NPA–Révolutionnaires Editorial
Fortunately, Bardella, Le Pen and their ally Ciotti couldn’t uncork their champagne on Sunday night. Watching the defeated faces of the leaders of the National Grouping on television was a moment of bliss for all those who did not want to have a taste of the extreme right in the government. Macron was slapped in the face in the first round, Bardella in the second… Now all that remains is to definitively overthrow all racist and anti-workers policies. But it won’t be done in the electoral field.
Bardella in Matignon, but not this time
With 143 deputies – undoubtedly a record – the RN and its allies did not achieve the governmental majority, coming third behind the New Popular Front and Macron’s friends. The strategy adopted by the parties of the second round of “Republican withdrawal” worked. Despite coming first in the first round and having more votes than any of the other groups in the second round, the RN cannot govern. But their ideas and their political influence are inexorably strengthening. Their electoral results will provide them with an unprecedented financial profit. We are not done with the deadly poison of the extreme right on workers and young people. And we still have to defeat this pro-rich and pro-employer orientation applied by Macron for years, as well as by the right and left governments before him, which paved the way to an RN.
Time to bargain against the working class
None of the three main political blocs fighting to manage government affairs has obtained an absolute majority. Macron sees himself as the “supreme arbiter” again, since his contempt for the working classes is immense: Will he and his allies be able to attract other politicians from all sides who share the same servility to the interests of the bosses to form an increasingly right-wing government? The New Popular Front alliance has already widely shown its divisions and contradictory choices. They have put the PS and ELLV, that governed before Macron, back in the saddle. Will they make it through the first post-election week or will their cardboard drive run out with negotiations over who they expect the prime minister to be?
Rekindling the social struggle
Who will allow us to earn the much needed extra 400 euros per month and raise our salaries, pensions and income to 2000 euros net per month? Who will index our wages to prices? Who will ban layoffs in the private sector and all job cuts in public services? Who will allow us to retire at the age of 60 with 37.5 years of contributions? Who will repeal all the racist laws passed in the last 40 years and regularize all undocumented immigrants? Who will put an end to the ecological destruction of the planet? Who will put everyone back to work by massively reducing the working day and workload? It will not be at the Elysee, at the Matignon Palace or at the National Assembly that we will achieve our demands! It is through our struggles, our strikes, our street mobilizations, as in 1936, when after a month of general strike and occupation of workplaces, the paid holidays, the 40-hour week and wage increases were taken away from the bosses… The Popular Front government had nothing to do with it, it had not even been able to grant the right to vote to women or independence to the colonies! Because as long as we do not get satisfactory answers to vital demands for the working class, the extreme right will dig its furrow and pour out its racist and xenophobic propaganda. This needs to be clear and talked about with people around us that we are calling on other organizations to demonstrate in Paris on July 14th.
NPA-Révolutionnaires Editorial, July 8, 2024