Opinion | From Europe to the US, new left must renew focus on jobs and workers

Recent elections in France and the UK, together with America’s presidential campaign, reflect the dilemmas left-leaning parties confront as they try to fashion new identities and present credible alternatives to the far-right.

It was the far-right that first capitalised on the backlash to neoliberalism and hyper-globalisation that grew in the aftermath of the 2008 global financial crisis. A decade ago, one could justifiably complain about the “abdication of the left”. To their credit, leftist parties are in a better position today.

The Labour Party in Britain has just won in a landslide, ending 14 years of Conservative rule. The left-wing New Popular Front (NFP) coalition in France has a far better chance of stopping the rise of the far-right than the centrist forces allied with President Emmanuel Macron. US President Joe Biden has taken his country into uncharted territory with new industrial and green policies, though he lags behind Donald Trump in the polls.

As the Democrats’ difficulties in the United States indicate, there is still considerable work to be done for the left. Biden’s age and evident failure to convince the public of his mental fitness is a big part of the problem. But so is the mixed message Democrats have been sending about what they really stand for and who they represent.