"Refugees: a crisis of European democracy" in support of World Refugee Day
DiEM25 Barcelona in collaboration with CCAR (Catalan Commission for Aid to Refugees) is pleased to invite you to our event “Refugees: a crisis of European democracy” in support of World Refugee Day. It will take place next Wednesday, 14 June, at 7pm.
Our event features speakers
• Andrea Costa, Responsible for “Baobab Experience”, the citizen movement of refugees in Rome and coordinating member of DiEM25 in Italy.
• Miguel Pajares, President of CCAR, Doctor of Social Anthropology at the University of Barcelona and member of DiEM25 Barcelona.
We will talk about the European Union’s refugee policies, Baobab’s experience in Rome in dealing with the arrival of refugees and Spanish asylum policies, arrival management and refugee reception.
See you at the l’Ateneu Sagrerenc-Espai 30, c / Hondures 28-30 in Barcelona!
Metro station La sagrera (200m) L1 L5 L9N L10, Rodalies Renfe R2, R3, R4, bus stop H8, V27, Bicing station (30m).
DiEM25 supports Jeremy Corbyn & John McDonnell – except in our own special way!
After DiEM25 published its collective decision to back fifteen Parliamentary candidates in tomorrow’s UK General Election, we received some interesting missives – mostly critical that included non-Labour candidates, including (lo and behold) Nick Clegg. This is a welcome ‘backlash’, in the sense that it gives us an opportunity to put things straight.
Yanis Varoufakis campaigning house-to-house with Labour candidate Clive Lewis
Jeremy Corbyn and John McDonnell are two politicians who have steered Labour in a direction very close to DiEM25’s principles and aspirations. Naturally, we back them wholeheartedly. However, the Labour Party still leaves much to be desired – as Jeremy and John would readily admit. A certain sectarian attitude (e.g. fielding candidates against progressives, and DiEM25ers, like Caroline Lucas), a strong tribal tendency, support for first-past-the-post, powerful forces within that are keen to return to a Blairite deep establishment posture – these are examples of why we believe that DiEM25 had to do more than simply support Labour.
In endorsing candidates from different political parties, with a solid rationale for each one of them (see here), DiEM25 is demonstrating in practice the kind of new, progressive politics that would end the neoliberals’ near monopoly of power in the UK and usher in a progressive government. Notice that in constituencies where we supported non-Labour candidates we selected candidates that have a strong chance of toppling a sitting Tory. Notice further that, if our endorsements had also been adopted by the Labour Party, the probability of a Jeremy Corbyn 10 Downing Street would have been enhanced. In short, DiEM25 is genuinely behind Jeremy and John – except in our own special way!
Lastly, on the ‘small’ matter of endorsing Nick Clegg I must say that this was not a choice that I voted for. Nick may have had a change of heart recently, and has called for a progressive alliance government in the UK – all good, proper and in concert with DiEM25’s agenda. BUT, he stands condemned for his connivance in the class war against the weak; i.e. the austerity policies of George Osborne and David Cameron. He also stands condemned for having acceded to various anti-social, uncivilised Tory policies, e.g. trebling university tuition fees. NEVERTHELESS, DiEM25 is a boisterous, democratic movement that combines horizontal decision making with all-member votes. That very process, which we cherish at DiEM25, yielded this particular recommendation – one that I must, and I do, accept.
Yanis Varoufakis
DiEM25 endorses 15 candidates in the UK elections
On May 28, we published to our members a list of fifteen progressive parliamentary candidates standing in the UK general election on June 8 whom we would like to publicly endorse for the last few days of the campaign. Every DiEM25 member, including non-UK members, had a vote in this, and the results are now in!
The list is:
Mhairi Black (SNP, Paisley and Renfrewshire South), Kelly-Marie Blundell (Liberal Democrat, Lewes), Nick Clegg(Liberal Democrat, Sheffield Hallam), Patrick Harvie, co-convenor of the Scottish Green Party, Kelvin Hopkins(Labour, Luton North), Louise Irvine (National Health Action Party, South West Surrey), Clive Lewis (Labour, Norwich South), Rebecca Long Bailey (Labour, Salford and Eccles), Caroline Lucas (Green, Brighton Pavilion and an Advisory Panel member of DiEM25), John McDonnell (Labour, Hayes and Harlington and an Advisory Panel member of DiEM25), Lisa Nandy (Labour, Wigan), Sophie Walker (Womens’ Equality Party, Shipley), Hywel Williams (Plaid Cymru, Arfon), Toni Giugliano (SNP, Edinburgh West), Matt Kerr (Labour & Co-operative, Glasgow South West)
(More information on each candidate)
DiEM25 and the UK general election
DiEM25 was formed to build a Progressive International across Europe. The UK, especially since Brexit prevailed in last year’s referendum, is a major battleground for European democracy. The way Brexit is handled will be crucial for the future of Britain but also for European peoples far and wide. DiEM25 could not be absent from this election campaign.
DiEM25’s own position on what should happen once Brexit won the June 2016 referendum is already on record. Following an internal two-stage vote that took place November 2016, DiEM25 members from across Europe opted for the following position:
We support negotiations between the UK and the EU leading to an interim EEA-EFTA UK-EU arrangement (i.e. Norway/Swiss-like) to come into force two years after Article 50’s activation and, subsequently, to a long-term agreement viz. the UK-EU relationship to be approved by the next Parliament (to be elected after Article 50’s activation).
More recently, once Prime Minister Theresa May called an election in search of a mandate for what we consider an ill-fated Brexit negotiation with the EU, DiEM25 UK members decided to demonstrate in practice DiEM25’s progressive, inclusive, transnational politics by identifying candidates across the UK that come close to DiEM25’s progressive agenda for Britain and Europe. Our members have been active in selecting candidates that DiEM25 ought to support in different constituencies with a view not only to improve their chances of being elected but also to give an example of what DiEM25’s commitment to PRINCIPLED VOTING means.
Once DiEM25 UK members put together their recommended list of candidates, the complete list was put to an internal vote. Every DiEM25 member, from across Europe, had a vote in this. This is DiEM25’s weapon against the logic of Brexit, of the UK’s isolation from the rest of Europe: Every DiEM25 member, English, Welsh, Scottish, Irish, French, Greek etc., gets to vote on our favourite UK parliamentary candidates. It is our way of illustrating the formation of a European demos that rejects both a one-size fits-all attitude for Europe and isolationism.
The list of candidates that DiEM25 endorses for the 8th June 2017 UK general election includes candidates from the Labour Party (6); the Liberal Democrats (2); the Scottish National Party (2); Plaid Cymru (1); the Greens (1); the Scottish Greens (1); the National Health Action Party (1) and the Women’s Equality Party (1).
The fact that DiEM25 endorses even Liberal Democrats (like former Prime Minister Nick Clegg, whose connivance with David Cameron’s and George Osborne’s class war against poorer Brits was inexcusable and remains unforgiven) reflects Britain’s first-past-the-post electoral system. A proportional system would have, naturally, yielded a different set of recommendations. But, when progressive politicians, even if flawed in a variety of ways; e.g. Nick Clegg), are pitted against hard, xenophobic Brexiteers, it is within the realm of our PRINCIPLED VOTING philosophy to support them. Of course, we need to draw the line somewhere. For example, the failure of a substantial body of dissent against toxic, nationalist Brexiteering to rise within the Conservative party makes it impossible for DiEM25 members to endorse Tory candidates. Our members have, nevertheless, singled out three Tories for their resistance to the Brexit juggernaut: Anna Soubry for her dissent to hard Brexit; Kenneth Clarke who, despite his uncritical support for the EU establishment, has been a courageous adversary to the isolationism of Brexiteers; and Baroness Warsi for upholding basic values of decency in the House of Lords debates.
Background to the internal DiEM25 vote
The list was discussed and then ratified by our movement based on policies advocated by each candidate measured against DiEM25’s political values and beliefs. Our goal is a politics that is fair, democratic and non-polarising; not limited by party tribes, political sect or faction, or the hopelessly constrained binary opposition of the referendum. As a cross-party movement the DiEM25 UK list supports candidates from a variety of parties which share a progressive agenda. (Regrettably, although Conservative candidates were considered, the current regressive programme of the Conservative Party and the lack of vocal dissent did not allow us to include any.)
DiEM25 wants a harmonious and strong relationship established between the UK and EU notwithstanding the result of the 2016 referendum. ‘Brexit’ and the latter are not mutually exclusive: exiting the EU must not wilfully destroy the irreversible social, political and economic ties we have with the union. This is an unprecedentedly complex and risky period for the UK.
In their recent presidential elections, DiEM25 France compiled an endorsed list of candidates, employing DiEM25’s European New Deal as their guiding philosophy. While drawing inspiration from this text, DiEM25 seeks to address the UK’s specific democratic and transparency deficits and their prospects outside the Eurozone, a wealthy country with a poorly representative electoral system and an overly influential, weakly regulated and opaque financial sector. See the full document entitled ‘Principled Not Tactical’.
When the list went out for voting to all DiEM25 members, our UK Provisional National Committee received several complaints about the potential endorsement of candidate Nick Clegg. DiEM25’s goals are to set in motion a progressive and collaborative politics. In this context of isolation and polarisation, we are convinced that collaboration is the key term. To trigger change on the international level we should be inclusive of political factions across the nation. Our decision to include Nick Clegg in our selection of candidates was based on our belief that to pave the way for the European New Deal also requires collaboration between progressive political traditions; social and liberal democratic, Leavers and Remainers alike. Nick Clegg’s singular experience of European politics among other things, qualify him to make a contribution to the broad coalition of democrats and progressives that DiEM25 seeks. As a movement, we are here to pick and choose the policies and beliefs that unite us rather than divide us.
We welcome everyone to join our movement whose objective is to put the demos back into our democracy – something that we can only achieve at home if Europe is democratised as a whole.
Carpe DiEM!
Yanis Varoufakis Returns to Dublin to Launch DiEM25 in Ireland
A weekend-long event will put Dublin at the heart of progressive European politics
DiEM25, the Democracy in Europe Movement, will hold its official launch in the Republic of Ireland during the weekend of the 27th and 28th of May. DiEM25’s first large scale event in Ireland will focus on generating a positive, progressive vision for Europe’s democracy.
Entitled Towards a Democratic, European Constitution, the main event will take place in Dublin’s Tivoli Theatre – on Saturday 27th May – 7pm to 10pm. During the evening of the 27th of May, Yanis Varoufakis, Vincent Browne, Nessa Childers (MEP), Aidan Regan and Senator Alice-Mary Higgins will engage in a debate with democrats from Ireland and beyond.
During the morning and afternoon of the 27th of May, DiEM25 in Dublin will organise a unique “World Cafe”, at the Complex. At this occasion, people from across Ireland’s and Europe’s civil society will engage in truly participatory activities, aimed at sharing ideas about European values, European movement building and – most importantly – visions about Europe’s future.
By means of this groundbreaking programme, DiEM25 in Ireland aims to bring participatory politics to the centre stage. Real politics means coming together, engaging with each other’s ideas, and formulate real solutions to Europe’s problems.
Follow this link for the full programme of events:http://www.diem25dublin.eu/
The livestream of the evening event (from 8pm CET): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rtrn6UbVmGQ&t=5884s
DiEM25 to form Europe’s first transnational political party
DiEM25 was born in February 2016, here at the Volksbühne Theatre, by a coalition of European progressive democrats convinced that Europe is fragmenting with detrimental effects for its peoples everywhere, in the North and the South, in the East and the West. “Europe will be democratised or it will disintegrate!” was our slogan. In the fifteen months that have passed events have, unfortunately, confirmed DiEM25’s prognosis. Brexit was only an early warning, caused to a large extent by the inane and authoritarian handling of the Eurozone’s socio-economic and governance failures.
Today, following the election of Emmanuel Macron in France (whose candidacy DiEM25 supported in view of the threat posed by the xenophobic ultra-right), the establishment is rejoicing, immersed in the fantasy that Europe’s disintegration and slide into a post-modern version of the 1930s has been halted. While Macron’s victory has prevented the instant dissolution of the EU, his proposals for converting the Eurozone into a federation-lite in exchange for neoliberal reforms (especially vis-à-vis labour markets) at the level of the nation-state are guaranteed to fail, thus dashing the hyper-optimistic expectations that they are now creating and giving the crisis another spin. On the one hand Macron’s domestic reforms will deepen the socio-economic crisis that strengthens xenophobic nationalism while, on the other hand, the German establishment and that of other surplus countries will veto his proposals for the Treaty changes necessary to usher in the federal model for the Eurozone that he is proposing. The deflation of the hopes that Macron’s victory has inflated will, before long, reinforce the centrifugal forces tearing Europe apart.
Since its inception, DiEM25 has posed a question to its members: Is there a policy agenda that could be implemented tomorrow morning, i.e. without Treaty changes, to stabilise Europe and thus give Europeans a chance to have the discussion amongst themselves of how the EU can be democratised and turned into a set of efficient institutions working in favour of, rather than against, the majority of Europeans in each one of its member-states?
Over the past fifteen months DiEM25 produced precisely such a practical, applicable and comprehensive policy agenda. It was presented in Rome, on the 60th Anniversary of the Treaty of Rome, on 25th March 2017, entitled DiEM25’s European New Deal. During its Rome launch, DiEM25 invited political parties, civil society organisations and citizens to join us in Berlin today to discuss ways in which DiEM25’s European New Deal could be put to European voters by 2019 across the continent – to “a ballot box near you” as we put it.
Today and tomorrow we are here, with various political partners, members and activists from all over Europe, to discuss the next step toward 2019: The formation of the first transnational pan-European political party that is necessary to give such a comprehensive economic and social policy agenda the electoral expression that it deserves.
During the next couple of days, DiEM25 will develop, in conjunction with our political partners from different countries and political organisations, a credible blueprint for the transnational progressive party Europe needs – to be voted, after a process of serious deliberation, by our entire membership and announced in Brussels in the context of DiEM25’s “Real State of the Union” event on September 9.
DiEM25 conquers Athens: A timeline
Last week, DiEM25 held its first-ever event in Athens, ground-zero of the Euro Crisis and of course our co-founder Yanis Varoufakis’ home turf. Here’s a timeline of what happened:
- The week started off with a bang: Greece’s opposition party shamelessly attacked us, so we responded in kind.
- The DiEM25 Greece team put out a series of short videos explaining why a new path for Greece is needed. Like this one (with English subtitles).
- On May 17, we gave our answer to the oft-asked question of whether we’ll compete in forthcoming Greek elections. (English subtitles via Youtube)
- On May 18, molotovs and teargas filled Athens’ Syntagma square, as the Syriza-led government voted in yet another round of austerity:
Molotov cocktail and tear gas in Athens against austerity bill being voted in the Parliament#Greece pic.twitter.com/1ZGPQIOLG6
— Savvas Karmaniolas (@savvaskarma) May 18, 2017
- On the morning of May 19, we held a press conference where Yanis commented on the vote, calling it ‘yet another debasement of democratic politics’.
‘Last night’s vote [for more austerity in Greece] was yet another debasement of democratic politics’—@yanisvaroufakis in Athens, just now. pic.twitter.com/0ynJohAuld
— DiEM25 (@DiEM_25) May 19, 2017
- That evening, our event kicked off! At the historic Sporting basketball arena in Athens, Jonas Staal’s brilliant set – based on the broken stars of the EU – dominated the court.
- First up was a politically-charged play by acclaimed writer George Maniotis.
- Then Yanis took the stage and for the next ninety minutes, introduced our speakers. Each person had around two minutes to speak, with a mix of live and video speeches.
- Speakers included local grassroots DiEM25 organisers like Apostolos Gogakos, Chrissa Ariadne Kousela and Fotini Riga, alongside progressive leaders like Naomi Klein and Noam Chomsky, world-renowned artists like Ken Loach and Jean-Michel Jarre, and politicians like Clive Lewis MP and Nessa Childers MEP.
- Yanis then gave a speech, in which he outlined our New Deal for Greece: six practical steps to help get Greece out of crisis:
- He finished on the following note: if our members vote for it, DiEM25 will compete in the next Greek elections. The crowd erupted into applause.
Next stop: Berlin, on May 25!
DiEM25 returns to Berlin to develop its political roadmap
On May 25 we’re going back to the Volksbühne theatre in Berlin, where DiEM25 began just over a year ago. Without a doubt this will be our biggest gathering yet, as we will now develop our political roadmap to take the establishment head on… at the ballot box.
Two months ago, during the EU’s 60th birthday, we gathered in Rome to present our European New Deal policy agenda, DiEM25’s socio-economic alternative to the Establishment and the rising ‘nationalist international’; our response to what needs to be done to save Europe from itself.
This week in Berlin, we shall answer another important question: How can we take our European New Deal to the ballot box in every corner of Europe, and make it a reality?
On Thursday, May 25 at 10am, our co-founders Yanis Varoufakis and Srećko Horvat will hold a press conference at the Volksbühne theatre’s “Roter Salon”, where they will outline DiEM25’s political roadmap to take our European New Deal to ballot boxes across the Union.
The main event that day will begin at 8pm on the theatre’s main stage. Speakers will include various members of DiEM25’s advisory panel and coordinating collective, like Saskia Sassen, Katja Kipping, Noam Chomsky, Renata Ávila and Ken Loach. Also, British Labour MP, Clive Lewis and Ecuador’s outgoing Foreign Minister, Guillaume Long are among the event’s guest participants.
In addition, DiEM25 members and activists from all over Europe will join us and hold various panels and workshops.
(See schedule below or visit our event page for specifics on timing and locations for all DiEM25 activities taking place at the Volksbühne).
DiEM25 members agree to support Zagreb is OURS! ahead of elections
Making our Progressive Agenda for Europe a reality means that we need to develop ways to bring it to ballot boxes across the Union, as well as supporting those who share DiEM25’s values and are ready to defend them in electoral contests. And yesterday, voting on our site ended in favour of doing precisely that in Croatia: DiEM25 members agreed for our movement to support Zagreb is OURS! – a political platform advocating, among other things, the return of decision-making to citizens: from empowering neighbourhoods in city-planning policies to safeguarding public services and utilities so they are kept in public hands.
Zagreb is Ours! envisions the same grass roots, democratic principles the “rebel cities” network DiEM25 embraces in municipalities such as Naples and Barcelona, and their programme is fully in tune with the values and progressive policies enshrined in our Manifesto and European New Deal.
Here is a short video message by Yanis about the courageous women and men pushing Zagreb is OURS! forward:
But this is just the start for them. Endorsing a courageous struggle is not enough. We need to help these activists and committed citizens campaign AND succeed at the ballot box.
We will keep you informed about DiEM25’s actions to help our friends in Croatia so you can join the effort – and make their struggle OURS!
The following background briefing was written by members of DiEM25’s Coordinating Collective, and it was presented to DiEM25’s membership to vote on our movement’s position on Zagreb is OURS!
On May 21, 2017 local elections will be held in Zagreb, Croatia. As the country’s capital, it was ruled for the last 16 years by populist Milan Bandic, a former social-democrat famous for major corruption scandals. With the rise of nationalism, populism and historical revisionism in Croatian society, these local elections will have a major influence on national politics and daily life in Croatia.
Against this background, after a decade of protests and civil disobedience, a green-left platform “Zagreb is OURS!” was recently formed, with the aim to bring back politics into the hands of the citizens. Following the example of Spanish platform Barcelona en Comú, they have launched a new left and green political platform which currently consists of five political parties (Zagreb je naš, Radnička Fronta, Nova Ljevica, Za Grad, ORAH) engaged in leftist and green politics, as well as numerous citizens, activists and initiatives who share their vision of future development of the city as an open, socially just, democratic and multicultural green city for all.
Their candidate is Tomislav Tomašević, who has 15 years of experience in environmental activism, served as Executive President of Green Action from 2007 to 2012, and was one of the co-founders of the Right to the City movement in Croatia.
Zagreb is OURS! opposes:
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the current mayor Milan Bandić, known for many corruption affairs and scandals, who support privatisations and undemocratic governance of the city
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candidate Anka Mrak Taritaš from the centre-left Croatian People’s Party (HNS), which was involved in major corruption affairs concerning infrastructure (highways etc.). She served in the neoliberal Cabinet of Zoran Milanović from 2012-2016
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Sandra Švaljek, independent candidate for mayor of Zagreb, who was accused of nepotism for hiring her husband as assistant director to a foundation in 2014. She herself maintains a position on the Supervisory Board of the Bank of Split. She served as Deputy Mayor to Milan Bandić from 2014 to 2015 when he was in prison.
The political program of Zagreb is OURS! is in accordance with DiEM25’s Manifesto and European New Deal. Following the example of what we call “Rebel Cities” (with Naples, Barcelona, etc.) it advocates the return of decision-making power to neighborhoods, and creating models where citizens collectively decide on how the city should develop. Also, one of the key points of Zagreb is OURS! is to keep public services and utilities in public hands and enable equal access to them for all the citizens.
Greece’s opposition party shamelessly attacks us — here's our response
As DiEM25 erupts onto Greece’s political scene, the country’s leading opposition party wasted no time in attacking us.
Our co-founder Yanis Varoufakis is currently on a media tour to put forward our package of six proposals for an alternative path for Greece – our “Greek New Deal“. The programme draws on Yanis’ experience and lessons learned as Greek finance minister in 2015, when as part of the SYRIZA government he confronted Greece’s troika of creditors to free the country from debtors’ prison.
The talks ultimately ended with Yanis’ resignation, the government’s surrender to the troika, and the country doomed to a third ‘bailout’ programme.
The opposition New Democracy is the same party that has been demanding shamelessly since January 2015 that the Greek government implement all new taxes that the troika demands, while all along promising to… reduce taxes. The party today viciously attacked Yanis’statements.
ND is criticising Yanis for saying the same things today he said when he was minister, before he was a minister as a parliamentary candidate, indeed since 2010! Namely: that a reduction in taxes and a restructuring of Greece’s debt are prerequisites for the country‘s escape from debt bondage.
DiEM25’s position on this is simple: A suffocating Greece cannot bear today’s New Democracy trying to replicate the inconsistency of 2014’s Syriza, nor can it bear today’s Syriza copying New Democracy’s 2014 determination to implement the creditors’ terms of surrender (or MoUs).
We invite all those Greeks who oppose this destructive duo to join DiEM25’s public event on Friday, May 19, at 19:30 at the Sporting stadium in Athens.
Carpe DiEM!