(National President Arogya Sena, Managing Trustee RSD, Ex National President SYS)
‘The most surprising event of this political era is what hasn't happened. The world has not turned left.
Given the financial crisis, widening inequality, the unpopularity of the right's stances on social issues and immigration, you would have thought that progressive parties would be cruising from win to win. But, instead, right-leaning parties are doing well.’ David Brooks has written this bitter truth in May 2015 in New York Times.
That time both the houses of US Congress were ruled by Republicans though a Democrat, Barack Obama was the President, once a socialist country Israel had gone surprisingly in to the hands of Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud Party, David Cameron’s Conservative Party had come in power in UK.
Oldest Investment Company on Wall Street, Lehman Brothers declared bankruptcy heralding a financial disaster on the world.
This clearly showed the limitations of right wing economic policies of free economy. And even though right wing political parties got success after success and captured 26 European countries out of 39 and 30 countries from the Anglo sphere out of 43.
This fact raises a serious question whether the world is leaning towards right? Social Register is an annual and its 52nd issue was dedicated to ‘The Politics of the Right’, last year.
Actually the 21st century world with its scientific modernity and communication network should become more and more rational, free from the clutches of religions, blurring the boundaries between the nations.
The modern world should be free from exploitation and inequality, should march towards peace and non-violence should reach the ultimate destination of humanity. But in reality the world has started a retrograde journey towards religious fanaticism, violence, over aggressive nationalism and political irrationalism and immoralism. Rise of Modi, in our country and Trump in America are indicators of this fact. Modi is a face of Hindu Fanatic politics marching towards their century’s old dream of Hindu Nation and Trump is a face of superficial, characterless capitalism marching towards their dream of white racial supremacy. Why is this happening?
David Brooks has analyzed this phenomenon. He says that, over the past few years, left-of-center economic policy has moved from opportunity progressivism to redistributionist progressivism. Opportunity progressivism is associated with Bill Clinton and Tony Blair in the 1990s.
This tendency actively uses government power to give people access to markets, through support for community colleges, infrastructure and training programs and the like, but it doesn't interfere that much in the market and it hesitates before raising taxes. This tendency has been politically successful. Clinton and Blair had long terms. Redistributionist progressivism more aggressively raises taxes to shift money down the income scale, opposes trade treaties and meddles more in the marketplace.
Politics of the right talks about aggressive nationalism, uses systematic glorification of traditions and culture of its nation, uses race, caste or religion for inflaming the emotions and sentiments of its people. It rejects pluralism, inclusive politics, and secularism. It first creates feeling of insecurity in the minds of the people. It impresses on their minds superiority of their religion or race or singular culture. Then projects itself as the savior of all these.
It talks about prosperity rather than equality. It vociferously convinces the people that their ideology only can make their country a superpower and world leader. It creates a virtual world and a feeling of De Ja Vu and makes people forget their basic needs of life.
Globalization and Neo liberalism has created unprecedented economic inequality and unemployment in the world. Our ex-governor of Reserve Bank, Dr Subbarao has said that decision to usher the policy of globalization was the first destructive decision (second being the demonetization).
So the reaction of the world against these should have been opposite and world should have started leaning towards left. But surprisingly world is reacting in opposite way. Globalization widened gap between the rich and the poor, but it also started blurring the national ethos and identities of many social groups.
People think that Left politics talks about too pleural a society, it accepts immigrants, it talks about a welfare economy but depends too much on public sector even if it becomes a white elephant, it talks about tax hikes, it encourages trade unions and too rigid labor laws, it talks about sustainable development and clean environment but ultimately loses momentum for development, it talks about equality but hardly about prosperity, it talks about national integration but is apathetic towards nationalism. Naturally people start finding politics of the right more acceptable as they think that right wing economic policies insist on small profitable public enterprises, they encourage industrialization and production, they are more flexible towards labor laws, they oppose immigrants thus securing the interests of the locals.
This is why even worker class, once with the left, started leaning towards right. Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, England, Germany, Netherland, Poland, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Romania all these countries have leaned towards right. The only countries which are still left are Sweden, Greece, Italy, France, Austria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Albania, and Slovenia.
Fall of trade unions and rise in self-employment are also factors responsible for the rise of the right so is the increasing geriatric population. As people grow older they start leaning towards right. But the younger generation is also leaning towards right because they think right only can generate employment and can achieve development. Right politics always supports capitalism and market economy which only pushes world towards economic crisis.
Tim Wigmor, an eminent writer of New Statesman says that
“One would think the world undergoing economic crisis would lean towards left but has leaned towards right instead.”
He thinks that, “One big factor is that the center left has not been able to answer the question of what it exists for when there is no money left. As management of the economy has become a much more important issue, right-wing parties have benefited because they“ are often labeled better economic managers”, says Andrew Little, leader of the New Zealand Labor Party.
Thomas Hofer, an Austrian political consultant, says: “In times of crises, conservatives might be trusted more, as they are seen to keep an eye on a balanced budget. When there’s growth, social democrats are – or were – trusted to spread the wealth.”
Globalization has given rise to new wealthy middle class which is afraid that ideas of economic equality of the left would make them lose their newly acquired financial status, industrialists are afraid that they would not be able to use natural resources as per their wishes as left politics is environment protectionist. Workers are afraid that they will not get opportunity in jobs as left accepts immigration.
Common man is afraid about the security of the nation as left talk about the cuts in military expenses. People do not realize that wars are the need of imperialistic mentality and arms manufacturers. Left talk about gender equality. But even country like America found it difficult to accept Hillary. Left talks about secularism but people are still under tremendous influence of religions.
In a country like India left talks about annihilation of cast but caste is becoming a new found identity strengthening the caste system.
Jason Wilson has said that,
“Most right governments are not popular. They have not grabbed power on their ideology but have thrived on the weaknesses of the Left. Left lack leadership and right have taken advantage of this.”
Left does not allow leadership to grow from within their ranks, tend to import leadership but right nourish leadership. Left lack in the ability to project or define their ultimate goals.
On this background, victory of left in Latin America is remarkable. Left leaders in these countries insisted for basic economic justice and generation of wealth.
In a capitalist country like America where communism was an enemy and socialist was an abusive word, Kshama Sawant could win Seattle Municipal Council taking up the issue of minimum wedges and Bernie Sanders could reach Presidential intra party finals taking up the issues of economic inequality and unemployment, both declaring themselves Democratic Socialists. Fall of the world towards right wing politics is moral degradation.
This is a fall towards capitalism, inequality, unemployment, racism, communalism, caste based politics, nationalism, Imperialism, war mongering, fascism and violence. Politics of the right stands for all this. Left politics can only counter this fall. But left does not mean dictatorial communism, left means democratic socialism.
Fall of left in Russia and China has created negative impact on the minds of the people. Left in both these countries has many shades of right in their ways of functioning. To succeed, democratic socialism has to shed rigidity and frigidity, has to become more fluid and flexible.
Basic human nature is greedy, believes in competitive spirit for achieving success, does not believe in equality, can easily nourish animosity and hatred, can fall prey to violence. Changing the basic human nature is a big spiritual challenge. Political ideology cannot wait for spiritual transformations of the people. At the same time spirituality may not go every time in right direction for the humanity, religions have failed to achieve this over centuries. So left has to acquire a modern form considering the fault lines of basic human nature, problems of the modern world and changing references. It will have to preserve nationalist spirit avoiding instigator spirit even while marching towards world order and humanity, has to encourage generation of wealth while talking about equality, has to find employment opportunities in revolutions of modern science, has to move towards development while preserving the environmental balance, will have to invent Spinning Wheel for 21st century rather than getting stuck up with Mahatma Gandhi’s Charakha, will have to improve basic infrastructure while relinquishing the thirst of the masses for the modern living, will have to create welfare state without loss making public sector, will have to provide modern means for communications and technologies, will have to guard national security through diplomacy. This modern Avatar of Democratic Socialism has to be attractive enough to be acceptable to masses. Youth all over the world should try to invent Modern Avatar of Democratic Socialism. But one thing is sure that it only can stop fall of the world towards right!
