Why are center-left parties doing so poorly worldwide?

[jaymichaud]

It’s a trend we’re seeing globally.

British Labor Party - Worst election results since 1935
French Socialist Party - Lowest ever
Dutch Labor Party - Lowest ever
Austrian Social Democratic Party - Lowest ever
Israeli Labor Party - Lowest ever
Irish Labor Party - Lowest ever
Hungarian Socialist Party - Lowest ever

Why?

[PSOL]

They introduced austerity policies in this Post-USSR era.

[Pick Up the Phone]

Because most party systems have become much more fragmented over the last couple of years? The same could also be said about many center-right parties (UMP/Republicans in France, PP in Spain, FG in Ireland...).

Also, it probably depends on your definition of center-left. If one confines the term to social democratic parties only, there is certainly a pattern. But if one also includes Green parties (often considered center-left), this pattern disappears again.

[afleitch]

Established parties are struggling, but you've had Sinn Fein just top the poll in Ireland and the SNP get 37-50% in Scotland.

[parochial boy]

Because most party systems have become much more fragmented over the last couple of years? The same could also be said about many center-right parties (UMP/Republicans in France, PP in Spain, FG in Ireland...).

Also, it probably depends on your definition of center-left. If one confines the term to social democratic parties only, there is certainly a pattern. But if one also includes Green parties (often considered center-left), this pattern disappears again.

Indeed, and if you want to look at it a bit more - over the last year or so, left wing parties collectively gained vote share in Spain, Portugal, Finland, Denmark, Switzerland, Austria, Poland, Belgium and now Ireland. In Germany, the Netherlands and France, left wing parties also improved on what they havd achieved in there most recent General Elections. The only case I can think of where the left lost ground was the UK, and Israel, But Israel and Hungary have totally different political contexts to western Europe.

The decline of traditional Social Democratic parties has a lot of explanations around the fragmentation of society, decline of "traditional" working class jobs, deindustrialisation, their responses to the financial crisis, strategic mistakes and so on... But it doesn't translate into some broader crisis of left wing politics overall.

[Meclazine for Israel]

Add "Australian Labor Party".

Copped a schillacking in the election last year.

[CumbrianLefty]

It’s a trend we’re seeing globally.

British Labor Party - Worst election results since 1935
French Socialist Party - Lowest ever
Dutch Labor Party - Lowest ever
Austrian Social Democratic Party - Lowest ever
Israeli Labor Party - Lowest ever
Irish Labor Party - Lowest ever
Hungarian Socialist Party - Lowest ever

It was a very bad result, but this oft-quoted nugget is only true in one rather narrow sense.

[rc18]

Established parties are struggling, but you've had Sinn Fein just top the poll in Ireland and the SNP get 37-50% in Scotland.

I wouldn't call Sinn Fein center-left, and the SNP do have a USP.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

But it doesn't translate into some broader crisis of left wing politics overall.

It sort of does if the purpose is to use political power to make things better for ordinary people. Of course if the purpose is to give everyone involved a warm glow of self-worth and moral superiority (as appears to be the case increasingly often) then, no, it would not.

[Tender Branson]

Because of changes in the economy, technology and society:

Socialist and Social Democratic parties excelled in societies with large formerly impoverished and hardly educated blue-collar workforces.

This has changed.

Nowadays, the workforce is getting more and more white-collar and more educated. The societies as a whole are getting more educated. Educated societies are voting conservative and not socialist or social-democratic.

Social Democratic Parties only remain strong in countries that have experienced a depression (Spain, Portugal, Greece) or which still have strong manufacturing/poor worforces (Brazil). It's also a reason why Sanders does well in the US, because of the high income inequality there (and drug use) compared with say ... Austria.

Social Democratic Parties in Western Countries need to make a push for the new conservative voters and at the same time remain critical of mass immigration. Because even though former SD voters got more educated and white collar, their anti-immigrant sentiment largely remained in place subconciously.

[Velasco]

Because of changes in the economy, technology and society:

Socialist and Social Democratic parties excelled in societies with large formerly impoverished and hardly educated blue-collar workforces.

This has changed.

Nowadays, the workforce is getting more and more white-collar and more educated. The societies as a whole are getting more educated. Educated societies are voting conservative and not socialist or social-democratic.

Social Democratic Parties only remain strong in countries that have experienced a depression (Spain, Portugal, Greece) or which still have strong manufacturing/poor worforces (Brazil). It's also a reason why Sanders does well in the US, because of the high income inequality there (and drug use) compared with say ... Austria.

Social Democratic Parties in Western Countries need to make a push for the new conservative voters and at the same time remain critical of mass immigration. Because even though former SD voters got more educated and white collar, their anti-immigrant sentiment largely remained in place subconciously.

LOL

A few remarks:

Socialdemocratic parties remain as the largest forces (albeit weakened) in most Scandinavian countries

Greece has no longer a strong socialdemocratic party. PASOK was replaced by SYRIZA, a party that belongs to other political tradition (post-communist)

The economic crisis on Spain boosted Podemos and hit hard the PSOE, despite the latter recovered some ground (still weaker than preceding decades)

''Educated'' people don't support necessarily conservative parties. As everybody knows, green or alternative leftist parties are popular in university areas.

[SInNYC]

Looking at recent elections is the wrong way to go about it. You have to look at the elections of a few decades back (90s for most countries), when many countries had a center left party win with a leader that was more representative of the opposition party if it were 20-30 years before that. They preached economic policies that abandoned the poor and lower middle classes, who returned the favor by abandoning the center-left party since the rightist parties were at least offering them something on social issues.

There really seems to be no center-left chance for the forseeable future in many of those countries. The same can be said for the US congress, though our 2 party system allows the center left party to win whenever the effects of the other party screwing up become too grossly evident (eg, 2008, 2018 House). Of the countries you mention, I do see a small chance in France, due to their runoff system resulting in a win for whichever of the non-Le Pen parties beats the others by 1% in the first round.

[TML]

One word: neoliberalism.

Countries around the world have been negatively affected by neoliberalism, and the rise of right-leaning parties to power is in part a response to these negative effects.

[Swedish Rainbow Capitalist Cheese]

It’s a trend we’re seeing globally.

British Labor Party - Worst election results since 1935
French Socialist Party - Lowest ever
Dutch Labor Party - Lowest ever
Austrian Social Democratic Party - Lowest ever
Israeli Labor Party - Lowest ever
Irish Labor Party - Lowest ever
Hungarian Socialist Party - Lowest ever

Why?

I'm greatly offended that you forgot to add that the Swedish Social Democrats also got their worst election result in a century in 2018 (which was well-deserved) and they're currently polling even worse (which is even more well deserved.)

EDIT: The centre-left as a whole, also had their worst result since universal suffrage, so the picture doesn't look much brighter when the add the Left Party, the Greens, and Feminist Initiative. 

[Tender Branson]

It’s a trend we’re seeing globally.

British Labor Party - Worst election results since 1935
French Socialist Party - Lowest ever
Dutch Labor Party - Lowest ever
Austrian Social Democratic Party - Lowest ever
Israeli Labor Party - Lowest ever
Irish Labor Party - Lowest ever
Hungarian Socialist Party - Lowest ever

Why?

I'm greatly offended that you forgot to add that the Swedish Social Democrats also got their worst election result in a century in 2018 (which was well-deserved) and they're currently polling even worse (which is even more well deserved.)

EDIT: The centre-left as a whole, also had their worst result since universal suffrage, so the picture doesn't look much brighter when the add the Left Party, the Greens, and Feminist Initiative. 

Nobody cares about Sweden (except the Swedes, I guess).

That's not true:

Europeans definitely care about Swedish elections. Americans maybe not so much.

[vitoNova]

4 words:

People with brown skin.

[Storr]

I don't know how true this is, but "it's hard to have a solid base of support when you're in the mushy middle" is what came to mind when I read the title.

[🦀🎂🦀🎂]

I don't know how true this is, but "it's hard to have a solid base of support when you're in the mushy middle" is what came to mind when I read the title.

which would make sense if centre-left parties are simply being replaced by hard left parties, but that really isn't happening either.

[Blair]

They introduced austerity policies in this Post-USSR era.

Does this explain why New Labour, which invested record sums in Education & Health spending lost?

[Indie observer]

They are soft on immigration.

[CumbrianLefty]

They introduced austerity policies in this Post-USSR era.

Does this explain why New Labour, which invested record sums in Education & Health spending lost?

Maybe it didn't help that they combined it with increasingly unpopular "reforms"?

[Technocracy Timmy]

Something not yet mentioned: developed countries have aged considerably since the post WWII baby boomer high. Older populations are less likely to embrace center-left Parties and are equally if not more hostile to far-Left alternatives.

[CumbrianLefty]

Though the increasing alienation of younger voters is now starting to counter that.

[Technocracy Timmy]

Though the increasing alienation of younger voters is now starting to counter that.

They’ve been enough to keep the far left on the general upswing and possibly preventing the collapse of the center-left as a whole. But they by themselves can’t stop the Right.

Sanders and Corbyn are perfect examples of old men who don’t appeal to old men. They are, however, beloved by the under 30 crowd.