German left
The weakness of the left's response to the financial crisis is also noticeable here in Germany. Left-wing parties are somehow managing to lose popularity, even as capitalism collapses around them. Even Attac -- the group campaigning for a Tobin Tax, and generally among the better-informed critics of unfettered free markets -- have failed to make a dent in the debate. Der Spiegel nails one reason - the left's certainty of itself, regardless of the rest of the world:
Those who know they are always right can deal less with a specific moment than with their principles. So they miss the forward-pass from history, the breath of the moment.
Thus the clear weakness of the left is not least their inability to react adequately to this unique historical moment, which is for many as confusing as it is threatening.
That has always been the power of a successful protest movement: vocalising the situation in order to change it. Tangibly, surprisingly. It happened in 1968. It happened in the 1970s, with the environmental and anti-nuclear movements. It happened in 1989, as the wall fell. Always the expression of suppressed or displaced feelings played a decisive role - wit, verve, impudence, passion and a touch of genius, brought together for a 'concrete utopia' [all very loosely translated]