Political parties play an important role in European societies. The parties are institutions in which citizens with similar political opinions organize, develop political programs and actively participate in the political process. They are vital for democracy because parties offer clearer policy options put to the electorate. Parties are also contracting organizations, through which parliamentarians and members of government are obtained. Although the latest features are important, the overall effectiveness of the parties is closely related to the first characteristic: its social roots - the main channel between a party and its citizens. And in this sense, the political parties have been declining dramatically.
The disappearance of political parties is not a new phenomenon. Since at least the 1980s, parties in all established European democracies have suffered massive loss of members to the point that only retain a very limited capacity to engage citizens. The anchor of society of political parties is seriously threatened. Vernon Bogdanor wrote in 2006 that "the story of the rise and fall of mass political party is one of the great unwritten books of our time". So why choose this old place problem again in 2009? I do not because I want write the obituary of the political party of the masses, but because now we can see where the development of political parties could take. This new future potential became evident during the US presidential campaign.
In addition to his outstanding personal qualities, Barack Obama - during the Democratic primary presidential campaign and now even sitting as President - he has been very successful in using new communications technologies to connect directly with citizens. Through the use of social networking tools, online video messaging and updates in near real time about what was happening in the election campaign - and making many of these tools available to its followers as well - he was able to create a community not only prepared to vote for him, but willing to organize and campaign at the local level. He was able to create a political movement that can now build.
The construction of this movement was mainly possible because the new communication technologies offer a way to actively participate in the campaign for change. But if you look behind the technical tools you notice that the campaign of Barack Obama was able to recreate old - rather than creating new ones - features traditional European parties, especially the parties of left, center, lost in the recent years: a sense of community and belonging.
Take the oldest social democratic party in the world as an example: the German SPD. When the party was founded in 1863, her spine was founded educational leagues to educate workers. Cultural and community aspect, so it was not just one, but very much the product first party founder. Being a social democrat was not a matter of belonging to an organization, but rather a way of life. The identity of the party was reinforced by the wide variety of social democratic newspapers and publications that contributed to this different culture. The cultural foundations of political parties were also evident elsewhere and seems to have been especially this attribute, which is used to provide the closest link to the company, which has fallen more dramatically in recent decades.
It was argued that due to social and ideological changes of societies in the second half of the twentieth century, mass parties - rather homogeneous buildings - became catch-all parties who tried to integrate political views and diversifying social origins of citizens under the umbrella of the same party. Today, many parties resemble what scientists call "pro-electoral political parties. These parties are organizations that have a highly centralized leadership and focus on the ratings and the offices of winning. They have largely abandoned the cultural heritage of the traditional political parties. "professional-electoral party" is also the closest to the US political parties, which are practically the committees to combat elections without much activity between ballots type. They are very focused candidate and lack of organizational leadership.
So what's new that could show the way political parties might go from here? What has changed during the Obama campaign? In short, Barack Obama has managed to recreate aspects of the community of former mass parties and integrate them into a professional electoral party. In the current context, however, the culture does not mean a certain lifestyle, but rather be part of a community based on a charismatic political leader, new political ideas and the desire to grassroots activism. The creation of this new culture in the Obama campaign has only been possible thanks to the use of new media. So after that has transformed the economy and the way we communicate with each other, is information, communication and technology (ICT) revolution now fundamentally changing the political process as well? I think there are arguments in favor of this and the success of Barack Obama is the evidence.
What this means for European parties? The socio-economic and ideological circumstances of citizens believe that actually have changed dramatically since the founding of the early European parties, political activism has however, did not disappear. The success of single-issue movements, such as Greenpeace, Amnesty International and critics of globalization Attac clearly shows the enduring desire for political activism. Some of these movements have even grown into political parties in their own right, for example, the German Greens or - with a very different political agenda - Independence Party UK (UKIP).
So the first ingredient - desire for political activism - is still there. But how can it be used? European parties have tried for decades to open its structures to social movements and social activism use the party for their own purposes. All have been unsuccessful so far because their strategies were not clear and their own often too rigid structures. Waking up to the potential of new technologies and the experience of the Obama campaign, but makes it a must to try again - and try harder. After all, the only alternative seems to be further decline. They have taken the first steps to use new technologies, but much remains to be done. Europe in general is clearly behind the US in terms of integration of the Internet in everyday life including politics. But this can also be an opportunity for the party that comes first with a successful blend of technologies for the European context.
The second ingredient is political ideas that can capture and motivate people. The current economic crisis has opened a window of opportunity for a new policy. There is a void of ideas and the promise of prosperity provided by unfettered markets collapsed with the international banking sector. This gap has not been filled yet. In the case of Barack Obama the simple promise of change was enough to make his move. However, this was only possible in the narrow window of opportunity at the start of the economic crisis and in the specific context of US policy. If your movement is to become sustainable it has to bring new positive ideas. President Obama has understood this and has maintained a close relationship with his followers, even after taking office. The way he encouraged discussions on their living economic stimulus package in the US It was a remarkable movement and combines the desire for political activism content. The ownership and the potential for activism created by a "I received an email from the President" time should not be underestimated.
The last ingredient in the mix is the charismatic leadership. The first attempts to make online campaign in Europe have shown that it is very difficult to build mass participation in a political campaign in line if there is an attractive political figure at the top. Parts as such vehicles seem inappropriate to place such campaigns. The identification is made much easier if people are involved. So if the European political culture developed in the address given in the United States, it is likely that the policy becomes more personalized and centered around political ideas represented by certain politicians.
Political parties have been declining for decades without finding a way to stop his fall. The ICT revolution is here to stay and has already transformed many areas of our lives. The Obama campaign in the US It has broken new ground and is certainly an important example of view. But the question is how these advancements can work European party politics. A 'copy and paste' simply not function. But the revitalization of the political culture and activism using new technology is the most promising opportunity offered to change the fate of political parties. Given the alternative, it is definitely worth trying.