Revisionism Revisited The Third Way and European Social Democracy von Michael Ehrke Yet another spectre? „In truth, the parties of the Whig and Tory are those of nature. They exist in all countries, whether called by those names, or by those of Aristocrats and Democrats, Côté Droite and Côté Gauche, Ultras and Radicals, Serviles and Liberals“. Thomas Jefferson to the Marquis de Lafayette, 1823 „The name is wrong, the programme vague, the use often opportunist; but it is becoming more and more popular because it seeks to answer the large questions“. John Lloyd, New Statesman, 19 th May 1999 Discussion of the Third Way and the„Neue Mitte“( New Centre) is marked by a paradox: on the one hand, this latest political philosophy has attracted an astonishing amount of public attention for a fundamental political debate in both the United States and Europe. The ubiquity of the theme has caused some observers to preface their comments with„a spectre haunts …“. On the other hand, most commentators agree that the overriding feature of the Third Way is its lack of a specific message. The only anchor-point is its claim to stand „between“ or„beyond“ neo-liberal conservatism(the„new right“) and the political past of those who support Third Way(the„old left“). The public interest so far aroused by this debate can be attributed to expectations that the Third Way might constitute the first non-defensive response from the left to the transition from traditional industrial society to a post-industrial social order(however that is to be defined). This transition is evident in the gradual disintegration of a whole series of arrangements, institutions and traditions of industrial society: standard terms of employment, collectively regulated working time, provision for retirement, normal career profiles, Keynesian global regulation and the role of trade unions. As a consequence, politics is either compelled to devise new arrangements, establish new institutions and re-define traditions, or is condemned to operate a form of permanent crisis management, carrying out more and more short-lived repairs. The politics of the Third Way is expected first and foremost to provide hard answers to clear questions: what sort of provision should be made for retirement? How should the tax system be reformed? How can the costs of the national health service be kept under control? Yet what is also expected of- and offered by- the Third Way is a coherent interpretation of trends we find unsettling, a blueprint(however vague) for the society towards which we are aiming or moving, and a definition of the political goals for which we should and can strive in a changed environment. New economy, new welfare state, new governance The Third Way promises a coherent political interpretation of current social change, coupled with solutions to the real problems of our societies. But until now this sweeping claim is matched by some rather threadbare concepts. These can be roughly summarised as follows 1 : * New economy: embracing or at least accepting„globalisation“, including the ensuing increase in social inequality;