Question: Connie, the strong theme under discussion these 3 days is certainly the question of victory against the  rising right-wingers across the continent (and beyond). There are left-wing parties in Europe that believe  they must return exclusively to the issue of social rights, setting aside civil rights. These movements,  these parties also believe that the emphasis on civil rights belongs to a liberal, not a left-wing narrative,  and that indeed these issues are part of the loss of consensus from which many left-wing parties suffer.  This position is also sometimes extended to the issue of migrants which, again according to some left wing movements in Europe, has not been fully understood by us and this has caused a loss of what  Gramsci calls a sentimental connection with the masses. Some of these parties claim to gather a lot of  support among the working classes. What is your comment?

Answer: You asked a really important and at the same time difficult question because you know we have a big  discussion within the left and the German left and the European Left about this topic. And I think one of  the most important tasks of radical left is to stay with the poorest in the society, with the weakest in the  society and stand together with the power and with the people from the working class together. And that  means of course, we have to looking for and we have to fight for better living condition for better working  conditions for everybody. That means we need a social basis for that. That means for housing, for  healthcare, for the public sector and for the wage that you can live with.
And that means, as we need social conditions for a better life, for better working conditions. And of  course we don’t like it only to have for the Europeans, we not only to have for the workers class in Europe  in all countries.
That means, as we have to looking for what is the people need for a life in dignity and social security in  every part of the world. And when the people, for example, connected with the climate change, not have  access to water, not have the access for a good life, then is it clear that they have to? They must migrant  and under this condition we have, of course to say people they need our help.
We have to help because when we are speaking about when we are fighting against oppression and  exploitation does that means Marx formulated for all? And, of course, we understand it for all. And that  means of course we have to be open for migration from the different parts of the world. But also it’s clear  that the people thinking about what is going on with my own community under this conditions.
It means it’s not enough for the left to say we open the door for everybody as they need help. We have  also to mend the public structure, the public service, the public support for the integration of the  migrants.
That means not only to give this a white (green light, ndt) for migration. Also to look for and to defence,  the structure for integration as to bring the state in the possibility to bring the people in the communities  in the positions that they are able to fight for a clear, safe integration in dignity and Social Security. I think  you have to bring both together: the question of migration and the question of Social Security, because  you can’t say it is only for a part of the people, that it’s impossible in the globalised world.

Cornelia Hildebrandt is Vice President of transform! europe