Leftist Victories

The Left has recently scored two victories, one in North Rhine- Westphalia, the most populous Land of the German Federal Republic, the other in Greece. In both cases, the socialist (“Social Democratic”) party emerged as the victor. In Germany, the loser was the right-of-center Christian Democratic Union (CDU); in Greece, the right-of-center New Democracy Party (NDP). The reasons the Left won and the Right lost go a long way toward explaining the basic political weaknesses of Western Europe.

First, the leftist parties, especially the Social Democrats, have become the Santa Claus parties, bestowing gifts on all and sundry. The socialist parties believe firmly in the Provider State (wrongly called the Welfare State). With German unemployment at record- high postwar levels, the tighten-your- belt attitude of the Christian Democrats is anything but popular. To win elections, a party has to have popular (“charismatic”) leaders and popular ideas. It has to please the many, not just the educated and responsible few. The highly educated John Quincy Adams never had a chance against the semi-literate Andrew Jackson, nor did Heinrich Bruning against Hitler, and so forth.

EK

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Erik von Kuehnelt-Leddihn

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The Left has recently scored two victories, one in North Rhine- Westphalia, the most populous Land of the German Federal Republic, the other in Greece. In both cases, the socialist (“Social Democratic”) party emerged as the victor. In Germany, the loser was the right-of-center Christian Democratic Union (CDU); in Greece, the right-of-center New Democracy Party (NDP). The reasons the Left won and the Right lost go a long way toward explaining the basic political weaknesses of Western Europe.

First, the leftist parties, especially the Social Democrats, have become the Santa Claus parties, bestowing gifts on all and sundry. The socialist parties believe firmly in the Provider State (wrongly called the Welfare State). With German unemployment at record- high postwar levels, the tighten-your- belt attitude of the Christian Democrats is anything but popular. To win elections, a party has to have popular (“charismatic”) leaders and popular ideas. It has to please the many, not just the educated and responsible few. The highly educated John Quincy Adams never had a chance against the semi-literate Andrew Jackson, nor did Heinrich Bruning against Hitler, and so forth.