Scrapping to unite the French left

Submitted by cathy n on 9 December, 2006 - 1:15

by Joan Trevor

The left-wing newsletter Lettre de Liaisons* (no.197, 26 November 2006) have some insightful comments on Ségolčne Royal's victory to be the Socialist Party (PS) candidate in the 2007 presidential election. (Royal won 60.6% of the 170,000 votes cast in an internal party ballot.) They say that far from Royal representing "the only way to stop Sarkozy", as she is touted in the media, she might be the candidate of choice for the French ruling class. Nicolas Sarkozy's abrasive style could quickly bring him into conflict with the trade unions and wider society if he wins the presidency; and he is too friendly with George Bush.

But what does Royal represent? Working-class voters, usually supporters of the Socialist Party, are waiting and seeing, according to Liaisons, not joining in the fanfare around Royal. Liaisons suggests that a Royal presidency, far from being a victory for the left, could unite the centre and the right of French politics against the "social movement", that her policies are potentially profoundly undemocratic:

"Regions, decentralisation, participation are more and more the leitmotifs of ségolčne-royalism which thus continues, each day... to get further and further from socialism."

It is necessary to know here that "decentralisation" for the French left signals most of all an attempt by right-wing politicians to undermine national standards in employment protection, wages, provision of services, education, etc, and thus represents a reactionary attack on working-class living standards and egalitarianism.

Liaisons notes some interesting aspects of the wider situation on the left. The far-left, which for Liaisons is synonymous with the left that campaigned for a "no" in the referendum on the European constitution treaty, has failed
to build on the unity it created during that campaign. It has struggled to find a common candidate for the presidential election.

Small farmer leader and environmentalist José Bové, who might, because he is independent of any party, have been able to unite the various parties and other independents, has withdrawn his offer to be a candidate, in frustration, it appears.

The Communist Party (PCF) is promoting its leader Marie-George Buffet as the unity candidate; the far-left Ligue Communiste Révolutionnaire (LCR) is promoting Olivier Besancenot**. Liaisons suggests that by their behaviour
the PCF and LCR have hindered the search for a unity candidate. They might well have done, but it is hard to see what else they could have done but throw their hats confidently into the ring early on. Arlette Laguiller will also be a candidate, for the far-left group Lutte Ouvričre who are not party to the search for a unity candidate.

* http://site.voila.fr/bulletin_Liaisons/
** http://besancenot2007.org/

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