In the wake of the victory of Fran?ois Hollande May 6, the Socialist Party obtained an
absolute majority in the National Assembly on 17 June 2012. Thirty years after the
election of Fran?ois Mitterrand, the "alternation" does not raise or joy or enthusiasm
except perhaps relief following the departure of Nicolas Sarkozy. There will be no state
of grace for the new government. ---- After the elections, the French social context is
always marked by the economic crisis, and logically, the elections are felt. In political
terms, we can emerge from this election cycle highlights three. ---- The first is that the
PS became the official manager of the crisis and austerity, taking the witness of the UMP.
Its mission is to implement measures to war against the employees. The PS is a bureaucracy
system manager alternative to the UMP, and is hardly distinguishable from the latter.
Its frames are from the same class, have gone through the same schools. They are
characterized by the same submission not to say the same blissful reverence for the "laws
of the market." Their only difference is perhaps their report whose National Front drag
UMP voters openly. For the propertied classes, the PS will probably be a better manager of
the crisis: the Socialists were removed from the business for ten years. This allowed them
to be forgotten. In addition, they have good contacts within the main trade unions (CFDT,
CGT, FSU), which gives them more leeway to implement unpopular measures.
The second striking phenomenon of this election cycle is the emergence of a reformist pole
in the true sense of the term: The Left Front (FDG).
Over the last twenty years, in most European countries, we have seen the emergence of
neo-reformist formations. They come from merging parties previously Stalinist, Trotskyist
or Maoist with the left wing of the old social democratic parties converted to liberalism
(PS, SPD, Labour). These parties are not in favor of state socialism but capitalism or
amended the state plays the role of regulator and alter the distribution of wealth of a
few percentage points of GDP between capital and labor. In any case, the objective is to
eliminate capitalism or change the relations of production. Neo-reformists are often based
on the myth of return to the Golden Age of Trentes glorious. In Europe, these parties
experienced varied and sometimes come to collect a good electoral results whether in
Germany, the UK, Greece and the Netherlands.
Progress fronts
In France, after unsuccessful attempts collective unit illiberal (CUAL) and the NPA to
unify the "left of the left", the FDG holding this role.
With the application M?lenchon, FDG is able to unify this movement in the polls. FDG has
become a center of neo-reformist electoral scale whose scores are honorable, even if the
goal of exceeding the FN is not reached.
For us, the emergence of this cluster is not salvation. Indeed amend its draft capitalism
is not desirable for us because we do not want a better capitalism but another company nor
feasible, since it is unlikely that the ruling classes to leave. Finally, the emergence of
FDG seems more conducive to maintaining illusions to be a force for change.
The third striking phenomenon of this election is the sustainability of the influence of
FN in French politics. With a score higher than the 2002 presidential election, and the
election of two members, the FN definitely progressing. Its demonization of business is a
success. FN became the structuring element of the right in France. In 2002, his high score
can win Chirac. In 2007, it is the voice of siphoning FN Nicolas Sarkozy won the
presidential election. In 2012, he tried the same operation, which was not enough to
ensure him the victory. What is even more disturbing is that the electorate of the UMP is
not disturbed by the speech almost FN leaders. We meet in the first round with about 45%
of the votes to which candidates are overtly racist. FN strategy of pushing the UMP to the
split and then join forces with the right-wing fringe is no longer the case outlandish.
Freezing the salaries of civil servants Progress Front, but mostly safe and racist ideas,
progress is symptomatic of a new mode of social control of the poor and a method to divide
the wage (between local workers and immigrants, between CDI and precarious). Do not
misunderstand the rhetoric of social justice for "real French". It represents a mortal
danger and must be fought as such. As we have already indicated, the major recent years
the economic crisis is the last realization is the explosion of debt. This coupled with
the adoption of the Treaty of European MY rigor said, will lead to the establishment of
ever-increasing austerity measures that affect the priority classes. After Greece, the
next dominoes are Italy and Spain, respectively third and fourth largest economy in the
euro area. Similarly, France, caught between sluggish growth and deficit reduction
obligations will not be spared. Socialists betray their already meager promises as shown
in the royal boost the minimum wage: 0.6% (Le Monde, 26 June 2012), while the purchasing
power decrease of 1.4% in 2012. Similarly, the announcement of the wage freeze for civil
servants is ready, according to Le Monde.
It is already clear that austerity will hit us hard. We are caught between the hammer of
fiscal discipline and the anvil of the threats of degradation of the sovereign rating.
There is no alternative in terms of the system. The solution is to get out. For this, one
possibility: a revolution that puts up a real direct democracy and the pooling of means of
production.
To achieve this, it is not enough to affirm incantatory manner. This perspective must be
present in the struggles. If the fights always start simple elements daily, immediate,
they must also have a perspective. For us, it is not a return to the welfare state but
rather another system without exploitation: libertarian communism. It is this condition
that we will be heard and that we can break the wall of silence which currently covers the
revolutionary perspectives.
Matthijs (AL Montpellier)
Bron : a-infos-en@ainfos.ca