David Miliband: European left is fragmenting as the right is unifying
In LSE speech, Miliband names six countries with a history of centre-left rule that are now governed by rightwing parties
David Miliband was speaking at the London School of Economics. Photograph: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images
Social democratic parties across Europe are losing elections on an "unprecedented scale", according to former foreign secretary David Miliband.
He said the parties were "fragmenting as the right is unifying". He named six countries – Britain, Sweden, Germany, France, Holland and Italy – that he said had a "good claim to represent the historic heartland of European social democracy", but that are no longer run by the centre-left.
In a speech to the London School of Economicson Tuesday, Miliband called for social democratic parties in those countries to try to regain ground by focusing on wealth creation and greater control of privatised utilities.
"Not since the first world war has there been this kind of domination from the right. The whole era of democratic suffrage," said Miliband.
He added: "Left parties are losing elections more comprehensively than ever before. They are losing from government and from opposition; they are losing in majoritarian systems and PR systems.
"Just for good measure, they are losing whatever position the party had on the Iraq war and they are fragmenting at just the time the right is uniting."
Miliband listed three groups of voters the centre-left parties across Europe have lost – both to the far right and left, including green parties.
Comparing the economic conditions of the 90s with those now facing the left as it tries to rebuild itself, Miliband said: "Instead of a 'nice' – non-inflationary consistently expansionary – decade we face a 'grim' decade: growth restricted and inflationary misery."
Miliband backed a move by the Labour party under his brother's leadership to embrace the idea of "good society", in contrast to the government's "big society".
He said: "Our vision is not just about how much money is made; it is about how it is made. We are not apologists for globalisation. We are reformers.
"When left-of-centre parties are able to fight elections as private sector reformers, in the name of efficiency and not just fairness, they can win."
Miliband added: "When they do so, and make government an ally in wealth creation and a defence against corporate abuse of power, they turn the antipathy of the right to government on its head.
"For example, the privatised utilities in Britain, including rail, are a big part of the economy. We never satisfactorily addressed their functioning in government. We now have a responsibility to think about how they serve the British economy."
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