Trade unions and the politics of social democratic renewal

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Abstract
One of the characteristic features of social democratic parties is their close political relationship with trade unions. For most of the twentieth century social democratic parties and trade unions cooperated in a common reform programme which embraced public spending, Keynesian economic management and tripartite politics. This traditional policy and political relationship came under increasing strain in the 1970s and 1980s with the rise of the new right and as new issues emerged which did not fit neatly into traditional labour movement politics. Social democracy entered a period of electoral decline and the party‐union relationship came under increased strain as party and union interests diverged. Unions had, none the less, a direct interest in the success of programmatic renewal, which was intended to increase the parties' electability. For the most part they acquiesced in a process that was likely to reduce their influence over the parties. This suggests that the party‐union relationship will endure but will take on a more distant and flexible form.