Portuguese Activism @ PES
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PES Activists Portugal Presentation - By José Reis Santos - 22-05-2007 08:58:23 - Only logged activists can post a comment, please sign in or register here
Ladies and Gentlemen:
Dear Friends,
It’s been a week since we’re commemorating 50 years from the signature of treaty of Rome. A week ago we celebrate the way that we took and we look to the future, seeking new goals. 50 Years ago, we still remember, Europe was recovering from profound wounds made by a fratricide war.
50 years ago, a group of diplomats were congregated in Rome trying to build an European peace that last at least a generation.
50 years ago, they said that Europe could exist, at least, as a supra national entity of economical relief, peace keeper and maybe something more.
Today, after not one but two generations, we overcome those initial goals. Europe, today, is more than an economical organization. Europe, today, is more than a peace keeper. Europe, today, it’s not an idea. It’s here. It’s real.
The Partido Socialista has been always in tune with this construction. As a result of one man decisive vision – Mário Soares – in those days of ASP (Acção Socialista Portuguesa) as observers of IS, we had chosen Social Democracy as ideology.
After our Revolution, at April’s 25, 1974, and as recently formed Partido Socialista, we run at the first free general election in 1976, with the slogan “A Europa Connosco – Europe with us”. As a result of our victory in that election, PS delivers the formal order to join EEC. In 1985, and with Mário Soares still in leadership, it’s Partido Socialista who signs the union treaty. And when Portugal joins Euro, it’s also under Socialist leadership – António Guterres.
Today, as we start PES Activists Portugal, we seek to continue this way, with full respect of our background. It’s in this proudly history that we seek peace and prosperity, but also an European Identity, based in a political project of social cohesion, build for the people and by the people.
PES Activists are born in the globalization days. These days have a tremendous influence in politics. If in every UE country there are levels of political organization (local, regional and nacional) being a PES Activists it’s to join to a fourth level of organization: The European level.
We embrace new technologies because they make eliminate distances, they give voice the voiceless, they create new proximities. We are, already, so many European citizens changing ideas, having debates at PES website, or blogging thru the Internet. Today, the political discussion about the future of Europe, our future, it’s a multi channel debate.
That doesn’t mean that we give up the traditional debates. It means we enforce them. We promote them even harder. That’s why we invite you to be here with us, debating with us. We still believe in political made for the people and by the people.
The PES Activists initiative it’s a way, among others, that PES find to motivate the debate about European politics between over 2 million socialist members thru all Europe.
At Portugal, we want to be part of this decisive generational challenge. OUR generational challenge.
Our goal is to complement traditional party structures, bringing more information, more debate and more working areas. We want to be not only the messengers but also the creators of new ideas, new debates, new politics. We believe that our relationship with Europe it’s a two way street, working in an articulated manner ad noise free between the leaders and they countrymen.
We want to belong to the base of these relationship, connecting ourselves with the European network of activists, giving PES and PS the strength to make new ways of development in European matters, bringing them to the day to day discussions, and bringing at the same time local politics an European visibility, giving them the right context.
We believe that nowadays being a socialist it’s to be pro-active, it’s to feel the need to make history, like 50 years ago. It’s to have the strength and the will to build a socially fair Europe, a political advance Europe, it’s to make a decisive contribution to the next 50 years.
Today, trying to embrace members and friends of PS in a open mind political work, we start this adventure – PES Activists Portugal
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Because, like 20 years ago, we belong to this project.
Because, like 20 years ago, we are European.
50 years ago, our founding fathers ask us a generation of peace.
We give them that and we giving them also an economical growth and development. Let the third generation, our generation, build a new Social Europe by integrating diversity and promoting equality.
That’s why we step forward
Thank you
José Reis Santos
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