Published Wednesday, September 24, 2008 at 10:22
by
elwira30
in Debate (256 views and 1 comments)
Marek Siwiec, Vice-President of the European Parliament and
member of the Socialist Group in the EP has initiated an action
"Good Bag".
Throughout his constituency in the Wielkopolska region Marek
Siwiec's assistants and members of local bodies of Democratic
Left Alliance (SLD) have been distributing eco bags of the PSE
Group in the EP with attached letters of the MEP and leaflets
with environmental tips.
Also, the inhabitants could take part in a survey and find out
about their Carbon Footprint.
The action, very much liked by the inhabitants, will be conducted
in 30 districts.
read more
Published Thursday, September 18, 2008 at 11:02
by
Editor
in Debate (371 views and 1 comments)
The PES encourages its activists and member parties to support
the European Women’s Lobby 50/50 campaign for more women at the
top of European politics www.5050democracy.eu
Zita Gurmai, President of PES Women and great supporter of
the European Women’s Lobby campaign, said: “It gives me great
pleasure to support the European Women’s Lobby 50/50 campaign. We
need more women at every level of European politics, including at
the top. It has been a disgrace to see how few women were ever
mentioned in all that talk about people supposedly in the frame
for top EU jobs. I think it made people realize that something
needed to be done to promote the involvement of women. The EU is
not a men’s club.”
For more info www.pes.org
Published Tuesday, September 16, 2008 at 09:50
by
locuta 
in Debate (376 views and 2 comments)
A very quick
introduction for some context: My name is Kirsten Verdel, I'm
from the Netherlands where I am a member of the PvdA (Dutch
Labour Party). But I currently reside in Washington DC, where I
am working in Barack Obama's campaign, at the national
headquarters of the Democratic Party.
Last week, Hillary Clinton was at the headquarters for a while.
Like many other 'high profile' Democrat before her, she got a
tour through the building to say hello to the campaigners. And
what happened before so many times as well, happened that day
too: I was introduced as 'our official representative of the rest
of the world'.
I am -so I'm told- the first and only foreigner who works at the
national HQ during a presidential race. Quite the responsibility,
so I hope Obama wins. I also hope he will win because it would be
such a difference from the eight Bush years we've had to endure
as 'the rest of the world'. I always tell people that just the
way Obama addresses issues will prove to be a difference in
global politics. He wants to talk to people, negotiate without
preconditions, as opposed to the more warmongering language that
certain Republicans tend to use. There is a reason that a great
majority of the Europeans want to see Obama in the White
House...
The campaign itself is quite different from European...
Published Monday, September 15, 2008 at 17:19
by
Editor
in Debate (289 views and 0 comments)
Check out the video and let us know your opinion. What do you think about the choice of such a young candidate as the front runner? Do you agree with his analysis about a change in the Danish public opinion towards Europe?
read morePublished Monday, September 8, 2008 at 20:19
by
carl0s
in Debate (327 views and 1 comments)
The 80s were unusual in the UK. Let's call them the "bad old
days". But with the right-wing Conservative government intent on
pursuing a divisive social agenda, and decaying cities and public
infrastructure, many people were motivated to become politically
active for the first time.
We saw in Vienna how Young Socialists in Austria are aiming to
emulate the famous "Rock Against Racism" campaigns from the late
1970s. This was a campaign that sprang into life after an Eric
Clapton declared his support for anti-immigration Conservative
Enoch Powell in the middle of a gig. The response to Clapton
co-incided with development of punk rock, so the first RAR
festivals boasted performances by The Clash, Buzzcocks, Steel
Pulse, The Fall, X-Ray Spex, The Ruts, Sham 69, Generation X, the
Tom Robinson Band, Graham Parker and the Rumour, and Misty in
Roots.
Click to read more
read morePublished Thursday, September 4, 2008 at 16:33
by
Editor
in Debate (325 views and 0 comments)
Democratic governance
relies on active participation, both in terms of those who stand
for political office and those who elect them.
If you are interested in attending the event in order to have an
overview of the different electoral systems and voting patterns
across the EU, as well as explore particularities of specific
electorates such as expatriates and ethnic minorities, younger
and older voters, or women, you just have to fill in the online
registration form available here.
The conference will take place @ the Headquarters of the
Committee of the Regions (Room 52, rue Belliard 101, B-1040
Brussels) on 10 September 2008 (09h30-13h30).
The program and further information are available on the PES Group – Committee of the Regions
website.
Published Monday, September 1, 2008 at 16:00
by
carl0s
in Debate (375 views and 2 comments)
Political parties primarily use the internet to win votes. A secondary purpose is to galvanise and mobilise supporters. In a previous posting, I argue that many conventional approaches to internet campaigning ignore these simple conversion metrics and try to apply glossy promotional techniques which alienate, bore and patronise the general public - especially a public experiencing tough economic times.
We have to acknowledge that a large part of the electorate are not interested in reading about politics on the internet. Pornography and shopping are the real generators of internet traffic and revenue, and this is not likely to change, despite online video continuing to gain in popularity. Blogs have mushroomed in numbers, but despite the vibrancy of some, a US study recently revealed that only 56% of American internet users actually read political blogs. Of these, only 17% were under 21 years old - and all of these users tended to stick with the same one or two blogs on a regular basis.
It appears that blogs are often literally preaching to the converted, but this is not always the case. In the UK the most popular blogs have tended to be written by conservatives from a center-right perspective. It's certainly true that the readership of these is not necessarily right-wing - showing how wider popularity can be gained amongst the public through quality writing and coverage of interesting topics.
The question, then, is how anything as apparently... read morePublished Friday, August 29, 2008 at 10:46
by
Editor
in Debate (689 views and 5 comments)
PES activists
in Hungary are showing their support for Barack Obama by
preparing apricot jam for the Democrat candidate to the US
Presidency.
In fact, "Barack" means apricot in Hungarian so activists meeting in the Hungarian city Tallya decided to produce and sell this jam labelled "Barack for Obama". The funds collected were given to local organizations that fight child poverty.
As Matyas Gati, one of the organizers, put it “This is a fun way of making a serious point. Barack Obama is very popular in Hungary because he is so charismatic and because he offers a real alternative to the Republicans who have made such a mess of things in America and abroad. We also wanted to show that we PES activists share the same democratic values and aspirations as Mr Obama. He embodies the principles and values we want to promote as PES activists. We support his ideas for change and the attitude of his politics.” Check the video with a shorter version of the interview.
And don't miss PES activists video showing how activists prepared the whole thing!
read morePublished Friday, August 29, 2008 at 00:43
by
rikkeindenmark
in Debate (458 views and 2 comments)
On the back cover of
DSU'eren, the magazine of the Danish Social Democratic Youth (DSU), you can
spot this recruitment poster for PES activists Denmark: 'We want
you!" Do you recognize the person who has taken the place of Mr.
Lincoln? Yes, you're right, it's Poul Nyrup Rasmussen, the PES
President.
Thanks to DSU for their creativity and enthusiasm!
If I caught the attention of any Danes with this post I'll take
the opportunity and spread some other good news: PES activists
Denmark will be present at the upcoming Congress of the Danish party. Meet Danish PES
activists at the PES stand in Aalborg Congress Centre on the 6th
and 7th of September 2008!
read more
Published Thursday, July 31, 2008 at 09:18
by
rikkeindenmark
in Debate (778 views and 2 comments)
How do we turn our
political ideas and visions into great campaigns?
In my view, this is the next big challenge that PES activists are
up for! Since October last year PES activists have discussed the
PES manifesto and what issues and ideas should be in it -
'online' on Yourspace as well as 'offline' at manifesto meetings
all over Europe.
We have lots and lots of amazing ideas and I almost can't wait to
get started on the campaigning! Before long we will have to pick
from our ideas and select the issues which we would like to give
special attention in future international PES activist campaigns.
Are some issues more 'suitable' for cross-border, grassroot
campaigning than others?
A few days ago I gave a presentation at the ECOSY summer camp (ECOSY is the European Young Socialists which gathers socialist youth movements from all over Europe) where I suggested four basic principles which, in my view, should guide the 'transition' from visionary manifesto process to succesful campaigning. Here goes:
It's pretty...
Tags: activists, campaign, youth
File:
handouts_ECOSY_26072008.pdf
Published Wednesday, July 30, 2008 at 14:50
by
Editor
in Debate (758 views and 0 comments)
The consultation process on the PES manifesto for the European Elections has recently ended and the final manifesto will be presented to the PES Council, in Madrid. It has been a tremendous success and the PES is now in a better position going into the 2009 European elections. Check out PES leaders' evaluations of the manifesto consultation process here on Yourspace,
Portuguese PM José Sócrates French PS leader François Hollande
read more
Published Monday, July 28, 2008 at 16:44
by
Editor
in Debate (789 views and 1 comments)
With the freedom of movement that citizens enjoy within the European Union there are thousands of PES member party members living, working or studying in other European countries. With the right to vote in their country of residence, what better time than the European elections for socialists and social democrats from different European countries living in the same city to come together? The PES sees enormous potential to mobilize in their country of residence party members and supporters abroad. Many of our member parties agree, and want to work together to get all socialist and social democratic party members to work together regardless of their nationality. Already parties such as the Portuguese PS and Romanian PSD are working to integrate their members abroad into local party sections in their countries...
read morePublished Thursday, July 17, 2008 at 16:27
by
Editor
in Debate (869 views and 0 comments)
After a successful workshop on online campaigning at the Vienna Forum, several activists offered us their ideas. Jon Worth pointed to the need for further online debate and commentary in the run up to the 2009 elections. Aidan O’Sullivan highlighted the need for grassroots activist to activist campaigning using all available media. One activist suggested the creation of a Europe wide holiday.
read more
Published Wednesday, July 16, 2008 at 12:04
by
Editor
in Debate (983 views and 0 comments)
Didn't make it to Vienna Forum? Miss it already?
Relive the moment and check out comments and interviews from the Vienna Forum with PES activists from across Europe on our Youtube page and stay tuned to Yourspace for more forum videos on themes such as online campaigning, emocracy and diversity, Europe in the world and Saving our planet.
read morePublished Monday, July 14, 2008 at 09:43
by
rikkeindenmark
in Debate (809 views and 2 comments)
Think Obama,
not Blair!
Be careful with negative campaigning, but not afraid of it!
Online campaigning is as much hard work as traditional
campaigning!
Keep moderation of online fora to a minimum, but make sure
that 'trolls' don't spoil the fun and limit participation!
These were just a few of the conclusions from the workshop on online campaigning at the recent PES activist forum in Vienna.
The workshop's panel consisted in four PES activists sharing
their experiences with online tools: Jon Worth from the UK,
Esteban Romero from Spain, Victor Negrescu from Romania and
myself, Rikke Skovgaard Andersen from Denmark. All speakers are
heavily involved in online campaigning activities.
The presentations varied from general advice on online
campaigning and use of social networks to presentations of
concrete, online activities and tools that PES activists can use.
The panel answered several questions from the audience - among
other things the debate adressed topics such as 'critical mass'
for an online debate forum, advantages vs. disadvantages of
online polls and the feasibility for 'Obama-style' fundraising
via small, online donations.
There's a lot of potential in online campaigning - something which workshop participants were certainly aware of. Online tools...
read moreTags: activists, campaign, European elections, forum
File:
jon.zip,
rikke.zip
Published Wednesday, July 9, 2008 at 09:52
by
carlosmoret
in European democracy & diversity (698 views and 0 comments)
The
Vienna forum was a very rich encounter. As for me the
presentation of activist campaigning was especially interesting,
since I tend to get easily involved. On the one hand there is the
manifesto2009, well under way that gives us a common platform for
the parliamentary elections, but that does not give me clues as
how to campaign. The Manifesto is an excellent tool, but we have
to sell it.
In the presentation "Experience Europe - Cross-border campaign exchanges" the panel was formed by four activists presenting different aspects of their campaigning in Ireland, Spain, Portugal and France.
Adrian O'Sullivan presented us his experience with PES activists
coming to Ireland to help in their election. I wasn't planning to
make a report, and therefore took no notes, just took pictures.
Adrian mentioned that integrating the non Irish activists was a
priority. There were the logistic...
Tags: activists, campaign, forum, PES
File:
J_Reis_Santos_vienna.ppt
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