • Ecology, climate (Thailand)
        • Economy (Thailand)
        • Géopolitics (Regional) (Thailand)
        • History (Thailand)
          • History of people’s struggles (Thailand)
        • Human Rights, law, justice (Thailand)
        • Labor (Thailand)
        • LGBT+ (Thailand)
        • Migrants, refugees (Thailand)
        • Rural (Thailand)
      • Tibet
      • Vietnam & Indochina
        • Epidemics, pandemics (health, Vietnam)
        • Human Rights & Freedoms (Vietnam)
        • Women (Vietnam)
        • Chemical War, Agent Orange (Vietnam & Indochina)
        • Ecology (Vietnam)
        • Géopolitics (regional) (Vietnam)
        • History and debates (Vietnam & Indochina)
        • In the capitalist transition (Vietnam)
        • LGBT+ (Vietnam)
        • Rural (Vietnam)
        • Social Movements, Labour (Vietnam)
        • The solidarity movements (Vietnam & Indochina)
    • Europe & U.K.
      • European Union
        • Catalonia crisis (EU)
        • Constitution, history & crisis (EU)
        • Countries (EU)
          • Health (EU)
            • Epidemics, pandemics (health, EU)
        • Health (EU)
          • Epidemics, pandemics (health, EU)
        • Institutions, regime (EU)
        • Agriculture (EU)
          • GMO (EU)
        • Economy, social (EU)
        • Education & youth (EU)
        • Energy, nuclear (EU)
        • Environment (EU)
          • Biodiversity (EU)
          • Climate (EU)
        • External Relations (EU)
          • Europe-Africa Relations (EU)
          • Europe-Asia Relations (EU)
          • Europe-Latin America relations (EU)
          • Europe-Mediterranean Relations (EU)
          • Europe-North America Relations (EU)
        • Housing (EU)
        • LGBT+ (EU)
        • Migration (EU)
        • Public Services (EU)
        • Transport (EU)
      • United Kingdom (Europe)
        • Health (UK)
          • Epidemics (health, UK)
        • Women (UK)
        • Brexit (UK)
        • Education (UK)
        • Environment (UK)
        • Extreme right / Fascism (Britain)
        • History (UK)
        • LGBT+ (UK)
        • Migrants - refugees, racism (UK)
        • Monarchy (UK)
        • North of Ireland (UK)
        • On the Left (UK)
        • Racism, xenophobia (UK)
          • Blacks / Black people/African diaspora (UK)
          • Chinese (UK)
          • Jew (UK)
          • Muslims (Racism, Britain)
        • Secularism (UK)
      • Which Europe?
      • Women (Europe)
        • Debt (women, Europe)
        • History (women, Europe)
        • Reproductive Rights (Europe)
        • Violence against women (Europe)
        • Women & work (Europe)
      • Fascism, extreme right, fundamentalism (Europe)
      • History (modern) (Europe)
      • History (pre-modern) (Europe)
      • Migrants, refugees, racism (Europe)
      • On the Left (Europe)
        • Left, epidemics, health (Europe)
        • EACL, European conferences
        • History of people’s struggles (Europe)
        • History of the Left (Europe)
        • Project K (Europe)
        • The European Left Party (Europe)
      • Racism (Europe)
      • Religion, churches, secularity (Europe)
      • Social movements, labour (Europe)
        • EU: Car Industry
        • EU: Housing
        • EU: Pensions
      • Balkans
        • Women (Balkans)
        • Balkans: Yugoslav Crisis in the 1990s
      • France
        • Political situation and debates (France)
        • Health (France)
          • Epidemics, pandemics, (health, France)
        • Ecology (France)
          • Energy (France)
          • Nuclear (France)
        • Ecology: Parc des Beaumonts (France)
          • France: Ornithology: from elsewhere
          • France: Ornithology: log
          • France: Ornithology: reports
        • Education (France)
        • French Imperialism, international relations (France)
          • Armament, nuclear (France)
          • France & the Middle-East & Mediterranean
          • France: France-Asia Relations
          • Franco-African Relations (France)
          • Relations France – LA/Carribean (France)
        • History & Memory (France)
        • Human Rights Freedoms (France)
          • Terrorism (Human Rights, France)
        • LGBT+ (France)
        • Migrant, Refugee, Migration (France)
        • Military (France)
        • Political regime, parties, ideologies (France)
        • Racism (France)
        • Social Movements, economy and labor (France)
      • Russia & Eastern Europe post-USSR
        • Economy (Eastern Europe)
        • Belarus
        • Eastern Europe: Social and labour resistance
        • Moldava
        • Russia Today
        • Russia: LGBT+
        • Russia: On the left
        • Russia: Women
        • South Caucasus (Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Karabakh)
          • South Caucasus: Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
        • Ukraine
        • Ukraine: LGBT+
        • Ukraine: On the left
      • Russia, USSR, Soviet Bloc (history)
        • History (USSR)
          • Russian Revolution
        • Transition to capitalism in USSR and Eastern Europe
        • Women (Soviet Bloc)
      • Turkey
        • Women (Turkey)
        • Turkey: Economy, social
        • Turkey: History, society
        • Turkey: Islamism
        • Turkey: Kurdistan
        • Turkey: LGBT+
        • Turkey: Migrants
    • Middle East & N. Africa
      • Women (MENA)
      • MENA: Ecology
      • MENA: Labour
      • MENA: LGBT+
      • MENA: The region
        • Epidemics, pandemics (health, MENA)
      • Algeria
        • Women (Algeria)
        • Epidemics, pandemics (health, Algeria)
        • History (Algeria)
          • History: 1945-1962 (Algeria)
          • History: post-1962 (Algeria)
      • Bahrain
      • Egypt
        • Women (Egypt)
        • Egypt: Economy
        • Egypt: Fundamentalism, secular
        • Egypt: History
        • Egypt: Labor
        • Egypt: LGBT+
        • Egypt: Muslim Brotherhood, Islamism
        • Egypt: On the Left
      • Iran
        • Women (Iran)
        • “Khiaban” and other bulletins (Iran)
        • Epidemics, pandemics (health, Iran)
        • History (Iran)
          • History of people’s struggles (Iran)
          • History, society, regime (Iran)
        • LGBT + (Iran)
        • Religion, secular (Iran)
      • Iraq
        • Women (Iraq)
        • Iraq: Kurdistan
        • Iraq: LGBT+
      • Jordan
        • Women (Jordan)
      • Kuwait
      • Lebanon
        • Women (Lebanon)
        • Industrial Disasters
        • Labour (Lebanon)
        • LGBT (Lebanon)
      • Libya
        • Women (Libya)
        • Libya: LGBT+
        • Libya: Society, history
      • Morocco & Western Sahara
        • Western Sahara
        • Women (Morocco)
        • Ecology (Morocco)
        • Human Rights and Freedoms (Morocco)
        • Left forces (Morocco)
        • Rural (Morocco)
        • Society, economy, history (Morocco)
      • Oman
      • Palestine & Israel
        • Epidemics, pandemics (health, Palestine & Israel)
        • Women (Palestine & Israel)
        • Boycott, Disinvestment, Sanctions: Solidarity (Palestine & (...)
        • Economy (Palestine & Israel)
        • Fundamentalism (Palestine & Israel)
        • History (Palestine & Israel)
        • Human Rights (Palestine & Israel)
        • In Memory (Palestine & Israel)
        • Labor, social movements (Palestine & Israel)
        • Left (Israel)
        • LGBT+ (Palestine & Israel)
        • Movements (Palestine)
        • Society (Palestine & Israel)
      • Qatar
      • Saudi Arabia
        • Women (Saudi Arabia)
        • Saudi Arabia: Fundamentalism, sharia
        • Saudi Arabia: Migrants
        • Saudi Arabia: Society, history
      • Somalia
      • Syria
        • Kurdistan (Syria)
        • Pandemics (Health, Syria)
        • Women Syria)
        • History, society, culture (Syria)
        • International left (Syria)
        • Secularity (Syria)
      • Tunisia
        • Women (Tunisia)
        • Tunisia: Economy
        • Tunisia: Ennahdha, Islamism
        • Tunisia: LGBT+
        • Tunisia: On the Left
      • United Arab Emirates
      • Yemen
        • Women (Yemen)
    • Arctic
    • South Pacific
      • Australia
        • Epidemics, pandemics (health, Australia)
        • Women, (Australia)
        • Australia: History of people’s struggles
        • Australia: Regional Role
        • Disasters - Humanitarian and ecological (Australia)
        • History (Australia)
        • LGBT+ (Australia)
        • Racism (Australia)
      • Easter Island
      • Fiji
      • Kanaky / New Caledonia
      • Marshall Islands (inc. Bikini Atoll)
      • New Zealand / Aotearoa
        • Women (New Zealand/Aotearoa)
        • Epidemics, pandemics (health, New Zeland)
        • New Zealand/Aotearoa: Racism
      • Papua New Guinea
        • Papua New Guinea: Epidemics, pandemics (health)
      • Polynesia
      • Solomon Islands
      • Tonga
  • Home
  • English
  • Europe & U.K.
  • On the Left (Europe)
  • The Netherlands: The SP at a crossroads

The Netherlands: The SP at a crossroads

Saturday 1 May 2010, by BOS Willem

  
  • The Netherlands
  • SP (Nederland)

Things are not going well for the Dutch Socialist Party. During the last municipal elections in March the party suffered a defeat, the first time it lost in an election. The SP is the only party in the Netherlands that has always criticized neoliberalism – but now that model has stranded, the party suffers it biggest setback in its history. This makes a discussion about the party and its course more necessary than ever.

  Contents  
  • Party of opposition
  • Lessons from the crisis
  • At a crossroads

One bad election result doesn’t have to spell disaster, especially if it comes after a long line of victories. But it is clear the SP is experiencing something else than a (temporal) electoral setback. Before the municipal elections, there was the disappointing score in the European elections (the party maintained its two seats in the European Parliament), support for the SP in polls is consistently low (the party now has 25 out of 150 seats in parliament, but according to poll figures, it is set to lose more than half of those) and the party is losing members. Right at the moment the SP is proven right in its criticism of neoliberalism, the party suffers a heavy blow.

Many people point to the overall right-ward shift in the Netherlands when they try to explain the election results. This shift is profound, and is visible in first the rise of rightwing, anti-immigrant populist Pim Fortuyn in 2001 and 2002 and now in the popularity of far-right politician Geert Wilders. But to point to the rightward shift of society as the cause of the growth of the right-wing parties and the weakening of the left is just a tautology. The most important factor in the shift of voters sympathies is the antipathy against politics in all its shapes. The number of people who don’t bother to vote is steadily growing; politicians are increasingly unpopular; the membership of political parties is declining and people move from one party to another more than ever. The feeling that ‘politicians’ (in general) are making a mess of things, and that ‘the common people’ are the victims of it, is widespread.

This unease has its roots in the neoliberal policies of the past decennia; privatization and liberalization has destroyed much of the security people felt and has heavily damaged ties between people. What remains is insecurity, confusion and frustration: fertile soil for people who give a political voice to this feeling.

 Party of opposition

During the nineties, the SP was clearly the party of opposition. The Labour Party shed its left-wing past while the SP was rising as the party of dissatisfaction and resistance: resistance against the destruction of the pension system, against a universal market principle and against the sell-out of the welfare state. The SP grew in popularity and its number of seats in parliament increased.

But now it’s Wilder’s ‘Party of Freedom’ that symbolizes opposition against politics as usual. With help from the other parties, Wilders managed the put the focus of the public debate not on the economics problems and their consequences, but on ‘the islam’, he made integration of migrants a central issue in the political debate. The other parties, who all remain loyal to neoliberal dogma, have an interest in not focusing the debate on social-economic issues. If it’s up to them, working people will be made to pay for the crisis. And that is a message those parties would like to keep hidden from open view for as long as possible – in any case, until after the parliamentary elections in June.

The SP didn’t succeed in breaking the neoliberal consensus and putting economical and social issues on top of the agenda. This meant the party lost ground in the public debate because it is strongest on exactly these points. Because of an unclear approach in the whole debate on ‘integration’ and a failure to clearly oppose Wilders, the party also lost voters to parties with a more anti-racist profile like the Greens.

An important problem is that the true extent of the crisis is still not visible to many people in the Netherlands – unemployment increased but not on a massive scale and is mainly limited to flexworkers. People’s purchasing power is maintained and the enormous cutbacks on government spending are yet to come. We are flooded with messages that the worse is behind us and the economy is recovering.

Any left-wing party faces difficulties in such a situation: it has to confront a mood of ‘let’s all work together’ and ‘pessimism will only make things worse’. To counter this mood, a party needs to be able to present a long-term alternative and have a clear view of the crisis. Both seem to be lacking.

 Lessons from the crisis

In October 2008 the SP presented a manifesto: ‘Lessons of the credit crisis’. It spoke in favor of nationalizing banks that were in danger of going bankrupt, a law on nationalizations and a parliamentary inquiry into the causes of the crisis. There should be more supervision over the financial sector, the power of stockholders should be limited and the culture of outrageous bonuses for top-executives should be ended. Other points included dealing with tax-havens and the introduction of a tax on money flows (Tobintax). A drastically reformed IMF or a new financial authority should have the authority the issue a new international exchange currency to replace to dollar and the system of fixed exchange rates should be reconsidered.

The manifesto made 30 proposals, all concerning the financial sector – nowhere was it made clear that the financial crisis was bound to hit the real economy, nowhere a case was made for structural changes. Even the nationalization of banks and financial institutions was limited to those that ‘were in trouble’. The manifesto ended with a plea for a return to the so-called ‘Rhineland model’, without asking if such a return was even possible.

In the following period this attitude changed little. Of course, at a certain moment the conclusion that the bursting of the financial bubble was the prelude to a worldwide crisis was inescapable but no practical conclusions were drawn form this. The SP committed itself to the struggle to keep the retirement age at 65 but this struggle was not placed in a wider framework. What was and is lacking is a plan of struggle against the crisis measures: for the preservation of jobs, against the destruction of social benefits and for taxing the rich, nationalizing the financial sector and drastically reforming the economy in a social and ecological direction.

The lack of a discussion on the causes of the crisis was remarkable. Of course, many view points were exchanged but a general discussion in the whole party did not take place. The crisis meant a deep change of social reality – the party has to respond to that change. Such a response needs to be the result of collective analysis and discussion.

The SP has the reputation of being a party of doers, not just talkers. That is a good thing, especially when there’s clarity on what the course of the organization should be. But it becomes a disadvantage when times change and old viewpoints need to be reevaluated. A party needs to have room for serious political discussions – this can stimulate the members to be involved in plotting the course of the party and take responsibility for it.

 At a crossroads

The coming weeks until the elections of the ninth of June will be crucial. Roughly, there are two possibilities: either the party manages to position itself again as the party of discontent and of the refusal of working people to pay for the crisis. Or the party will get more caught up in trying to manage a crisis-ridden capitalism. If the last scenario becomes reality, the differences with the labor party will become less and less - and more people will vote for Wilders to give voice to their discontent. This course would make the SP lose on the electoral level as well.

The first approach offers no guarantees that the SP can regain its electoral position in the short term. As long as social resistance against the crisis measures is limited, the possibilities for a party that wants to be the expression of this resistance will be limited as well. But this approach at least creates a better long-term perspective. Whatever the result of the elections will be, one thing is certain: we will have a government that is going to implement cutbacks like we haven’t seen before. The lower classes will be hit even harder than during the eighties. The SP has its roots in resisting the crisis measures of those years – confronted with an even worse crisis, the party needs to continue that tradition.

Willem Bos

P.S.

+ From International Viewpoint Online magazine : IV n° 424 - May 2010.

+ Willem Bos is a member of the SAP (Dutch section of the Fourth International) and President of the “Grondwet Nee” No campaign

No specific license (default rights)
  • Newsletter
  • Search by keyword
  • Search by author
  • Links

Also in this section

  • Netherlands: Why the Dutch Socialist Party Is in Crisis
  • The strategic debates of the European left - from Recommons Europe to the pandemic
  • Netherlands : Meet the first Black woman to found a political party in Europe
  • Spanish State: Unidas Podemos turns on left rivals in Andalusia
  • What’s Left in Poland? Can the ‘three tenors’ led by Adrian Zandberg, take on Poland’s duopoly?
  • England and Wales: What is the Anti-Capitalist Resistance (ACR)?
  • Spanish State: Anticapitalistas leave Podemos
  • Spanish state: Radiance and sunset of Podemos - reasons for a farewell
  • Spanish state: a revived Eurocommunism vs centrist populism
  • Spanish State: Podemos Manifesto – Turning outrage into political change

1996-2021  — Europe Solidaire Sans Frontières
What about us ? | Site Map | Credits | Log in |  RSS 2.0 | Twitter | Facebook | Contact

SPIP