Report: Compass Conference Fringe

Submitted by Unions21 on 14 June 2009 - 12:48pm.

Seminars

After the Euro Election: What Now for Social Europe?

Panellists discussed the significance of the elections, particularly the reduced number of Left politicians in the European Parliament and the election of the Far Right in the UK.

This was the first chance for people from the Left and the unions to be able to discuss where we go from here. Historian Tristram Hunt chaired the meeting and asked contributors to make comparisons to the political consequences of the 1930s depression.

Matt Ball from the union Community gave the audience a worker’s eye view of the EU election, which though he said the was significant, warned that the election of a Conservative Government in Westminster could be far worse, as it might lead to the withdrawal from the Social Chapter. Matt said that with a Conservative Government in power, working people would look to Europe to protect employment rights.

Dr Sylvia Kaufmann, an MEP for Germany told us that though the reduction in the Left group of MEPs was a set-back, the work of social progress would continue. She had been working on European Citizenship projects that would see, for example, petitions become a way to trigger actions within the EU beurocracy.

Kate Groucutt, Chair of the Young Fabians talked about her work with the Young European Socialists and the Young Fabians, an organisation which last year published a pamphlet on fighting the BNP. She said the Labour Party should not ignore the message sent them by voters who opted for the BNP.

Claude Moraes MEP advocated an emergency movement of the Left for Europe, as support for the EU had reduced despite the good work done by politicians in the Socialist Group of the European Parliament.

This event took place with support from the Young Fabians and Friederick Ebert Stiftung (FES).

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