Those who sleep in democracy wake up in dictatorship
Democracy is a tiny plant than needs to be nurtured – a daily task for those who believe that solutions for the majority are found through debate, compromise and comprehensive communication. From this point of view, democracy in Europe is at risk.
In the past 10 years, leaders have been grappling with crises that caught Europe somewhat unawares: first came the financial crisis, then an economic and social crisis, and finally – as if all that was not enough - the so-called "migration crisis", which permanently upset the mood of European society.
Although some progress has been made, none of the above problems have found lasting solutions. People have not only lost trust in their national governments and once popular moderate parties, but also in the European Union, which reflects the performance of its Member States. Many of these disappointed voters have turned towards alternative forces – mostly extreme right parties – hoping that they would do better, or at least not do worse.
In my country, Italy, the formerly popular centre-left and centre-right parties have lost more than half of their voters in the space of only 10 years (from 26 to 11 million votes), mainly to populist right-wing parties.
This is a wake-up call for every democrat and true European! If people lose interest and trust, they do not feel appropriately represented by political leaders and their decision-makers. This disappointment translates into protest, and the protest transforms into support for populists offering easy fixes. All this is a sign that an aloof political elite is no longer listening to the worries, hopes and needs of its constituency.
Pro-European democratic parties still have four months to change track. Four months are not much but with good will, sound recipes and a comprehensive and targeted communication strategy, the paradigm change should be manageable.
In my view, the strategy is simple but urgent:
- Listen to people
- Do not shy away from naming people's problems and worries
- Be clear about European values and the obligation for everyone in Europe to stick to them
- Provide workable short- and long-term solutions
- Warn against the false solutions of extremist parties by highlighting their possible consequences
- Communicate so that everyone, from the fisherman in Sicily to the bricklayer in Gdańsk, can understand.
People no longer want to listen to political jargon; they want real solutions.
We should be aware that if we cannot make the many advantages of a united Europe tangible to individual citizens – and I think that peace should be a key argument in favour of Europe – the European Union is at risk of political demise.
Let us hope that responsible political leaders will find the right words and recipes to regain the trust of a majority of Europeans. We, as representatives of Europe's civil society – employers, workers and the diverse civil society groups of Europe – will go on telling Europe's success stories, since we are convinced that creating a united Europe was the best idea of the 20th century.
History teaches us that those who sleep in democracy wake up in dictatorship.
Luca Jahier
EESC President
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