As Segolene realised, learning from the 2002 election wasn’t manipulating the police to slander a colleague (Clearstream) or a rival (RG with Royal), but open democratic debate with the PS’ internal referendum and the primaries. It wasn’t copying Le Pen’s slogans that would get his voters to vote for her, it was listening to the French people of all backgrounds, involving them and valuing that involvement.

First there were criticisms - and perhaps understandably - of the PS for ignoring the manifesto that was agreed by their members. Then there were criticisms that Segolene Royal wasn’t making any proposals. Now, there are criticisms that she isn’t making any promises but instead a similar number of proposals to Mitterand - its not how many proposals, its how they can improve people’s lives. And yes, the PS do focus many proposals on young people - if us young people think we can change everything, isn’t it sensible that we are given the tools to at least try?

Indeed, expectation, doubt and hope summed up people’s minds across France as they waited for the 11th February when Segolene Royal announced the proposals scaled up from the “participative phase” . This phase encompassed 6000 participative debates, 600 000 people contributing local ideas and the 135 000 contributing online ideas during the last four months (while 2.5 million people overall contributed to Desirs d’Avenir since it was created) - less “going into a stall” and more “tour de france” of the collective intelligence of the French.

Expectation, because for once a party actively listened to their needs, their experiences, their ideas, rather than commission opinion polls (the PS know better than anyone that these are irrelevant after 2002!). We know politics is complex, that’s because people’s lives are so let’s not treat them simplistically and superficially and Desirs d’Avenir explored that complexity.

Doubt, because never had a political party (especially stereotyped for being full of intellectuals, rappers and celebs) attributed so much importance to not only listening to people but involving them in refining the manifesto. Doubt for our citizens who are so used to hollow promises, populist narratives and divisive proposals. Doubt for the PS activists themselves who were so used to single narrative, repetitive message, media-driven campaigning. Doubt for the PS barons who may feel they have given their voice away to the people they represent. Doubt for the leadership as participative debates are not soundbite friendly - the PS have lost the media campaign. Unlike Bayrou, the ultimate political bandwagon jumper - who falls in bed with the Right when they win elections and gives them vote of no-confidence when Sarkozy drops far in the polls - then uses traditional soundbite-heavy media stunts (”France profonde” backdrop with local villagers, marquee picnic in the banlieues) to declare war on the biased media, which may be true, but more than anything, they are biased towards the soundbite.

Hope, because we’ve dropped our guard, we’ve all risked our election campaign innovating to involve our citizens to shape how we reform the country, whether as activists, representatives or our leadership. We risked it for our internal referendum on Europe and even if for the leadership, this didn’t bring the Yes to the Constitution they wanted, the party was transformed for the better. Since 2004 we’ve won successive elections, taking 25/26 regions and more than doubled our membership in the space of the last year.

get informed about what people think about how France should be governed (through the participative debates) but also inform people about what the party thinks (the manifesto) and the diversity of opinions within the party (internal referendum and primaries)

get inspired about what ideas and experiences people share at these participative debates but also inspire people about what values and proposals the party believe will help transform the everyday social and democratic fabric of French society

get involved where people are - campaigning for equal opps in the workplace, facilitating local debates in neighbourhoods and on the web - but also involve people where they are - collaborating with unions, web and community activists

Is this really treating the electorate like suckers? Aspiring social democratic parties across Europe should learn more from each other, the French PS have a lot to learn from Labour about policies like Surestart (and a key PS proposal is universal early childcare). Labour have a lot to learn from the PS about winning hearts and minds - as Harriet Harman (http://blog.harrietharman.co.uk) mentions, it needs to drop its guard if it wants to renew (the epetitions is a start). Dropping its guard does neither mean dropping back to either hard-left or centre-right policies, it means involving people in designing the party’s future - whether activists, supporters or the general public.

http://everydaysocialdemocracy.blogspot.com