It is clear that an “insurgent” left is incapable of effectively playing a political game that is rigged against them. It is not merely electoral systems or media bias. The ideological construction of parliamentary politics excludes radical change. The image of what a leader is meant to look and sound like excludes radical change. Constitutional settlements regarding property rights prevent radical change, as does the nature of periodic, representative elections.
These parties simply cannot compete to capture majority support on the terrain of their enemies. In fact, even the great leaps of social democratic achievements that were made in the past largely came from either ruling class defections — Clement Attlee, Franklin Roosevelt — or center-right attempts to stymie revolution — France, Italy, and Germany each constructed their welfare states under right-wing rule.
It has become clear that the era of “radical” parliamentary reformism has failed to produce any meaningful results. It is time to take stock and move beyond.
