Is it time for a a new "New Left"? The French think so.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

The times they are a' changin'.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/france/4534861/Olivier-Besancenot-the-Red-Postman-delivers-warning-to-Nicolas-Sarkozy.html

Olivier Besancenot the 'Red Postman' delivers warning to Nicolas Sarkozy



France's baby-faced “Red Postman” has been quietly knocking on the door of French politics for years.

However, Olivier Besancenot believes he has now created a wrecking ball to end capitalism and the institutions of the French state symbolised by President Nicolas Sarkozy.

With his cropped hair, Tintin quiff and cheeky grin it is not hard to see why the 34-year old is referred to as everyone’s “ideal son-in-law”.

n Britain, he would be dismissed as a “loony Lefty”. In France, Mr Besancenot is the second most popular political figure behind Mr Sarkozy.

With financial institutions on the verge of collapse and anger rife at the immorality of a system that spawned the Madoff scandal, the timing could not have been better for the launch of a party that hopes to build a non-capitalist state. Add to that a bitterly divided and ineffectual centre-Left and long-standing French scepticism to the free market and it is not hard to see why Mr Sarkozy no longer views the NPA as a laughing matter.

[Better Believe It]

1. Interesting article, thanks for the post

[Cirque du So-What]

2. Glad to hear this

but it's still hard for me to wade through the Torygraph's editorializing. Contrast the style with this one from the center-left UK Guardian:

French postman delivers far left message

• New party 'anticapitalist' rather than communist
• Popular leader confident of wide base of support

Lizzy Davies in Paris
The Guardian, Friday 6 February 2009


(note that this publication didn't run a photo that made it look like he was scratching his cooties)

A radical postman with a Trotskyist manifesto and plausible manner will today seek to relight the flame of revolution in France by launching a political party that aims to unite the far left and overthrow the capitalist system.

Olivier Besancenot, one of the country's favourite opposition figures, presided last night over the dissolution of the 40-year-old Revolutionary Communist League (LCR) before this morning proclaiming the birth of his New Anticapitalist party (NPA).

Hailed by supporters as an inspirational project exploding on to the political scene as French people cast round for an answer to their economic woes, the party is an eclectic mixture of traditional communists and members with more contemporary motivations ranging from feminism to climate change.

"We are an anticapitalism project which brings together many different political trajectories - people with no particular party political affiliation, people from the unions, young people," Besancenot, 34, told the Guardian at the LCR's final conference on the outskirts of northern Paris.

more...

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/feb/06/new-anticapitalist-party-besancenot-france

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

3. I was going to post a link to that article also. But, I forgot.

So, thanks for posting it.

And, I agree that it's a good sign that the left, at least in France, is not sitting idly by counting on the "moderates" to do anything but continue politics as usual.

[Ichingcarpenter]

20. Its nice to see things changing

I expect the left to make more gains in other european countries.

[scarletwoman]

25. I fervently hope so. Still, my main concern is when will the Left start making gains HERE.

We have a far bigger job ahead of us, since in Europe there have always been Socialists and Communists as part of their political landscape. In the U.S., the Left has been pretty much invisible since the 30s.

sw

[LWolf]

4. Interesting read.

Now THAT'S a french import I'd like to see.

[scarletwoman]

5. What's it going to take to build up a Left party here?

The worst thing that's ever happened to the American Left is that they allowed themselves to be subsumed into the Democratic Party. We will never get anywhere as long as we continue to tie ourselves to one faction of the plutocracy.

The time surely must be close upon us for breaking free and building up a true Leftist movement that stands fully apart from and in opposition to the Democratic party.

sw

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

6. If "moderation" fails there will be a chance for the left.

But, alas, I consider it only a small chance. I do, however, think that there will be a resurgence of the left due to the hard times ahead. :hi:

[scarletwoman]

22. My point stands. Any "resurgence of the left" will HAVE to take place outside of the Dem party,

if it's to have any effect at all.

We need to be organizing on the street level; to first of all explain to people what's really going on, then to give voice to their anger, and finally to forge them into a force that will not be cowed by promises and threats from the Dem and Repug Ruling Class.

sw

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

23. Well, the times they are a' changin' and who knows where this mess will lead?

The entrenched ruling class will offer crumbs and promises to keep the populace quiet.

[scarletwoman]

30. And the Democrats will tell us that we are lucky that they are fighting for us.

Be grateful, you sheep!

sw

[anonymous171]

7. No. We shouldn't "break off."

We should take over the Democratic Party and force the DLCers and the blue dogs out. They can either join the GOP (some of them would gladly do it) or sit quietly on the sidelines.

[Donnachaidh]

8. uhh, that's what we were told we were doing this past fall

And supposedly we did -- but lookie, lookie -- we suddenly have all these centrists and corporate stooges being set up in cabinet positions. I don't think you're going to have that sort of mass motivation next time if things aren't corrected, with the economy and health care. ESPECIALLY health care.

[anonymous171]

9. If we split off we will weaken the left.

We should first focus on destroying the GOP, or at least marginalizing it to the deep south. By moving the center, the DINOs will take the GOP's place and become the Conservatives. Then the (actual) progressives will become the Left.

[scarletwoman]

13. No, you have it backwards. It is the Democratic party that weakens the Left.

You cannot "destroy" the reactionary Right -- as embodied in the GOP -- without raising a strong opposing force on the left. The Democratic party is not the GOP's opposite, they are collaborators in the overarching concern of the Ruling Class, which is to maintain power.

If there is to be a true Left in this country, it starts by repudiating the Democratic Party.

sw

[anonymous171]

16. We cannot destroy the reactionary right, but we can destroy the Reaganites.

By passing Universal Healthcare and other center-left reforms, we can get the white working class back on our side. The only place the GOP will have will be the deeply religious South.

[scarletwoman]

18. If you think the Dems are going pass Universal Health Care, you're dreaming.

They will scramble like mad to do anything *ANYTHING* but that. Just watch.

sw

[Lorien]

38. True. But one thing that haven't grasped is that if they DID pass universal

health care they would likely create a permanent Democratic majority. People would never want to go back to the old ways of no care for massive amounts of money that only enrich the insurance companies. Unfortunately, Dems count on those insurance companies for campaign contributions, so they won't have the stomach to do what's right-even if it did keep them in power for decades.

[scarletwoman]

43. Which is precisely why the Dems WON'T pass universal health care.

Which is precisely why the Left needs to divorce itself from the Dems.

sw

[Donnachaidh]

33. you're making the big assumption that the Democrats represent the left.

They DON'T.

The Official Democratic party is centrist, pro-corporation. The left were told that the Dems represented them. And the left bought that pr razzle dazzle, they heard what they wanted to hear, at least what was being said during the run up to the election. I seriously doubt if it will happen again. And as I said, if promises made are dumped to the wayside, the dazzlers may be in for a stunning realization that the left isn't where they wanted them to be.

[anonymous171]

34. That needs to change. Running off and starting the Nader party won't work

3rd parties are virtually non-existent in America for a reason. The electoral system makes it impossible for more than two parties to hold substantial amounts of power. The best thing progressives can do is start an insurgency within the Democratic party and boot out the corporatists.

[scarletwoman]

35. In that case, the best thing the Left can do is destroy the Democratic party.

If we're stuck with a two-party system, then we need a viable counterweight to the GOP. The Democratic party has AMPLY demonstrated that they aren't it.

It's time to kill the Democratic party.

sw

[anonymous171]

36. I agree.

The Democratic Party as it is now is not left or really even center-left (except a few congressman.) In fact I would say that some of them are even center-right. Starting a 3rd party won't work but conquering the current Democratic Party will.

[scarletwoman]

42. Well, that's what I said in the first place. (nt)

[Donnachaidh]

40. yeah, and the left got behind Obama and got Tim Geithner for their troubles.

This depression (and it IS a depression) will be where the rubber hits the road -- for BOTH parties. The progressives were talked into the "insurgency" that got the White House this time. Asking them to do it again, especially if the promises made weren't done, is as bad as the other side's actions. Actually, it's FAR worse.

No one really knows how this is going to end. But I think BOTH parties had better start paying attention, because there is going to be lots and lots of unemployed, unhappy people who will not have a problem with blaming BOTH parties for their personal economic destruction.

This country is in deep shit, and we have representatives in Washington on BOTH sides arguing over the festering corpse. I think anyone who is NOT familiar with Germany in the 20's and 30's should perhaps start reading up on it. We're headed down a very nasty road, and from this point on, it can go either way. The seeds of nationalism are already planted.

and there lies the DANGER.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

10. We tried that in '68, and got Humpty Dumpty.

[anonymous171]

14. The Hippies/Labor schism is no longer an issue.

[martymar64]

19. COINTELPRO had a lot to do with what happened in 68

Today, people are frightened of destitution more than some mythical Red Menace. They are now starting to see that the capitalist American Dream is a con job and a cruel joke played upon working people to keep them from complaining or questioning authority.
The resurgence of the left here is only a matter of time. It's gaining all over the world and we're just late to the party. We're the last gasp of capitalism.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

21. You may, hopefully, be right.

There is a revolution going on all over the world against the old, failed, economics and politics. But, we're playing the part of the Girondists and Kerensky.

[MisterP]

47. well, US's Aleksandr Kolchak: Kerensky whiffled constantly, but didn't really put wholesale Tsarists

in charge of fighting the Tsarists ;)

[Lorien]

37. A return of the Fairness Doctrine would be a good start

it would allow people like Dennis Kucinich to be heard without being decried as a "loony".

[TahitiNut]

11. Je suis tres gauche, aussi. Vive la France!

:dunce:

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

12. Vers le bas avec le capitalisme et la guerre! Aux les barricades!

:evilgrin:

[TahitiNut]

15. Où est Madame DéFarge quand nous avons besoin d'elle?

:evilgrin:


Where's Madame DeFarge when we need her?

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

17. Knitting socks for the "moderates" to wear on their trip to the barber.

[TahitiNut]

24. Je voudrais pouvoir parler et comprendre le français.

:dunce:

[Ravachol]

26. Little help.

For this subthread, it would be:
"Je suis très à gauche, aussi. Vive la France!"
"À bas le capitalisme et la guerre! Aux barricades!" (Down with is translated by "à bas")


The rest was spot on.

And the NPA is rallying a vast part of the Left (far left + those who have had enough of the pseudo left of the Socialist Party + greens) and many disillusioned voters.

Interesting to see new ideas in politics. :)

:hi:

[TahitiNut]

27. Merci! I'm amazed I came as close as I did with the "Je suis..." --

It was the one I did without Google Translation assistance ... dredging up my recollection of my months in Paris and weeks in Tahiti and "real-time learning" of French. (There's something about the language that I love.)

(I've never taken any French language courses ... I took German in high school and college. And I'm even worse in German.)

(Ich bin ein Dumkopf mit den Gesprach.)

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

28. Same here. German in High School.

I've been using Babel Fish.

Tho' I am pretty fluent in profanity in a variety of languages.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

29. New ideas are what's needed in this situation and in this country.

There is "change" coming all over the world, but not on the wings of old politics.

[scarletwoman]

31. I wish them all success. I am envious, in truth, since I live in a country where there is

barely even a "pseudo left". And where every self-proclaimed "liberal" thinks they are "left".

It makes me sick.

sw

[rug]

32. Shedding Trotsky is a good start.

[NoPasaran]

54. Maybe yes, maybe no

When the LCR's American co-thinkers, the Socialist Workers Party abandoned Trotskyism during the 1980s that led to a series of splits and purges from which the revolutionary socialist current in America has yet to recover. Certainly the SWP has been unsuccessful in building a significant movement around its new pro-Castro, pro-Sandinist ideology.

Of course, conditions in France are different. This is an interesting development, well worth watching to see if it goes anywhere.

[MajorChode]

39. He's about as relevant as Ralph Nadar or Ron Paul is here

I'm not sure why the Daily Telegraph considers him to be the "second most popular political figure". If that's true then there's a monumental gap between #1 and #2. It's probably just fear mongering on behalf of the Telegraph which is a conservative publication.

[scarletwoman]

44. You apparently didn't read far enough down this thread to see the Guardian article about him.

In any case, the actual point is about mounting an opposition from the left to the corporate/financial/political status quo.

sw

[MajorChode]

49. You apparently didn't even read what I wrote

Nothing in the Guardian article contradicts me.

As far as mounting an opposition goes, that really remains to be seen. The NPR is attempting to consolidate several various diverse groups with very different ideologies.

[scarletwoman]

51. It's NPA, not NPR -- and I wish more power to them. France isn't the US, it's actually possible

that the NPA could make significant inroads.

[MajorChode]

53. "could" is extremely optimistic

France isn't the US, but although Europe has a significant membership in political parties that have some form of the word "socialism" in their name, few Europeans would be for abandoning capitalism.

The problem with trying to build a constituency out of those groups is keeping them cohesive. The reason why people join very small minority parties is because they are very particular about their views. If they wanted to see their ideas watered down, they would have joined a party with a larger base to begin with.

The may see political victories in the short term (which still remains to be seen), but when the economy picks back up they will probably fracture.

[scarletwoman]

55. "...few Europeans would be for abandoning capitalism." Are you so sure?

It seems to me that "abandoning capitalism" may be our only hope of survival. There may be more people recognising this than you think.

sw

[bigtree]

41. not much political leverage in that kind of splintering in our political system right now.

Most Americans opt for the false sense of stability the two party system provides. Who knows what would change all of that?

[scarletwoman]

45. No way to know that for sure unless someone actually tries it.

We could be surprised, you know.

sw

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

46. Perhaps, something like a depression?

My father, a Socialist, cussed FDR for watering down socialism and stopping the revolution.

[Donnachaidh]

52. A depression would sure as hell toss that *leverage* out the window

This is NOT the same country that lived through the 1930's. The folks in the 30's dealt with the poverty and economic problems because many of them had NOT known good times before the Depression. They DID know that if you didn't work, you didn't eat. They did NOT have anything they wanted, just with the swipe of a piece of plastic. They KNEW *real* HUNGER. They KNEW that if they didn't save something for the next day, or the next few days they WOULD go hungry. Their kids would go hungry.

We've had several generations that not only have NOT known hunger - they've wallowed in EXCESS for several DECADES. We have grown adults in this country who don't know how to COOK. We have people in this country who would turn up their noses at a bunch of carrots, or a bag of rice, opting for fast food, that is garbage, because they've been programmed to CONSUME.

Consume with both hands, consume without looking at WHAT you're eating. CONSUME because your neighbor's got that *fine* piece of plastic and you KNOW you have just GOT to have it because your neighbor has it. So you spend several hundred dollars on the new toy and then there are connection fees, and surcharges, and oh yeah - you have to spend money on filling that toy with software, and ringtones, and on and on and on.

What's going to happen when the Consuming hits a brick wall -- as it's already started now? What happens when those consuming bots suddenly realize they can NOT get those toys anymore? Think THEY will suffer privately like the folks in the 30's?

What happens when the distracting toys are no longer affordable or available?

that's the question, isn't it?

[scarletwoman]

56. Yes, that's the question. And the next question is, how will the ensuing anger & confusion

that results from the collective suffering get channelled? By the authoritarian and totalitarian Right? Or by a resurrected Left that works to overthrow the authoritarian corporatist/imperialist/militarist paradigm altogether?

sw

[Donnachaidh]

57. if we don't get some REAL voices from the Left in the media

I don't think we have to guess which way it's going to turn. I'm not talking about the strident, grate your nerves ranting of Randi Rhodes - we need a thoughtful TEACHER like Thom Hartmann.

We already have the *in your face* doom chorus of Hannity/Limbaugh/Boortz/Beck etal in place. And the Media deathgrip by a handful of groups that have already shut down discourse for the past eight years.

It's going to take a huge effort to tell people to use their brains for something other than keeping their ears separate. I'm personally hoping that a large segment of the population get screwed by this digital switchover, and get so pissed off that they DON'T buy the box, and leave the TV off.

and we ALSO need to keep the flames high under the feet of ALL our *representatives* -- especially the Democrats. THEY also need to be reminded that *elections have consequences* and that THEY may very well have woken the sleeping giant that will REMEMBER if they don't come through with what was promised. And not just one or two of the promises -- ALL of them.

[Ichingcarpenter]

48. Le Figaro- A major french newspaper says his party will get 10% at least

In the next election. http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=fr&u=http://www.lefigaro.fr/politique/2009/02/05/01002-20090205ARTFIG00586-le-npa-de-besancenot-peut-bousculer-le-champ-politique-.php&ei=6DCOSbT0OpGUsAO6yPT-CA&sa=X&oi=translate&resnum=8&ct=result&prev=/search%3Fq%3DOlivier%2BBesancenot%26start%3D20%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dsafari%26rls%3Den-us%26sa%3DN

. Le Figaro has selected some of his proposals to change France ...

• Institutions. Suppression of the Senate, banning the accumulation of mandates, mandatory rotation of mandates to avoid settling of baronnies is a transformation of the democratic process required by the French NPA. More surprising, he suggested that elected officials are paid according to the average income of the population, or 1800 euros. In general, the NPA wants the bulk of decisions are taken by the population. For example, with more frequent use of the referendum. And thrust: fewer powers to the Head of State.

• Banks. The NPA includes puppets of the LCR and calls for the big night of finance. In response to the crisis, Olivier Besancenot proposes the creation of public service credits under the control of users and employees. And, of course, the lifting of banking secrecy, the end of tax or a ban on golden parachutes.

• Wages. Like most parties from the radical left, the NPA is to increase the minimum wage to 1 500 € net. He wants a ban on layoffs and a general increase in salaries and pensions of € 300 net. To fund its program, the NPA has a simple solution: make "a drain on the 100 billion annual profits eurosde companies CAC 40!

• Nationalizations. The NPA is not for the all-nationalization. " And declares its readiness to help small farms, small businesses and "independent SMEs. However, he was in favor of "the ownership of major means of production by the State or local authorities." This is not unlike what took place in the East. The NPA also wants to revive "a monopoly on basic needs, such as energy, water, transport, schools, health and La Poste expensive factor Neuilly.

• Ecology-nuclear. Like José Bové, the NPA is opposed to the cultivation of GMOs in the open air. As environmentalists, he wants to ban the burial of nuclear waste. He favors a progressive output of nuclear power and for "alternative development". Immigration. Partisan voting rights of all immigrants and the legalization of all undocumented migrants, the NPA also supports the free movement of all foreigners in Europe.

• Family. As everyone left, the NPA is campaigning for equal work between men and women and the alignment of the right of gay couples on sex, giving them access to marriage and adoption.

• Higher education. At the exact opposite of the reforms of Nicolas Sarkozy, the NPA is against the autonomy of universities, against competition from universities, against the selection and maintenance of national examinations.

• Culture. No frankly revolutionary, the NPA wants to make culture accessible to all and offers free museums. He also argues "against the commodification of culture, beginning with what is happening to public television."

• Europe. Two things: the NPA wants to build a more social Europe by harmonizing the top of every social achievements of each Member State. And a process for forming a new treaty, "for a Europe less technocratic and more democratic."

• International. The party seeks exit of France from NATO, the withdrawal of French troops in Afghanistan, the end of the France-Africa, the abolition of the debt of emerging countries and the creation of a Palestinian state "viable .


http://209.85.173.113/translate_c?hl=en&sl=fr&u=http://www.lefigaro.fr/politique/2009/02/05/01002-20090205ARTFIG00004-npa-la-france-telle-que-la-reve-olivier-besancenot-.php&prev=/search%3Fq%3DOlivier%2BBesancenot%26start%3D20%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dsafari%26rls%3Den-us%26sa%3DN&usg=ALkJrhhdougtQtJexregLG6iEBxrsFUjwg

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

50. Thanks for posting this.

And, as things worsen, I think he might poll more than Le Monde calculates.

[anaxarchos]

58. Le Figaro is a right-wing newspaper...

It was the mouthpiece for RPR (Chirac's party) and then for the UMP (Sarkozy's party). The last time I was in France, though, they were calling Sarkozy, "the little shit"... which tells you how far things have moved in France.