France
A government that won’t last
Saturday 28 December 2024, by Fabienne Dolet
Will France have a government at Christmas? That was the question in September. We didn’t think we’d reach the same point on Christmas Eve. With more weariness, however. Because history is repeating itself: after the fall of the Barnier government, we have François Bayrou as Prime Minister, who once again cannot survive without the goodwill of Marine Le Pen. The fact that Xavier Bertrand, who hasn’t been in government since 2012, is one of the names mentioned is a real casus belli for the far right Rassemblement national (RN)! As a result, delays and procrastination. Again! As for the nominees, it’s business as usual. Valls as Minister for Overseas Territories, Darmanin as Minister for Justice, Borne as Minister for Education.
Of course, Bayrou has probably overestimated his ability to unite on the basis of his name alone, after thirty years of wanting to accede to the position. He has also underestimated many aspects of the situation: taking a Falcon to go to Pau at a time of climate emergency; forgetting the cyclone in Mayotte at a time of social and democratic emergency and announcing the government on the day of national mourning; defending the accumulation of mandates, after having voted for the non-accumulation of mandates ten years ago; measuring that he has not been elected for more than twenty years to the National Assembly.
Above and beyond his personality, it’s an entire project that’s taking on water. The country is divided, and the National Assembly that emerged from the polls in July reflects this. The cause: the project of the bourgeoisie embodied by Macron, and all those leaders who don’t want to let go of their anti-social policies and gifts to the bosses when the social and ecological situation demands a different way of thinking. They dismantled and denigrated solidarity in the name of ‘trickle-down’ and set themselves up as a bulwark against the far right... only to end up as a fortress defending social inequalities and racist policies. The boat is sinking, and it will take a lot more than a Bayrou to overcome the chaos they have sown. This ‘government of returnees’, as Libération puts it, is looking more and more like a ‘government of puppets’ in the hands of the RN!
The national unity achieved around the special law passed on 18 December does little to disguise the fact that the bourgeois order, however enlightened, is being undermined, giving ever more power to tycoons like Bolloré and Musk, who are ready to saddle up the far right and the worst defenders of a racist and unjust social order. However long the Bayrou government lasts, we need stronger resistance and, above all, victories so that an emancipatory social project for all can see the light of day.
24 December 2024
Translated by International Viewpoint from l’Anticapitaliste.
P.S.
If you like this article or have found it useful, please consider donating towards the work of International Viewpoint. Simply follow this link: Donate then enter an amount of your choice. One-off donations are very welcome. But regular donations by standing order are also vital to our continuing functioning. See the last paragraph of this article for our bank account details and take out a standing order. Thanks.
International Viewpoint is published under the responsibility of the Bureau of the Fourth International. Signed articles do not necessarily reflect editorial policy. Articles can be reprinted with acknowledgement, and a live link if possible.
No comments:
Post a Comment