Schröder-Blair paper

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The Schröder-Blair paper is a draft of a modernization concept for European social democracy that Gerhard Schröder and Tony Blair presented in London on June 8, 1999 a few days before the European elections at that time.

The title of the document is in its German version The Way Forward for Europe's Social Democrats and in its English translation Europe: The Third Way . The Schröder-Blair paper was written by Bodo Hombach, Minister of the Chancellery at the time, and Blair's confidante Peter Mandelson .

Under the catchphrase Neue Mitte against the background of Thatcherism and the Kohl era and with reference to the structuring theory of Anthony Giddens, new social democratic positions and models of a third path between neoliberal or economically liberal capitalism and classical social democracy were formulated.

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It proclaims the principle " Justice is modern". The authors emphasize that values ​​such as fairness , social justice , freedom , responsibility for others, equal opportunities and solidarity are timeless. A key message of the document is: "We support a market economy , but not a market society ".

The aim of the concept is the fundamental modernization of the social democratic program. Overall, the paper is about a more business-friendly orientation, a reform of the social systems and the flexibilization of the labor markets. It was emphasized that in the opinion of the authors a pragmatic and not an ideological economic policy should be pursued. The pressure of competition between national economies resulting from globalization was emphasized. The draft was a step towards the development of the Agenda 2010 in the restructuring of the labor market in Germany and already showed a great deal of agreement with the Agenda.

After the SPD lost the European elections and state elections in several federal states in the 1999 election year , the positions in the paper were officially withdrawn.

criticism

The Schröder-Blair paper was perceived by the German public as confirmation of the course of the British Labor Party ( New Labor ), but as a change of course by the German SPD and by the SPD left, in particular by the former SPD, who had just resigned at the time -Chairman Oskar Lafontaine attacked. The program paper was accused of postulating a contradiction between pragmatism and ideology, which is epistemologically dishonest. In the Schröder-Blair paper, the thesis that globalization-related competitive pressure, and thus large parts of the economy, eludes shaping by politics, is elevated to an axiom . The point of view of transnational corporations is taken over without reflection and neoliberalism is taken for granted. Ultimately it is a proclamation that social democracy is turning away from the working class. The paper has been accused of adopting conservative and liberalist positions and overlooking the growing gap between rich and poor in Britain. Only in the case of the demand for support in the low-wage sector would neoliberal principles be deviated from.

In the British press, however, the connection with the European election campaign was highlighted, which provided the background for the publication of the paper. On the conservative side, the considerable differences between Great Britain and Germany as well as between the already "reformed" New Labor and the SPD, described as more traditionally trade union-oriented, were emphasized, while from a more labor-friendly point of view, commonalities between the two countries, especially in the social field (here the British NHS , there the German social services) were emphasized. From the liberal side, however, it was objected that the “Third Way”, a concept that was further developed by Anthony Giddens in his book of the same name with a view to the social conditions after the end of Thatcher's government , always also contains an authoritarian element. In the paper there was too much talk of solidarity and too little of freedom.

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Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c Tissy Bruns , Schröder-Blair-Papier , Der Tagesspiegel of May 10, 2000.
  2. ↑ a b c d Ralf Dahrendorf : Whatever happened to liberty? ( Memento of July 6, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) In: New Statesman . September 6, 1999.
  3. ↑ a b Jürgen Klute : Pragmatism as Ideology , Die Zeit , No. 39/1999.
  4. ^ Benjamin Heimerl : The Agenda 2010 in the context of the restructuring of labor market policy , GRIN Verlag, 2007, ISBN 978-3-638-82055-4 , pp. 7-10.
  5. ^ Peter Schwarz : Third Way and New Center , World Socialist Web Site from June 12, 1999
  6. ^ A b The Economist: Anglo-German relations: Crumbs from Blair's table . No. 8123 , June 12, 1999, p. 28 ff .
  7. ↑ a b Michael White : Blair and Schröder share a vision. The Guardian, June 9, 1999, accessed September 4, 2010 .