Résistance: Igniting the flame of the New European Left.

It all started in 2007, on spring day in may. Nicolas Sarkozy was the candidate of reform, the self-proclaimed champion of the "silent majority". The notion of "silent majority" is very interesting, the belief that the majority of population in France are oppressed by a radical fringe of the population, that has pursued to push the public debate to the left. Mr. Sarkozy openly declared war on the "relics" of Mai 68 and on the ideology that has somehow "occupied" the France political scene, that the social state is the "holy grail".
The truth is that, the feeling that something along the path of the 5th Republic went wrong is recurrent in the French common psych. But the to just conner these occurrences to France, would be to forget the larger European image.


If you look throughout European history, it has always been a history of shocks and counter-shocks, of revolution and counter-revolution. The examples are various and diverse from the battle for the soul of Christianity that was embodied by Martin Luther's revolt in the German speaking lands, and from that epicentre flared dissent and civil unrest throughout Europe, to the French Revolution that brought yet another period of dissidence in Europe and social/political and economic transformation. Europe has always been like a schema of unstable dominos on the verge of collapse.
The last time, Europe did experience a vast and divisive period of revolution and counter-revolution was during the period of the 1920s-1930s. For many it was called the "European Civil War", from the physical and officially declared confrontation in Spain (the Spanish Civil War) that opposed the Republicans to the "Falangists" of the reactionary military uprising, to France and the period of relative instability that preceded and precipitated the birth of the "Front Populaire" and which continued during its rule, to Italy and the fight between communist and anarchist fractions and the reactionary/fascist "grouplings". In the 1920s-193's an ideological war took place in Europe, the conclusion of that war was supposed to be World War II and the death of fascism and reactionary ideology in Europe. But this fight prolonged deeper into the 20th Century and was called the "Cold War". Many times we speak of the proxy wars that occurred in South Eastern Asia or in Africa as the main conflicts of the "Cold War", but on a certainly lesser scale but certainly as intense, a continental proxy war did occur in Europe. The dictatorships of Franco, Salazar and of the Colonel Regime in Greece were supported diplomatically, financially and militarily (even) by the Western Bloc, a bit like the support that Ben Ali and Mubarak received before their fall-out. This points to the truth that capitalism does not always go hand in hand with democracy or freedom of speech. The countries such as Spain, Portugal and Italy before them, that did have a significant leftist base, experienced after the fall of their respective dictatorships, "undercover" civil wars. In Italy for example the Christian Democrat Coalition that had tries with the mafia and other organized crime did receive support and backing from the "Free World". But generally socialist/communist parties and anarchist organizations were the target of false flag operations, intimidation and even destructive action. The only reason that, those groups persisted was that their efforts were fuelled by the "Cold War". And then the Berlin Wall was shattered and the leftist heritage of Europe was in disarray and fell into the infernal spiral of outright decadence.
But like a religion that is banned, the belief in a set of values and principals under the ban only amplifies. The ban instead created the ecosystem for a rebirth of the left, but not of the same left, a more divergent and modern ideological purpose was born.


Starting in 1979, and having its nirvana during the 1990s the neo-liberal ideologies, built up through Thatcherism in England and spread like a wild fire throughout the European continent (another example of shock and counter-shock). It deregulated and destroyed the social and economical system that was predominant in Europe... the welfare state. After the fall of the Soviet Bloc, it was almost as if the European left dug their own graves and went for a long hibernation. Some decided to ditch the sinking boat and join the neo-liberal shinning cruiser, other just silenced themselves as if the fatality of reality was a too heavy burden on their shoulders so they collapsed into silence, and some "radicals" didn't shy from the path of truth because of the few walking along it and started the grassroots "résistance" against neo-liberalism and wild gilded age capitalism. At times they might of seemed as if they were peaching the desert, but now with the failing austerity measures, the rising inequality and the destruction of the enlightenment ideals of social justice, from that arid desert land has sprouted a forest of discontent and disobedience.
The last of the resisting domino's to fall was France, in 2007 Nicolas Sarkozy was elected, he was from the 1%, elected by the 1% to protect the interests of the 1%. His administration started little by little dismantling the French welfare state and tearing apart the French social fabric. It resulted in the push the French left needed to harvest the invisible forest of discontent. The champion of this new libertarian Left is Mélenchon, but this libertarian left is not exclusively French. In German parties such as "Die Linke" and in Spain "La Izquierda Unida" have shown the strongest showings since the fall of the Berlin Wall and the "death" of the European left. So is this the "renaissance" of the European Left?(...) Yes, but without a  wakening the revolution of mentalities will never completely be accomplished. Looking at the political environment in Europe, I believe that the new libertarian Left is without doubt on the rise, this being said without power, these fantastic speeches and ideas are but a sermon with nil attendance. So what is the viable option for the "New Left", should it compromise and join the Tony Blair fringe of "fake-leftist" parties, to win over the electorate? Certainly not the true Left should never compromise on it's true and core ideals. The easiest solution is to compromise, but how can you compromise without being compromised? In fact that's an impossibility, we've seen that happen time after time in Spain under Zapatero, in the U.K under Tony Blair and in Germany under Schröder, what was the result of compromising on core values: defeat.
The mission of the "New Left" is to hijack the "mushy" Left movement and bring back the centre of debate to the "real" Left and that is something Mélenchon has done very well during this French presidential election, 2nd ballot or not, his campaign has reignited the flame of the French Left.
And so this is crossroad at which we encounter ourselves now. Spain, Italy, Greece and Portugal are drowning in debt, the crisis is far from over. The myth of neo-liberalism is dying in the minds and hearts of the majority of people and so a vacuum is left. This vacuum has to be filed but not by the authoritarian left of the 1960s or the "mushy" left of the 1990s, but a new vibrant left powered by communities and by social activism and not by lobbies or economic interests.
The "Silent majority" is us and this is our "silent revolution" reloaded.


Résistance.


Sky 

Democracy 101: Social Unrest and Civic Revolution (part 2)

Notre cher Président de la République

The French presidential campaign has recently taken a turn for the worst, possibly the worst possible turn.

The berried violence that once stayed beneath the soil of the French political scene is now front and center, with the shooting that occurred this past week in south-western cities of Montauban and Toulouse. It reminds me of the "incidents" that took place in 2005 throughout the suburbs of metropolitan France. The truth is that neither in 2005 nor now in 2012 could these "incidents" happen without a political climate that allows it.
Nicolas Sarkozy back in the 2007 election, made a huge gamble to take the presidency, a sort of "all in". This gamble consisted in stealing the rhetoric of the nationalist and fascist elements of French society normally backing the Front Nationale and convert them into his own "dear" political base. French society has been at a crossroads for many years now. It is in this awkward position and suffering from paranoia and post-traumatic stress. The truth is that Nicolas Sarkozy and many French compatriots made the decision to live in this "bubble" of "la vie en rose". In a bubble in which France hasn't changed since the 1920's and they occult the reality of the immigrant situation. Instead of taking a proactive stance to resolve the decadence of the already battered suburbs, they decided to paint it pink.

But after 5 years in the presidency the paint is starting to crack-up.
It's a known fact Nicolas Sarkozy, has turned the country of human rights into one of the most perfected police states in the world. Maybe the ultimate fact is that the birth of a police is always intertwined with the hatching of a very subtle, and ancient inherent racism. The French society is no more racist than it's European counter-parts, but unlike many of them it still fights to come to terms with it's WWII past.

The myth that was created during the liberation of France from Nazi occupation, that all French had "resisted" the German armies and the "anti-Jewish" stance, was false. But it was one of the founding myths of modern France and to shatter that myth, would be to shatter one of the pillars of the "Republican Identity".

But now as hundreds morn the deaths, many few wonder why? In our grief, we try to reassure ourselves that it was just a "radical" fringe, a terrorist organization with links to Al-Qaeda. This situation is very problematic, because once again we as "good" french citizens are taking our brushes and painting again this morbid reality in pink. But no matter how many times we re-paint, the cracks will still show, sooner or later. No matter in how many ways we try to pull ourselves from the reality of the political ambiance we live in, the boiling-point is rapidly approaching.

It's time to level things a bit:
When the reelection campaign of the incumbent president is based on cultural warfare openly declaring war on the "Halal Culture" of some French (in this case a big minority of French), than it is only normal that these "incidents" occur. Once again in this campaign Nicolas Sarkozy has made a huge gamble, a bid that might just win him a second term but at what costs? Nicolas Sarkozy and his presidency represent the worst politics have to offer and his rhetoric has fertilized the grounds on which such horrid killings could grow. Nicolas Sarkozy is the perfect political opportunist, stopping at nothing to gain political points ultimately to the demise of the core of French values (Liberty, Equality and Fraternity).

The president made a very good campaign speech today, saying that we should no to be too quick to amalgamate the Muslim culture with such actions... but what has the President of the Republic done during the major part of his political career? Amalgamate. He amalgamated the young disenchanted, the "no future" generation (except behind prison bars) to terrorists and on a crusade to destroy French values. He has amalgamated dockers on strike to enemies of the state, and campaigns that fight for social justice to radicals. He amalgamated to such an extent the gypsy populations of the hexagon to liars, cheaters and vandals, that he had them expelled, bus load by bus load.
And now the "tiny Napoleon" asks us to trust him, to clean-up the mess he was the first one to create and the main beneficiary!
The fact is that "notre cher" president has no notion of how, to resolve the mess he created, because he believes that a tour of the suburbs is a photo-op.

Jean-Luc Mélenchon

So yes "J'accuse", Mr. Sarkozy of being the source of contamination of this crisis.

But to counterbalance these horrid occurrences, there is a light of hope. And that light is Jean-Luc Mélenchon. Mr. Mélenchon's idea of a civic revolution for France is finally a breath of fresh air for all those who believe that a better France is possible, that France is greater than these politics of hatred and division, of xenophobia and volatility. On the foundations of the French revolution, at la Bastille, Mélenchon sketched the contours of a 6th Republic, a political system that would "recontextualize" France in the 21st Century. The fight is on! Between what France could be and what France is and as we have seen at the start of this week, the France we live in is gruesome. The time is upon us as to reinstate a civic empowerment in France. In many cases, throughout many election in France the saying goes, that we vote against somebody rather than for somebody. It's time to change that trend and vote for the candidate that truly embodies the multicultural, diverse and hopeful society that France could be.

Aux Armes Citoyens!

Sky     
                     

Democracy 101: The Battle for France's soul (part 1)

It's been a long time coming, but it was perhaps worth it.
I remember back in the spring of 2007, at the end of my stay in France. I was riding in the back seat of a car. It was election day, and somehow even if all of us in the car, didn't know the final results, a bitter taste had filled our mouths. The campaign was great propaganda campaign on the part of the right. The right united under the effigy of Nicolas Sarkozy (populistic, dogmatic neo-liberal, one-percenter) had capitalized on the fragmentation of French society. He had used an almost "racist" rhetoric to sway the Front Nationale's (extreme right party) natural base. We knew that the worst was to come. And utter silence nothing more, nothing less had built up to an unbearable point.
"And now we can announce with certainty that Nicolas Sarkozy the UMP (French right wing party of Gaullist heritage and now under the claws of neo-liberal dogma) has won the presidential second round ballot with 53% of the vote".
There was almost a generalized outburst of "Merde" in the car. And then one of us said "that's not a thin margin at all, what were they thinking". The conversation then was centred around the weakness of the left and how, the old guard of the socialist party did not do enough to make electoral victory a certainty.
That was true. The inner fighting, that characterized the French Socialist Party, was horrid and with out doubt was a factor. But what we didn't really comprehend that evening as we rolled throughout the valley of the Rhone... it was something bigger, then just a mere election.

BBC November 2005

The story begins in 2005. France was a ticking bomb. The last 10 years on the social and "racial" level have been comparable to the 60's in the United States. The 2nd and 3rd generation of immigrant populations were fed-up with their living conditions. The "Ghettoization" of France was in full steam. And yet it appeared to many outside of the mainstream everyday life of politics and social activism, as if it was life as usual.
But since the mid 1970's the ticking bomb, was ticking. And 2005 was just one of many eruptions to come.  What sparked this widespread and violent protest against the "xenophobic" and "racist" policy of the French government? The death of two teenagers in one of the suburbs of Paris. Both were found electrocuted after hiding near a power generator.
It's not so much that this was an extraordinary happening in France or in the suburbs to the contrary. Many tired to pin down the protest as influenced by "islamic radicals" and "foreign organizations", the extreme right party of Jean-Marie Lepen (France's own George Wallace) linked the riots to Al-Qaeda. Now in our times, these times doesn't that seem familiar? Maybe Bashar Al-Assad uses the same rhetoric?
Instead of looking the problem straight into it's eyes, the French governing political class decided to find incoherent excuses to defeat their legitimate "oppression" of the Suburb dwellers.
But who gained the most from these riots? It's answer with a silver underline was Nicolas Sarkozy (at the time minister of the interior).

They are vandals, they are racailles (in french means immigrant scum) I'm persistent and convinced of that.
-Nicolas Sarkozy
Source: http://www.lemonde.fr/societe/article/2005/11/11/nicolas-sarkozy-persiste-et-signe-contre-les-racailles_709112_3224.html 


Nicolas Sarkozy was the up and coming star of the centre-right political spectrum. He was young, energetic, "hype", but little did anyone know the danger that he might of presented at the time.
Sarkozy, changed-up the French political scene forever. The divorce in French between religion/culture/ethnicity and the functioning of the state was always paramount. The centre-right and centre-left wing parties always defended the importance of non-religious republic rooted in the declaration of human rights and the heritage of a radical impartial and independent state system. But Mr.Sarkozy was more intelligent then the average politician, he was always more ruthless.
Sarkozy saw the fault-lines that existed in the French political landscape, and was the first one to use those political fault-lines in major manner to gain political points.
Nicolas Sarkozy is to France, what Berry Goldwater was to the United States. They both brought a new radical ideology (sometimes flirting with the extreme-right) into the political scene, the difference between the two, one was crushed, the later became head of state.
The fact is that today, is that France is caught in between two very violent and radical movements, Revolution that has always been a vector of progress throughout French history and Counter-Revolution.

But Sarkozy (left) only poured verbal kerosene on the flames, dismissing the ghetto youth in the most insulting and racist terms and calling for a policy of repression. "Sarko" made headlines with his declarations that he would "karcherise" the ghettos of "la racaille"-- words the U.S. press, with glaring inadequaxcy, has translated to mean "clean" the ghettos of "scum." But these two words have an infinitely harsher and insulting flavor in French. "Karcher" is the well-known brand name of a system of cleaning surfaces by super-high-pressure sand-blasting or water-blasting that very violently peels away the outer skin of encrusted dirt -- like pigeon-shit -- even at the risk of damaging what's underneath. To apply this term to young human beings and proffer it as a strategy is a verbally fascist insult and, as a policy proposed by an Interior Minister
Source: http://direland.typepad.com/direland/2005/11/why_is_france_b.html#comment-11026593

So the French 2012 presidential election is set in such a scenery. After the "debacle" of Sarkozy presidency, the left is reunited and has like a phoenix has been reborn from it's ashes. The opportunity for a new left leaning progressive government is higher then even in modern french history since the election of François Mitterrand, and if France does elect a new left government, France being one of the most influential countries in the European Union could re-set the EU on the right track and maybe unlash a generalized left wave throughout Europe.
I will be staring by, waiting, commentating about the occurrences of French politics. This might be the start of something truly historic.

Sky