The re-election of the Portuguese socialist party with an increased share of the vote offers a stark lesson for the Labour Party. Their Portuguese sister party’s success was based on an overt strategy of alliance building and cooperation with other progressive parties and it has worked economically, socially and now electorally. But will Labour learn the lesson?
Back in 2015 António Costa’s Socialist Party was handed the chance to govern as a minority administration after a deep and prolonged period of austerity overseen by the centre-right. As ever in these circumstances there are two options. Either you play hard ball, and in effect blackmail other parties to support you (under the threat of being accused of otherwise bringing the government down and another election). Or, you build a positive and constructive accord for a lasting agreement. It is politics as imposition or negotiation.
Costa and his party chose the latter. It wasn’t a coalition deal they struck with the radical left Bloc and the Communist Party, with places in Government, but a deal over policies and priorities. All parties kept their own identities, worked together where they could on policy agreements, and still disagreed in public when necessary.
