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Poul Nyrup Rasmussen in Washington DC
12 posts
Written by Poul Nyrup Rasmussen
CV : Poul Nyrup Rasmussen is the President of the Party of European Socialists (PES). He has played a leading role in Danish politics for over a decade as Prime Minister and leader of the Danish Social Democrat Party.
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Energy and climate- part of a new agenda for people’s security - 19-04-2007 17:13:30
There is a new common vision in Europe shared by progressives and the PES. This is part of peoples’ new prospects for security. They see and feel the change in climate conditions each day.
Energy efficiency, new sustainable energy sources, wind power, solar energy, Europe is at the front of all this. The comprehensive energy and climate targets which the European Council agreed in March 2007 are a new basis for Europe’s cooperation with the US. It’s important to understand that on both sides of the Atlantic we need long term investments.
If we do it in the right way millions and millions of jobs could be created on both sides of the Atlantic. The PES adopted our program for energy and climate policies in Porto, in December 2006. Now we will follow up. The conservatives say that tackling climate change in Europe alone is too costly. We only account for 17% of total CO2 emissions worldwide.
But the PES we have wider ambitions. We can cope with climate change if we do it together with the USA and we can take the lead in the effort to save our planet. For the PES, Europe should invest in new initiatives to be in the frontline for tackling climate change together with the new Democrat engagement on the issue in the US. -
PES activists in Washington and New York?- not a dream - 19-04-2007 10:04:06
It’s a fact that quite a few social democrats and socialists from our member parties live and work in Washington DC and New York. They just don’t know each other. But we know them and they know us too. Why not create a platform, a group of PES activists in Washington and New York? That’s exactly what we did. Thanks to some very committed individuals, we agreed on PES meetings in Washington and New York to start now. This agreement was the conclusion of our meeting in the Democrats HQ in Washington and it was agreed with our party members in New York. In a few weeks members of our national member parties will receive an offer they cannot refuse: PES activists in New York and in Washington!! And we will certainly do our best to visit them each time we are in town. We will be in touch more frequently on the Internet. We will exchange information on what’s going on, in US and Europe. We have PES activist groups in an ever growing number of cities – especially in Europe but now in Washington DC and New York too! I’m so proud to meet activists who together – through the network of PES activists - will make a difference.
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Still a long way to go towards a common agenda for the people - 19-04-2007 10:03:37
Intensive discussions and reflection: over 20 meetings in 48 hours, an unbelievable agenda but it was worth all the effort. And it was good to see the new energy among the Democrats. As they say themselves, it’s simply more fun to work when you have majority in both senate and house. Our thinking, which we also told our democratic partners, is that there are high expectations from many people – environmentalists, the ’68 generation, poor people, middle class. And there may be many factions within the Democratic Party, this is a big challenge and it demands a united effort. As an experienced assistant to one of the senators said: “now it’s about getting used to the new majority for us old dogs and using it”. That goes for the PES too. Globalization is here to stay with all its opportunities and risks and uncertainties for ordinary people. Let’s join the progressives in US-European relations for a better world. We, the PES, are dedicated to do this. We will follow up on this series of meetings in a more systematic way than in the past agendas. The first step will be coordinating demands to the G8. As we conclude a fantastic productive meeting with the chair of the Democratic Party, Howard Dean, I feel we must actively prepare for the post-Bush EU-US relations.
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Democracy worldwide - yes but how? - 19-04-2007 10:03:09
In discussions with the NDI and Brookings Institution it was clear that we share a common understanding. We agree on the basic conditions for creating a truly sustainable democracy. It cannot work without proper institutions, checks and balances, independent judges, legislative assembly separated from executive powers and so forth. This is one of the reasons why Bush was wrong in his attempt to promote democracy in the Arab world, especially Iraq. That is why we must learn from his mistakes, be it in the Middle East, in Afghanistan, in Africa. NDI’s commitment to a more comprehensive approach to democracy is remarkable. It has very strong similarities with our engagements and the way the progressive parties see and act in the European Parliament.
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“Healthcare for all” - a reasonable claim - 19-04-2007 10:02:34
“Healthcare for all” is now becoming the top priority among ordinary Americans. And they have good reasons for doing so. Many pay an extremely high insurance premium and too many people cannot afford to pay the private insurance. Too many are simply outside the basic services. In Europe we use 7-9% of our gdp on our hospitals and health care. In US it is 14%. And every Democratic Congressman and Senator we talked to underlined their commitment to healthcare. The European way is giving a high service to all at a lower cost – and a universal service: no matter whether you are rich or poor. The old American system based on employers’ contributions is breaking down, that is what is happening in America now. I strongly support the new Democratic engagement in the US. Healthcare for all could be the first new move for a fairer society. It could be the first breakthrough for progressives. We agreed during our meetings to exchange information and experiences, on how to organize healthcare for all, how to finance it. The PES will be very active together with our member parties in this new cooperation. Progressive politics is, in essence, about creating better conditions for people, better conditions than the markets alone can deliver.
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The Democrat candidates for President - 18-04-2007 17:14:27
Things are moving fast now, in media and people’s engagement on who is going to be the Democrats Presidential candidate.
All our talks in all our meetings have confirmed the Democratic race is now really focusing on three candidates, Hilary Clinton, Barak Obama and John Edwards. And they are all qualified.
I am taking note that the race has in practice been brought forward. We may have our Democratic candidate already in February or March 2008 if the decisive states make their choices. And importantly in that race, candidates are boosting each other. They are all doing better and better. You cannot say that for the Republicans.
That is also a promising sign for the new progressive leadership of USA that so many of us in Europe and America are looking forward to. -
Iraq - Another way for peace - 18-04-2007 17:13:52
Our intensive talks with progressive think tanks and congressman and senators from the Democratic Party have one common line on Iraq.
While US soldiers are fighting each day in Iraq with so many losses there is a widespread wish for change among ordinary American people.
Democrats – taken as whole – are the voice of the people of the US on Iraq. They want to find a responsible way out, a restructuring and withdrawal of US troops together with their allies – as part of a new and coherent strategy for peace involving the major actors in the region.
The Democratic majority in Congress and Senate is talking hard each day with the Republicans and the Bush administration. One thing is clear, Bush will not change during the term of his administration, but there is a real change in attitude to the Iraq war among an increasing number of military leaders. The cost of the war is escalating.
But people want their soldiers home. We see Congress involving itself in a much more active role than ever before in foreign policy. That is absolutely necessary. But this dramatic situation underlines how much the world needs a new, Democratic President and administration – for the sake of peace and cooperation with the world. -
International capital markets - time for transparency and responsibility - 17-04-2007 19:02:53
There is now a broad common understanding between the PES and the Democrats in congress and the American trade unions that we must take initiatives related to the big international hedge funds and private equity funds.
It’s the same picture in the US as in Europe: the huge funds make deals to buy out well functioning, competitive and sound companies, followed by asset stripping and huge shareholder dividends, followed by job cuts and deteriorating working conditions. All our efforts to promote long term investments to ensure better jobs for the future, life-long learning and to generate tax revenue for our societies are limited and even blocked by ambitious short-term thinking capital funds.
During all our meetings the PES Group's report on hedge funds and capuital funds was received with very strong interest. Colleagues in US tell us that this is the first progressive report with a truly coherent approach.
Everybody agreed that we - the progressives in the US and Europe - must take the initiative to proicde a framework for capital markets so as to avoid negative consequences for jobs and investments. We will start with transparency disclosure, and accountability exactly as we have done for all other actors in our societies. Then we will follow up by defining new standards for the behaviour of these funds according to the best interests of our societies. -
Inequality and injustice: not a natural law of globalisation - 17-04-2007 19:01:55
The young, the grassroots, the 68 generation , the bloggers are so tired of the Iraq war and the Bush administration policy of privatising social security .
The Bush “ownership society” failed. People made their choice and elected their double majority of democrats.
There seems to be a new recognition among Democrats that the private sector does not deliver sustainable social security and health care.
And the Democrats are now working for a new democratic agenda. After so many years of the Bush administration inequality in the US is at its worst since 1978.
The chief economists of the trade union AFL-CIO documented this clearly - 1per cent of the richest in the US now earn 28 per cent of all income. The US now has among the most unequal income distribution of OECD member countries. Furthermore, only 1 per cent of incomes have increased in real terms in recent years. The middle class has seen its income decrease and a number of people in poverty is increasing. This is simply not sustainable. The democrats are moving now. It will start by a claim for “health care for all “.
A new dynamic is to be seen among the grassroots to revitalise a progressive agenda for America. It's about giving the old headline in Bill Clintons first electioin campaign, "its about the economy stupid", a modern follow up: “its about investing in people stupid”. -
Decent work: A common progressive US-EU agenda - 17-04-2007 16:09:33
A clear message to the G8 meeting Now it is finally clear that the agenda “decent work for all” for which the PES and the Socialist Group in the European Parliament together with the ITUC have fought for so long is now moving ahead in the American political agenda, thanks to the new double majority of US Democrats. During my meetings with leading Democratic Congressman and the leader of AFL-CIO, the American progressive trade union movement, we confirmed our mutual commitment to promote the decent work agenda - in the US, in Europe and the world, not least the developing world. This will have implications for the ongoing WTO negotiations. Everybody must understand now that we cannot imagine a progressive outcome of the WTO negotiations without progress for decent work. What we are talking about here are the ILO core standards for workers, core minimum standards worldwide: that’s simply a fair claim. The time has come to promote a new balanced approach based on three pillars: a trade agreement with priorities and benefits to the developing countries, a general trade agreement and progress for the decent work agenda. The European Commission has to listen carefully now to the voice of progressives but not only PES in Europe but also the American democratic forces and the trade unions.
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The New America - 17-04-2007 16:07:41 - Only logged activists can post a comment, please sign in or register here
You have to be here to understand the far reaching effects of the new double majority of the Democrats in Congress and Senate. I see a strong challenge for the PES and European Parliament to engage in a new cooperation with the Democrats and the trade union movements in America. It is like visiting a “New America”. When we meet our friends in the Democratic Party and trade unions the optimism is so strong after all these years of Republican dominance of American politics. We don’t have to be naïve, things will not change that rapidly but a new direction is undoubtly there and we have to be clear on our responsibility in the PES and the Socialist Group to contribute to this progressive line. I don’t need a closed inward-looking Democratic Party. I need congressmen and senators and think tanks that are outward looking, wanting to rebuild a new balanced US-EU relation on the basis of our common progressive values. It’s about creating new and better jobs together. It’s about tackling globalisation in common, tackling climate change in unison, tackling the capital funds in financial markets together. I’m not saying that we agree on everything but I see this new common direction which the European socialist family and the whole of Europe must contribute to. I see more clearly the “after bush era” gradually being formed.
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First morning meeting, first results! - 16-04-2007 17:12:52
We will now start the PES visit in Washington DC and launch our new European-American cooperation to fence the international private equity funds as such. This morning was a new beginning for a reinforced relation about jobs, about the financial markets, about people’s interests. This was the conclusion reached after the meeting with the labour unions in the US. It is just a first follow up of the report we made in the Socialist Group about a critical analysis on hedge funds and private equity funds. We realised this morning that we have to cooperate to ensure our future jobs. We shall not compete on lowering standards and wages. We will survive on increasing our qualifications, investing in new technology, research and development and that is demanding long term investments. What is needed is long term financing and not short term speculations. We agreed upon that and now it is time to put words into practice. I am quite happy to note that this first result is an encouraging result for a strengthened American-European relation between the progressive movement all over the world.
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