Mon Dec 18th, 2006 at 09:05:30 PM EDT

The PES, a coalition of the mainstream European socialist, social-democratic and labour parties had its big biannual congress last november 7th and 8th in Porto. Howard Dean was there, as were Ségolène Royal, Romano Prodi, Jacques Delors and a load of other luminaries. Didn't hear anything about it? That's because the press wasn't reporting.

Thanks to the miracles of the internets, however, we can still access the main documents that were discussed and agreed upon. Here's the link.

Rights and duties for all - the essence of cohesion

Full employment - the basis for the future

Investing in people - we take the high road

Inclusive societies - nobody left behind

Universal child care

Equal rights for women and men

Social dialogue - we cannot do without

Making diversity and integration our strength

Sustainable societies - tackling climate change

An active Europe for people

The opportunity for unity between progressives in the US and in Europe may have arrived. After a century of snootily looking down their noses at each other, are the US and European mainstream lefts linking up? Howard Dean, leader of the US Democratic Party, was the first-ever mainstream Democrat politician to address the congress of the Party of European Socialists, held last month in Portugal. Ségolène Royal from France, Romano Prodi from Italy, and a gathering of other centre-left prime ministers and party leaders sat as Dean made a classic social-democratic pitch for better wages, stronger labour rights, an end to wars and a united front to tackle global warming.


Howard Dean - Chairman of the Democratic National Committee and José
Sócrates Carvalho Pinto de Sousa - Prime Minister of Portugal

This was not the post-White House oratory used by Bill Clinton to schmooze Labour Party conferences, but a workaday appeal for formal links between the Democratic Party and its opposite numbers in Europe. Dean's call was reinforced by Nancy Pelosi, the new Democrat leader in the House of Representatives, who turned up unexpectedly at the seminar of European politicians in Washington and - in contrast to George W Bush - pledged to work with Europe on tackling climate change.

These attempts to reach out to Europe are filtering down to the smarter of the Washington top officials who are beginning to work on life after Bush and Cheney. European politicians have been surprised on visits to the state and defence departments at the friendly cries of: "We are all Europeanists now!" The Rumsfeld language of "old" (bad) western Europe and "new" (good) eastern Europe is no longer used.

For the first time in the history of European socialism, there is a realisation that the North American and European democratic lefts have more in common than the differences that kept them apart in the 20th century.