These are terrible times for center-left parties in Europe. Social Democrats were defeated in Spain, Croatia and Ireland this year, and suffered crushing losses in Lithuania and the Czech Republic. In recent votes in the United Kingdom and Austria, up to 80 percent of workers turned away from the center-left and cast their vote for right-wing populists. Today, only two European Union countries are exclusively governed by the center-left: Portugal — where a battered Social Democratic Party heads a shaky minority government — and the Mediterranean island of Malta. [...]
According to annual continent-wide Eurobarometer polls conducted by the European Commission, immigration and terrorism trump the economy and unemployment as European’s biggest concerns. This shouldn’t come as a surprise. EU-wide unemployment is currently at the lowest level since 2009 and even youth joblessness is decreasing. [...]
Navigating this sensitive and controversial issue without giving in to prejudice is a daunting task, but it is crucial that the center-left establishment recognize and address voters’ genuine concerns. Dismissing populist voters and labeling them as “extremist” will not help solve the root causes of the problem. This approach extends an invitation for real extremists and fringe politicians, who are only too keen to exploit the opportunity.
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