Left-wing opposition parties and individuals, proposing a “socialist alternative”, have been appearing in major Western countries.
Details. In France, Jean-Luc Mélenchon’s ‘France Unbowed’ recently formed a left-wing alliance: the ‘New Popular Front’, named after the 1930s anti-fascist coalition. Unlike the original Popular Fronts, which aimed to unite the organised working class in struggle, this is an unprincipled pact with liberals built on vague calls for left unity. The alliance won the most seats in the recent legislative election but has been blocked by President Macron from forming a government.
► In Germany, ‘The Left’ party of socialist reformists doubled its vote share in the recent federal election, whilst the establishment SPD social-democrats lost 4 million voters.
► In Britain, a new ‘socialist’ group is reportedly forming around Jeremy Corbyn. Although it doesn’t yet have an official name or programme, this group is attracting many voters away from the Labour Party.
► In the USA, left-wing deputies Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez organised ‘Fighting Oligarchy’ rallies across the US. They publicly denounce the political influence of capitalists, who use their wealth and control over the media to sway elections.
► In New York City, the “Democratic Socialist” candidate Zohran Mamdani won the Democratic Party nomination for the upcoming mayoral election, marking a major shift towards social-democratic currents within the Democratic Party.
Context. Since 2020, the five richest capitalists have doubled their wealth, while five billion people globally have become poorer. Last year also saw the highest number of state-based armed conflicts in over 70 years. Amid geopolitical instability and worsening living standards, the credibility of centrist governments is collapsing.
► Established centre-left parties are increasingly seen as incapable of addressing these issues, leading to the popularity of these new, more radical-sounding “socialist” candidates in the West. This trend picked up after the 2008 capitalist crisis, and is now greatly accelerating.
► Far-right campaigns and political parties have also grown due to the crisis of capitalism. Rising at a faster pace than the ‘democratic socialists’, the far-right has already taken power, or is close to doing so, in multiple Western countries.
Important to Know. The worsening contradictions of capitalism – wars, inequality, misery – are driving the working masses to doubt the promises of the system. This is why they are turning to politicians who claim to oppose ‘the establishment.’
► These politicians are willing to criticise capitalism’s visible failures but can’t offer a comprehensive alternative or confront the system’s foundations. Workers are increasingly demanding concessions, such as higher minimum wages and rent freezes, to improve their living standards.
► Whilst most capitalists do not currently favour the rise of such politicians as their policies threaten to reduce profit margins, these groups do not pose an existential threat to capitalism. In fact, capitalists sometimes accept tactically offering limited concessions to workers to stave off revolt or revolution.