Lutte ouvrière. Life under François Hollande? “Worse” than under Nicolas Sarkozy

Fraternity: LO Style.

After high jinks with Jimas we return to the calmer waters of the left.

Well, kind of calm.

Last weekend was Lutte Ouvrière’s annual  Fête.

The comrades from the Alliance for Workers’ Liberty were mainly impressed by the continuous rain.

This is some of the French press reaction.

It will come as no surprise that  Lutte ouvrière does not like the French Socialist-led government.

Life under François Hollande? “It’s worse” than under Nicolas Sarkozy. That was the message delivered on Sunday May 19 at the annual celebration of  Lutte ouvrière  in Presles (Val-d’Oise), through its spokesperson Nathalie Arthaud*. A year after the Presidential election, when she received 0.56% of the vote, the former candidate strongly attacked the Head of State. She called him the “armed wing of the bourgeoisie.” Here.

The rest of the Le Monde article is only available for 2 Euros, but as I have a print copy I can say that Arthuad went on in this vein to run down the entire French left.

Libération reports that,

Mélenchon, under the guise of “radical appearance,” is  “politically hollow” and “opposed to the interests of workers.” Mocking his willingness to take the Bastille while aspiring to be the Prime Minister, she proclaimed her ” pride of not only taking part in the demonstration on May 5,” the call for the 6th Republic initiated  by the leader of the Left Front.

Libé goes onto cite something rude she said about the Parti Communiste.

Oh, and the Front National.

But what struck me in the original article was the glacial remarks Arthaud made about the Nouveau party anti-capitaliste (NPA).

They were severely  at fault for participating in the 5th of May demonstration and for dropping the word ‘communist’ from their name (as in Ligue communiste révolutionnaire).

The Le Monde article helpfully  noted that the LO leader is a municipal  councillor, elected as part of a Parti communiste français list.

This is indeed the case, “Conseillère municipale à Vaulx-en-Velin (Rhône) élue sur la liste conduite par le Parti communiste. “

We imagine the PCF are well-pleased with her remarks.

* Candidate for the  2012 Presidential election: 0,56 % of the vote  (202 548)

France, I Year of François Hollande, 150,000 March for Alternative Left Policies.

In Paris on Sunday up to 150,000 demonstrators marched for a  VIth Republic», and against “l’austérité et la finance”.

This was their way of marking one year of Socialist Party led-government and the election of President Hollande.

At the appeal of the Front de Gauche leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon many came to bring a “new broom” to French policies with real brooms, of all kinds.

This morning on French Radio stations supporters of the governing Parti Socialiste expressed their disdain for the sometimes colourful language used by their left critics.

But it was noted that François Holllande,elected with 51,6% of the vote Holland today gets only 25% backing in Opinion Polls.

Below are some reasons for this:

France: Unemployment Up.

Hollande stands accused of failing to offer a serious alternative to financial austerity that would change these figures.

Is there another way out?

At the Paris March  Pierre Laurent Communist Party), Eva Joly (left Wing Greens) and  Jean-Luc Mélenchon (Parti de gauche) argued for new radical left policies (Here).

As the first speaker said,

Nous sommes tous Grecs, Espagnols, Italiens, Irlandais, Portugais, Chypriotes et notre ennemi c’est la finance. La finance dehors, l’humain d’abord !

We are all Greeks. Spaniards, Italians, Irish, Portuguese and Cypriots. Our enemy is finance. Out with Finance! Put Humanity first!“

March for the 6th Republic in France, Against Austerity

Thousands of people are expected to support the firebrand leftist presidential candidate Melenchon, who has shaken up France’s election campaign with a surprise jump in the polls. Melenchon, represents a coalition of leftist parties including the Communists. Supporters of French Front de Gauche candidate for the 2012 French presidential election Jean-Luc Melenchon gathered on the Bastille square in Paris, wave flags as they listen to the candidate’s speech after a march from Nation.Paris,… (from Here)

This demonstration has attracted support from the Front de gauche (le Front de gauche est une coalition de partis de la gauche antilibérale et anticapitaliste réunissant le Parti communiste français (PCF), le Parti de gauche (PG), la Gauche unitaire (GU), République et socialisme (R&S), Convergences et alternative(C&A), le Parti communiste des ouvriers de France (PCOF), la Fédération pour une alternative sociale et écologique (FASE), laGauche anticapitaliste (GA) et Les Alternatifs , left-wing Greens (Eva Joly), the Nouveau Paru anti-capitaliste (NPA) and many trade unions.

• L’appel de Jean-Luc Mélenchon
• L’appel de Pierre Laurent
• L’appel d’Eva Joly
• L’appel de La vie est à nous / Le Sarkophage
• L’appel de Christian Salmon
• L’appel du NPA
• Appel de Fabienne Brugel
• Appel de Zinn-Dinn Boukhenaïssi
• L’appel du PPLD
• L’appel de Gabriel Amard
• L’appel d’Aurélien Bernier
• L’appel de l’association l’Ange Bleu
• Appel de l’AGAUREPS-Prométhée
• L’appel du Front de Gauche

Song,

Le Roi Des Cons de Georges Brassens:
Non certes elle n’est pas bâtie
Sur du sable l’oligarchie

Il y a peu de chances qu’on
Détrône le Roi des cons.

Peuple affamé par l’austérité
Pour engraisser une bande de rentiers

Il y a peu de chances qu’on
Détrône le Roi des cons.

Il est possible au demeurant
De convoquer une constituante

Il y aurait une chance qu’on
Se passe d’un Roi des cons.

Qu’un jour on dise c’est fini
la domination des nantis

Il y a bien une chances qu’on
Se passe d’un Roi des cons.

Peuple debout et prend la Bastille
Pour la 6eme République

Il y a bien une chance qu’on
Se passe d’un Roi des cons.

You can hear this  here.

Jean-Luc Mélenchon: for “une défense souveraine et altermondialiste.”

Is Jean-Luc Mélenchon going to way of the French ‘patriotic’ left of yesteryear?

His response to the Socialist-led Government cuts in military spending certainly indicates a drift in that direction.

This is what the leader of the Front de gauche writes on his Blog.

Austérité et atlantisme sont les maîtres mots du livre blanc de la Défense remis ce jour au président de la République. Ce sont deux dangers mortels pour la souveraineté et l’indépendance de la France.

Austerity and Atlanticism are the hallmarks of the Defence White Paper presented today to the President and of the Republic. These are two mortal dangers for the sovereignty and independence of France. 

Ce livre blanc est une nouvelle preuve de l’hypocrisie des solfériniens et de l’incohérence du gouvernement.François Hollande annonce qu’il ne touchera pas à la dissuasion nucléaire mais il a accepté d’inscrire la France dans le projet atlantiste de bouclier anti-missile en Europe.

This white paper is, yet again,  proof of the hypocrisy and inconsistency of the government. President Hollande has announced that he will not touch nuclear deterrence but has agreed to include France in the Atlanticist project of ‘ a ‘shield’ of missiles  in Europe. 
François Hollande annonce des moyens préservés pour le budget militaire mais le livre blanc prévoit des dizaines de milliers de suppressions d’emplois et la vente d’actions de l’Etat dans les industries de Défense.

Holland’s announcement means  that the military budget is maintained, but the White Paper envisages tens of thousands of job cuts and the sale of state-shares in the defence industries.

Ce livre blanc marque un nouvel étiolement de la puissance militaire de la France. Il prépare les grandes phrases selon lesquelles ”on ne peut rien faire sans les autres”. Air trop connu !

This paper heralds that the military power of France will again be sapped. It claims that we cannot act alone….a phrase with all too obvious implications.

Mélenchon then digs explicitly from the midden of nationalism.

Le renoncement à l’indépendance et à la souveraineté est toujours présenté comme une fatalité indépendante de notre volonté.

Presented  as inevitable, and wished for, we are being led to abandon our independence and sovereignty.

Je refuse cette liquidation de l’argument militaire de la France. Loin de l’atlantisme et de l’austérité, la France doit construire une défense souveraine et altermondialiste.

I reject this way of abolishing the argument in favour of France’s military. In place of Atlanticism and austerity, France must build a sovereign  and ‘other’ (or ‘anti’) globalisation defence force.

One can translate ”une défense souveraine et altermondialiste” in different ways.

But clearly any kind of ‘other’ or ‘alternative’ form of defence, that rejects cutting the military budget, to that offered by ‘globalisation’ is a highly contentious concept.

Not to say utterly confused.

How can we have a military power based on global justice?

And what exactly is this ‘sovereignty’ ’ Mélenchon is talking about?

In recent issues of Le Monde Diplomatique Régis Debray has argued (La France doit quitter l’OTAN March 2013) for France to leave (again) NATO.

He has been answered by Hubert Védrine – the former Socialist  Foreign Minster (L’OTAN, terrain d’influence pour la France. April 2013)

Both of their arguments on the assumption that ‘sovereignty - France’s - is a central value of the left.

Mélenchon seems to think that ‘Atlanticist’ policies - that is aligning France to the US –  are intrinsically  bad things.

Indeed it is well-known that  he considers the USA a very bad thing.

That’s as may be.

But is ‘France’  a ‘good thing’?

Is the French military something the left should defend to make it even better?

As a French Blogger says (other critics here)  here , if we follow this ‘argument’ for the military we,

“sombre dans le non-sens voire le ridicule. “

Here we fall into nonsense,  not to say the ridiculous.

French Right and Far-Right Radicalised over Gay marriage.

Des opposants au mariage homosexuel manifestent à Paris, le 23 avril 2013 (Photo Kenzo Tribouillard. AFP)

“Vous êtes en train d’assassiner des enfants !”

You’re murdering children!

Reactions against gay marriage and adoption rights in France are extreme to say the least.

This was not a statement  the far-right but France’s’ but from a deputy,  of the Rhône Philippe Cochet, from the ‘centre-right’ UMP, during the  Parliamentary debate.

You can’t help but think that Jean-François Kahn had a point this morning on the Belgium radio La Première when he said that the UMP (once led by Nicolas Sarkozy) has outdone the neo-fascists in this campaign against gays.

They have marched, arm-in-arm, with the Front National, as this picture indicates,

Well, the marriage for everyone (le marriage pour tous) is now on the way to being law (subject to an ultimate appeal to the Constitutional Council).

Not without the most ferocious resistance threatened for the coming months.

The anti-gay movement behind figures like the ‘comedian’ Frigide Barjot (what card she must be, say the name out loud! – and Barjot means nutter as well…), is virulent beyond belief.

In the mouvance called the Printemps  français you will find well-dressed thugs, religious fanatics, and the shadow of Petanism.

That is the  direct descendants   of the collaboration (details here in today’s Libération).

They constantly harass supporters, government members or not, of gay marriage.

They claim to have launched  an «insurrection permanente».

It is quite vile.