Here in America very few politicians accept the "socialist" label. In Europe the term is more widely accepted, as Bloomberg News reports in an article about Poul Nyrup Rasmussen, a former prime minister of Denmark who is a member of the European Parliament and head of the Party of European Socialists. "The group's affiliates include Britain's ruling Labour Party, Spain's governing Socialist Party and Germany's Social Democratic Party," Bloomberg reports.
Mr. Rasmussen's big initiative is a measure that would toughen regulation of hedge funds and private equity firms, which passed the European Parliament by a 562-86 vote in September, the wire service reports. Here in America, President Obama's "New Foundation" plan also would tighten regulation of hedge funds and private equity funds, though not as much as the Rasmussen plan, and Mr. Obama rejects accusations that he is a socialist.