Posted on 09/06/2009 1:15:41 PM PDT by bruinbirdman
In German Election, Voters Question Party's Ability to Bolster Economy
Among the victims of the Great Recession: Europe's big-government, welfare-loving socialist parties, which so far have been unable to exploit voter anxiety over the perils of runaway capitalism.
In Germany, which will hold national elections Sept. 27, the pro-labor Social Democrats are headed to their worst showing in at least a generation, paving the way for the easy reelection of Chancellor Angela Merkel.
Despite public anger over rising joblessness and the souring of attitudes toward unregulated markets, the story is similar for left-wing parties across Europe. In France, the Socialist Party is in tatters and poses little threat to President Nicolas Sarkozy. In Italy, the weakness of the leftist opposition has helped Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, a billionaire, weather a series of personal scandals. In Britain, voters are poised to toss out the Labor Party, which has ruled since 1993.
Social Democrats in Europe have warned for years of the dangers of untamed markets and unchecked globalization. Although some of their predictions have proved prescient in the aftermath of last year's financial meltdown, they have struggled to convince voters that they have the tools or expertise to fix ailing economies.
In Germany, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, the Social Democrats' candidate for chancellor and Merkel's chief rival, unveiled a plan last month to create 4 million jobs and bring "full employment" to the country by 2020. But surveys found that only one in seven Germans found the proposal believable. Pundits mocked it as a modern-day version of the Five-Year Plans that never worked in communist East Germany.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
Not to be picky with the article, but the British Labour Party has been in power since 1997.
True, but ‘losing ground’ is always good to hear.
WaPo, you're stuck on stooopid.
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