Gross calls on Social Democrats to abandon utopian idea of social state

The chairman of the Social Democrats, Stanislav Gross, has urged the party to abandon their utopian and populist attitude to the "social state". He told 500 delegates at a conference in Prague the Social Democrats should join the mainstream of European social democracy and not stick dogmatically to what he called "old visions". Meanwhile, members of the party close to the labour minister, Zdenek Skromach, are in favour of maintaining the Social Democrats' traditional socialist values. Mr Skromach will face Mr Gross in a vote for the party leadership in March.