Leftward march

Left-wing parties hold or share power in five of the industrialised countries in the Group of Seven as it prepares for its annual meeting in Jun. 1997, hinting at the prospect of left-wing supremacy for the next 20 years. Public opposition to laissez-faire and the flourishing of progressive politics in a period of rapid technological change offer left-wing governments the opportunity to introduce radical reforms to prevent the excesses of global capitalism from ruining the world.