Home truths

A global alliance of the centre-left is (scratchily) back in businessTHEY govern in very different continents, but there is a degree of ideological kinship between some of the centre-left governments in South America, Europe and now the United States. All are trying to mix the economic efficiency prized by the right with the social justice championed by the left. Back in the days of Tony Blair and Bill Clinton this link was formalised in progressive governance get-togethers. These have been revived: the latest meeting took place in Vina del Mar, a Chilean seaside resort, on March 27th and 28th. Yet this time, thanks to the world recession, the differences between participants from north and south seemed wider. The leaders of Chile, Brazil, Uruguay and (less convincingly) Argentina reckon their countries have followed progressive policies more rigorously than their friends in the north. They expressed anger that the crisis has halted five years of rapid economic growth in Latin America. In an oddly racist comment, Brazils president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, said it was all the fault of white, blonde, blue-eyed bankers. He added, even more bluntly, that three of his fellow-summiteers, Britains Gordon Brown, Americas vice-president, Joe Biden, and Spains Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero unfortunately carry most responsibility for the debacle.