France

Yearbook

    Who Are In the Streets? Reflections on Nuit Debout in Paris
  • After the 31 March demonstration against the new proposed labour legislation (the ‘loi travail’), demonstrators decided not to go home; they re- assembled at Place de la République to keep vigil and debate the society they wanted to build, and the Nuit Debout movement was born. It is difficult to...
    France: Resistance to Neoliberalism and the Historic Failure of the Left
  • The results of the 2007 presidential elections are altogether the worst for the left since 1969. It is true that Sarkozy’s clear majority as President still did not give the UMP the two-thirds majority needed to amend the constitution – which will make things more complicated for the UMP in the way...
    Nicolas Sarkozy: A Model for the European Right?
  • The May 2007 election of Nicolas Sarkozy as President of the French Republic has up to now produced few formal analyses regarding the ideological nature of the political project for which he was elected, even though a re-foundation of the Left certainly cannot do without serious reflection on the...
    France: The Left Front – The Challenge of a True Popular Dynamism
  • As everyone knows, in the 2005 referendum the French people rejected the European Constitutional Treaty. What had enabled this success was that, for the first time, forces opposed to neoliberalism worked together and created a really dynamic popular debate and exchange of ideas, a deep-rooted...
    Antisarkozyism in France*
  • The political situation in France is at a fresh turning point. The capitalist crisis and the financial crisis have suddenly worsened the living conditions of the world of labour, which is undergoing exceptionally violent attacks from the President and the Government, despite the complete rejection...

Focus

    The French chessboard
  • The current balances of forces in France is worrying The left as a whole is credited around a third of the possible votes for the European elections. Such a low overall expected result demonstrates its historical weakness. The left is divided in different lists that all aim at running...
    The Metamorphosis of the Front National
  • This article was written in January 2017 and initially published in the February 2017 issue of the Journal Sozialismus. In December 2016, the Austrian presidential election finally came out with the rejection of far-right presidential candidate Norbert Hofer. However the defeat of the Freiheitliche...
    France
  • Results 2014 +++ The French Shock The European elections, coming on the heels of local elections, were a disaster for the left. They confirmed, all at once, the dissatisfaction of the French people for the course being followed by the European Union, and their distaste with the policies...

Blog

    Manifesto for the Welcoming of Migrants
  • The editorial boards of Regards, Politis and Mediapart are joining forces to launch the "Pour l’accueil des migrants" manifesto to welcome migrants. It has been initially signed by 150 intellectuals, artists, activists, unionists and prominent members of civil society - tenth of thousands followed.
    The French Case: Macron vs. Railway Unions
  • Emmanuel Macron is confronted with the strongest social mobilisations in France since his election. Even though these mobilisations are heterogeneous and gather a large variety of struggles, they were originally triggered by Macron’s rail reform which embodies the President’s harsh neoliberal agenda.
    The Left Under Macron
  • An interview with Elsa Faucillon, the newly-elected Communist MP on France’s divided Left and the way forward in the fight against Macron.
    An Earthquake? Yes and No
  • After the predicted but non-the-less spectacular result of the first round of the presidential election, on the left urgent questions are burning each and everyone’s lips: what shall we do in two weeks?
    A Struggle on All Fronts
  • Faced with a democracy that has been denied, an authoritarian government and repressed social movements, the seven trade unions that have spent almost three months fighting against the El Khomri bill (CGT, FO, FSU, Solidaires, Unef, UNL and FIDL) and in favour of a labour law commensurate with the 21st century are organising a referendum in companies, administrative bodies and research centres.
    Rising up Together
  • Nina Léger, French Communist Party activist, reports in detail on the #NuitDebout movement initiated in France.
    “We are worth better than this”
  • 160 000 demonstrators in Paris, 120 000 in Marseille, 100 000 in Toulouse… All in all, more than one million workers, students and pensioners took to the streets on March 31st throughout France to oppose the dismantling of the code du travail, the set of labour laws and regulations.
    Will There Be a Social Spring in France?
  • The labour movement in France is facing an unprecedented attack in the form of a radical bill introduced by the government that would largely dismantle the rights and guarantees enshrined in the Labour Code. However, this attempt is being opposed by a new dynamic combining trade union activism with an extraordinary mobilisation of youth, largely via social media, unseen on this scale since the lead-up to the mass protest against the First Job Contract in 1996.
    Outcome of the French Regional Elections
  • In 13 French regions a second round of regional elections was held. In seven regions, the Sarkozyite right has won (there used to be left-wing majorities in all of them before the elections). In five regions left-wing majorities were reached which are based on the lists affiliated with the Parti socialiste (PS) after the first round of elections.
    French Regional Elections: First Observations
  • The results of the first round of regional elections confirm the gravity of the political situation in the country. Following on from the European election, the Front National (FN) is building on its position as a leading political party, with a majority that will amount to some 30% following the results of the regional elections on December 6.
    Bernard Maris, the Fury of Capitalism and the Fury of Terrorism
  • Bernard Maris, an economist at the Bank of France, was at the meeting of editors of Charlie Hebdo on 7 January 2015 in Paris. He, too, died under the bullets of the killers – Oncle Bernard, author of a column in the satirical magazine, in which he explained the mysteries of finance.
    Standing Up Against Hatred and Barbarism
  • Yesterday’s terrorist attack murdered a large part of one of the country’s most famous editorial teams – including five of the most creative artists and cartoonists involved in the satirical newspaper, an economist who has often his critical views represented very efficiently in the media, as well...
    Historic failure for Social-Democratic Left
  • The abstention levels of 39% were a record high for municipal elections. They were particularly high in areas most affected by the crisis; in metropolitan communes; among the young; workers; and voters of the Front de Gauche (Left Front) and of the FN (National Front). In addition, almost 3 million potential voters were not registered to vote.
    Die Linke and the Front de Gauche are Revamping Franco-German Relations
  • On 22 January 2013, France and Germany were celebrating, with considerable pomp, the anniversary of the “Elysée Treaty”. However, 50 years after the treaty was signed, in a new world and a crisis in Europe, it would be more appropriate to revamp Franco-German relations … an idea, which at least inspired the Front de Gauche and Die Linke, whose co-operation has strengthened over the last few years.
    A New Chapter in French Politics
  • For the first time since ten years the government of France is led by the PS (Parti Socialiste) again. In 2002, the Gauche Plurielle government and its then candidate Jospin encountered catastrophic results due to the public's massive dissatisfaction with their politics. When it became clear that...
    Election in France
  • First and foremost, Hollande’s election is a clear rebuff for the “President of the Rich” and the power of the oligarchy he embodies which has become stronger in the crisis. In spite of the relief felt about Sarkozy having been voted out, the mood can by no means be compared to 1981 (Mitterand’s...
    France: For the First Time Ever, a Left Majority to the Senate
  • Till now it was generally considered that, under the 5th Republic’s 1958 Constitution, the Senate (the Upper House of Parliament) could never swing Left. However, during the senatorial elections of 25 September last, despite an election system tailored for the Right, the “grand electors” (that is...

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