"The political distance between Starmer and a leader such as Sanchez is striking. Once little known beyond his own country, the Spanish PM's outspoken opposition to Israel's genocide in Gaza and his unequivocal condemnation of the Iran war have won him respect among European publics and governments across the global south alike."
"Sanchez's speech at the conference echoed themes long abandoned by his peers: denunciations of billionaires, speculators and techno-oligarchs, and a blunt declaration that neoliberal orthodoxy died in 2008."
"It is difficult to imagine Starmer proclaiming that when we progressives reach government, it is not to serve the elites we put them in their place."
"The crisis of the west cannot be understood without considering the long self-destruction of social democracy. In the 1990s, most centre-left parties embraced neoliberalism - privatisation, deregulation and low taxes on the wealthy."
The inaugural Global Progressive Mobilisation in Barcelona attracted leaders and activists from various countries to confront rising authoritarianism. Key figures included Brazil's Lula and Spain's Pedro Sanchez, who criticized corporate power and war. Notably absent were many European leaders, reflecting Spain's unique progressive governance. Sanchez's speech emphasized a return to social democratic principles, denouncing neoliberalism and advocating for the interests of the people over elites. The event underscored the challenges facing social democracy in the West, particularly after its shift towards neoliberal policies in the 1990s.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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