The only way to shape public opinion: democracy!
15 January 2016

Every day the headlines may give us more reason for pessimism: the government control and censorship of public media in Poland, terrorist attacks in Istanbul and Jakarta, hooligan violence in Leipzig, sexism and racism in public places in, among others, Cologne, deaths due to bombings in Syria… The list continues to grow. Even more worrying than the news itself is the hysteria it provokes because of the way the information is presented. And it is rapidly spiralling out of control.

The media could help stop this if they would only do their work properly, by investigating seriously and informing properly. The right to democracy and freedom of speech does not mean we should abuse this as a platform for racism, xenophobia and hate speech. Democracy has rules. Why not apply them? Europe has a charter of Fundamental Rights and Treaties. Thus I ask again ‘Why not apply them?’.

Now many are clamouring for stronger laws. This will open a Pandora’s box and give credence to the claims of the extreme right that our democracies are too weak and too tolerant. In this they are echoing the arguments of the Islamists. When a murderer killed young social democrats four years ago in Norway, Jens Stoltenberg who was at that time not NATO Secretary General but Norwegian Prime Minister, replied that “our reply to this attack on democracy must be more democracy”. Who dares to say and to apply that nowadays?

Instead of hysterical speeches calling for stronger laws in times of conflict, political leaders, in particular progressives, should stand like a lighthouse in the storm and uphold their values and convictions, should lead and shape public opinion and not solely follow or respond to it.

We are not on the brink of a third world war (yet), but if we continue to reason in this sense we may talk ourselves into one. At the European level we can be proud of leaders like High Representative Mogherini who is one of those driven by the conviction that reason should prevail. There are more, but as long as many in the media prefer to report the loud and provocative voices in the hope of reaching a wider audience and a bigger market share, the voices of reason are not sufficiently heard. Jingoism begins with words. The words are not just words, they poison the atmosphere and undermine our “old” democracy. This is not a simulation game, but a risky trend. We, determined democrats and Europeans from all backgrounds, should work closer together to get out of this trap! There is no time to lose in closing this Pandora’s box!

Together for Social Europe
Social Progress Watch on poverty and social inclusion
13 January 2016

The Social Progress Watch (SPW) initiative is a tool implemented by members and partners of SOLIDAR to monitor the commitment and progress made by national governments towards a more social and cohesive Europe. Through the SPW, SOLIDAR collects country reports on a yearly basis providing recommendations for upward social convergence as well as case studies presenting innovative and sustainable models to promote social inclusion, the social economy and quality job creation.

Poverty or social exclusion – Country reports from Austria, Bulgaria, Italy and Romania

The ongoing social crisis in Europe has brought the European institutions and national governments face to face with the effects of their policy responses to the economic crisis. These policies have so far focused on one-sided austerity measures and thereby eroded the social safeguards offered by our respective welfare states and the European social model.

In several Member States the numbers of people at risk of poverty or social exclusion remain high or are even on the rise and the EU 2020 Strategy’s goal to decrease these numbers is out of reach.
Read the full version of the newsletter here.

Building Learning Societies
First Working Papers by the NEGOTIATE project have been published
14 January 2016

Amongst the general population, Europe’s youth are facing the highest job insecurity levels in comparison with any other groups. Nearly one in four young people in the EU is jobless, and in some countries unemployment affects nearly half the youth population. A good level of education is no longer a guarantee of finding a job. Since the outbreak of the economic and financial crisis, Europe’s youth have faced increased difficulties on the labour market: a longer transition from education to work, longer jobless periods, a higher likelihood of being offered only temporary or “zero hour” contracts, or jobs below their qualifications. This has long- and short-term costs that affect the lives of individuals and society.

The NEGOTIATE project is examining the long- and short-term consequences of job insecurity and the labour market exclusion of young people. By actively involving national and European stakeholders, as well as young people themselves, the project will contribute to evidence-based and effective policies preventing the adverse effects of early job insecurity and youth unemployment. Researchers examine the relationship between young people’s subjective and objective negotiating positions across the economic and social dimensions affecting labour market integration and social inclusion. The project is informed by the concepts of resilience, capability, active agency and negotiation. These are combined with methodological innovation (life course interviews and vignette experiments) and cross-cutting policy analyses. In sum this will help improve our understanding of existing variations in the consequences of early job insecurity and labour market exclusion within and across countries and across social groups.

The project consortium of which SOLIDAR Foundation is a member has recently published the first set of four academic working papers that were developed in the framework of the NEGOTIATE research project:
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Organising International Solidarity
Will the new parliament put an end to Al-Sisi’s super powers?
13 January 2016

2015 was a tough year for Egyptian civil, political and socio-economic rights activists. Five years have passed since the January Revolution that toppled the Mubarak regime, and human rights and labour rights activists have been repeatedly cracked down on by the different transition governments ever since. While social movements were the driving force for social change that triggered the revolution, counter-revolutionary practices succeeded in reproducing Mubarak’s policies and preserving the institutions of the old regime.

In the absence of a parliamentary body, Egypt’s constitution grants the president temporary legislative authority alongside his existing executive powers. In this context, President Al-Sisi ratified over 175 extra parliamentary laws and decrees in 2015. In this regard, SOLIDAR calls on the new parliament to respect the rule of law and enact the constitution by reviewing all the laws introduced by extra parliamentary decree, and by enforcing the economic and social rights enshrined in the constitution.
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