Democracy

The economic crisis and the democracy crisis share some of the same causes: redefining the ideal of democracy, the impotence of current regulatory methods in the face of collective decision-making, and a crisis within political programmes.

Old Europe is disaggregating. The new Europe, which has long been a reality in the mind of many European citizens, is waiting for its constitution, one that will effectively take us into the future.

What do the Greens think about the current fatigue with representative democracy?

The specificity of ‘democratic radicality’ is by no means a bulwark for the Greens against developments or rationales that run counter to this ‘democratic requirement.’

In recent years, the volume of articles and books dedicated to the democratic crisis has been constantly expanding. The same is true of the literature addressing the ecological crisis. Yet a simultaneous reflection both on the ecological and on the democratic crisis has not accompanied this proliferation.

In the European elections, European citizens were for the first time given the opportunity to vote for a common European candidate to take the Presidency of the Commission. Yet now it seems uncertain whether this promise will materialise. The outcome will either reinforce or lessen the deficit of legitimacy in the EU.

The time has come to review the democratic workings of the European Union. Ideally, this should be the subject of a new Convention, but it is also possible to strengthen, here and now, European democracy.

Once again, the Dutch politician Geert Wilders and his far-right party, the PVV (Freedom Party), found themselves in the headlines. At an election meeting Wilders made racist remarks and stood by them. It is a distasteful development that will have consequences beyond the Netherlands.

‘History never repeats itself. Man always does’ This well-known adage of Voltaire seems more relevant than ever. As the British nation seeks to ‘commemorate’ the centenary of the start of the First World War, it is important to be very aware of and where necessary critical of the methods and use of language by which our leaders are attempting to portray this crucial event.

In the run-up to the 2014 European elections, all citizens of Europe had the opportunity to select the two leading candidates for the European Green Party. The winners of this ‘Green Primary’ were Ska Keller and José Bové, both Members of the European Parliament. What links do they see between Europe’s history and its politics?