Right-wing and centre-right parties today govern Italy. Last weekend’s elections in Austria put the right-wing party as the largest party in the country. Parliamentary elections in France gave the left-wing parties a majority, thanks to tactical voting which kept the right-wing party of Le Pen in check. In the recent regional elections in the eastern part of Germany, there were fears that the far-right party would obtain the largest number of votes.
In common parlance these right-wing parties are called populist parties. However, there are also left-wing parties and politicians who are described as populist. The right-left dialectic in politics is not what it used to be, that is the right-wing promoted liberalist economic policies, while the left-wing parties promoted first and foremost the interests of the workers.
Most, if not all the right-wing parties of Europe seek to have a social programme which favours the so-called working class. Very often what distinguishes the right wing from the left wing are policies related to aspects such as abortion, immigration and euthanasia.
It is interesting to note that in spite of the popularity of these right-wing parties, people in Europe do not describe themselves as right-leaning on the political spectrum. A survey shows that in all the 27 member states of the EU, 28% consider themselves to be left-leaning against 23% who consider themselves to be right-leaning. Another 38% identify themselves with the centre and 11% did not express an opinion.
In Malta, we are in a similar position: 26% consider themselves to be left-leaning, 17% consider themselves to be right-leaning, 42% consider themselves identify themselves with the centre, and 15% did not express an opinion.
One may ask what the point of all this is, especially in a local context. I believe that apart from some specific issues of a local nature within countries, the expectation of voters, wherever one is living, is that there is a balance among three factors: social cohesion, economic growth and reduction of income inequality, a triangulation which reflects the real economic priorities.
Governments need to be business friendly, not businessmen friendly
It is on these three factors that political parties will be judged, and they are economic in nature.
The core message of all this is that as voters swing from right to left to the centre and back, the human person needs to remain at the heart of the economy, every person has a fair chance to meet their aspirations, and in today’s and tomorrow’s circumstances, develop the economy on the basis of environmental considerations.
To achieve social cohesion, governments need to fund spending on shared priorities, namely the health system, education, pensions, social welfare and infrastructure. Wasteful expenditure needs to be eliminated as every euro counts in making sure that these priorities are well catered for. For this purpose, there needs to be effective social dialogue among the social partners.
Economic growth is achieved through responsible private investment. As such, there needs to be sufficient space for entrepreneurs to invest, encouraged by a clear vision and long-term targets, which ensures future sustainability. Governments need to be business friendly, not businessmen friendly. This also requires fair and good working conditions and a skilled workforce.
The third factor is reducing income inequality. Some believe that reducing income inequality hinders economic growth. This is simply not true. We may need to rediscover the benefit of taxation as a means of redistributing income and not simply as a means of funding government expenditure, which if it remains unchecked, will become a black, bottomless hole used to fund personal lifestyles.
Governments need to keep in mind this triangulation, also because the three factors making it up represent the values on which the European Union has been built.