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According to Professor Lauras Bielinis of Vytautas Magnus University (VMU), the problems of the Social Democrats are such that they can be solved not by relying on the exceptional efforts of an exceptional leader, but by internal concentration and self-awareness of party members. .
Meanwhile, Andrius Bielskis, a professor at Mykolas Romeris University (MRU), says that a good leader can do a lot, but Vilija Blinkevičiūtė and Juozas Olekas are not favorites. According to him, both candidates lack the political imagination to talk about sensitive but necessary issues on the agenda of the Social Democrats.
On Monday, four candidates were approved to run in the LSDP presidential election. MEPs V. Blinkevičiūtė and J. Olekas, who were nominated by most party divisions, are considered favorites. Political scientist Liutauras Gudžinskas and Akmenė district mayor Vitalijus Mitrofanovas also intend to participate in the elections.
The changed LSDP leader will not come out of the crisis: J. Olekas is bored, only the myth reminds V. Blinkevičiūtė
According to L. Bielinis, a professor at Vytautas Magnus University, there should be no high hopes that the new party leader can pull the LSDP out of the crisis.
“It seems that we make the quality and direction of the activities of political parties inevitably depend on the actions of the leader. As if everything is decided by the leaders. But the leaders do not really decide everything. Most of the problems that the leaders have now Social democrats are not a problem for the leaders. The problem is in the party itself, “L. Bielinis told Eltai.
“Social Democrats are tired. We see the language of 10-15 active people doing something, taking action and, for everyone else, the question arises of where they are. And if they are, then they do it. They are very difficult to identify because the The lot itself, as an organism, is very passive, and this is its main problem. That is why I believe that any of the candidates, whoever wins, will first have to try to move the party and force the ordinary members of the party to feel like social democrats. and push them to act, ”said the VMU professor.
According to L. Bielinis, in the election of the president of the LSDP, the intrigue is probably whether J. Olekas or V. Blinkevičiūtė will be recognized as the new leader of the party. However, the professor highlighted how the party would change after the election of one or another candidate, which was not worth talking about. According to him, both MEPs are similar, so it is not necessary to talk about the fact that different directions of the party may depend on one or the other.
L. Bielinis agreed that V. Blinkevičiūtė, who took over as Minister of Social Security and Labor a few decades ago in the public space, had become something of a Lithuanian political myth. However, long after his leadership of the ministry, the political scientist continued, it is quite difficult to talk about the real competencies of his leadership and organization.
“It has been rightly noted that Blinkevičiūtė has become a myth. When she was Minister of Social Affairs, the changes were quite positive in favor of retirees … It is from those times that her positive assessment comes. However, it is difficult say how I would lead the party now, because I have never seen it and I do not know if anyone has seen it during the stages of active political activity, “said L. Bielinis.
J. Olekas, for his part, stressed the political scientist, although he has more experience working in party structures, there is simply a boring political figure in the public space.
“He was more active in the match than Blinkevičiūtė, but his activity may have created a negative image for him, he is a bit bored. Everyone is used to it and does not expect anything new from him,” said L. Bielinis.
A. Bielskis expects no changes to LSDP: election favorites lack political imagination
Professor Andrius Bielskis from Mykolas Romeris University (MRU) seconded his colleague VMU, saying that there is no essential difference between the two favorites to occupy the presidency of the LSDP. Both, according to L. Bielskis, are “nomenclatural” and lack the political imagination to talk about issues that are really important and sensitive to Social Democrats. Therefore, the professor emphasizes, it is very likely that the stagnation of the Social Democratic Party will continue after the election of both candidates.
“For me, both are very similar and I don’t see too many ideological differences. In general, the narratives they carry do not seem to promise significant changes to the LSDP, ”said the philosopher Eltai.
It is true that, unlike L. Bielinis, the MRU professor said that he believes that the head of the organization is very important when it comes to the prospects of the Social Democrats to remain in the main league of political parties.
According to A. Bielskis, not only the internal problems, but also the more global tendencies of the Lithuanian Social Democratic Party could be raised by a leader who could speak harshly about the problems dictated by left-wing ideology.
The LSDP would need a leader like Sanders or Corbyn
Senator Bernie Sanders, a veteran of the Democratic Party who has repeatedly raised his aspirations to become president of the United States, or Jeremy Corbyn, a left-wing politician from Great Britain, could be a kind of example of what Lithuanian socialists now need. . .
“We need someone who can speak very harshly and speak to the most disadvantaged people, the discriminated and marginalized people. At the same time, a leader is needed who raises the possibility of a non-discriminatory policy in general,” said A. Bielskis, without hesitating to add that both MEPs can hardly claim the clear leadership and tone necessary for the Social Democrats on these issues.
“Blinkevičiūtė and Olekas are definitely not people who can speak harshly. A good leader would be one who would burn up with the problems of ordinary people and fly the banner of social justice,” said A. Bielskis.
In general, according to the professor, it is apparently naive to expect J. Olekas and V. Blinkevičiūtė to speak unequivocally and consistently about the human rights issues that are currently sparking heated discussions in the Lithuanian public space.
“On difficult issues, such as cultural progressiveness, LGBT people and others, they may feel ‘disappointed’. Even though they support a progressive voice, but there is a reality in Lithuanian regions where nobody cares and I don’t think they have enough imagination on how to combine those things ”, said the academic.
“After all, it is possible to talk about human rights, discrimination against the LGBT community, women’s rights in a much more persuasive way and about the fact that all groups are discriminated against. I would say that not comparing the protection of the interests of marginalized groups with the protection of employees and workers is simply symptomatic and I don’t think these leaders will do it, ”said A. Bielskis.
“These candidates are too nomenclatural and unimaginative for that to happen,” he added.
According to the MRU professor, perhaps two other candidates could open up slightly different perspectives: political scientist Liutauras Gudžinskas and Akmen alcal district mayor Vitalijus Mitrofanovas. The former, said A. Bielskis, while raising important questions for the political left, has little experience in party structures. Similarly, V. Mitrofanov, who, according to A. Bielskis, although he is an energetic and respected person in the party, is not very likely to be able to challenge the MEPs.
“It would be naive to expect them to win the election, but of course they can never know,” Bielski said.
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