72
The ‘total strike’ has come for France (mronline.org)
submitted 1 week ago by to c/chapotraphouse@hexbear.net
13 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

cross-posted from: https://news.abolish.capital/post/87207

(Carl Court/Getty Images)

The people are in revolt, and the entire social order is collapsing.

The post The ‘total strike’ has come for France appeared first on MR Online.

From MR Online via This RSS Feed.

all 13 comments

sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] 49 points 1 week ago (6 children)

This is very optimist. I don't share the optimism and I think people are a little too caught up in the spectacle. It is certain that we are in the transition away from the current version neoliberalism, the contradictions are simply to large, but to claim that this change is facilitated by a revolutionary french working class is a little too much.

If Macron somehow could brutalize XX millions of Africans to slave away in the mines in order to ensure that french people could retire at 60 with good healthcare and good student/teacher ratios they would all be happy and content.

There are little organizing, no demands, and treatlerism on full view.

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • hideshow 6 child comments
    •
  • [–] 33 points 1 week ago (3 children)

    If Macron somehow could brutalize XX millions of Africans to slave away in the mines in order to ensure that french people could retire at 60 with good healthcare and good student/teacher ratios they would all be happy and content.

    But they can't anymore. Isn't that (one of) the root cause of the whole US/Euro/NATO decline in the first place?

    Revolutions don't happen because the moral character of millions suddenly improves, it happens because of material and economic root causes.

    But you're correct that it requires a degree (and type) of organization that isn't currently present.

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 3 child comments
    •
  • [–] 16 points 1 week ago (2 children)

    But they can’t anymore. Isn’t that (one of) the root cause of the whole US/Euro/NATO decline in the first place?

    Revolutions don’t happen because the moral character of millions suddenly improves, it happens because of material and economic root causes.

    You are entirely correct! But I did not mean to invoke it as a moral argument (not directly anyhow). I just take issue with the msm framing of the revolution of the french working class, they are rioting for concessions, not for a change of system. The aim is to put fiscal pressure on their colonizer-capitalist political class to get some more crumbz.

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 2 child comments
    •
  • [–] 6 points 1 week ago (1 child)

    It seems obvious that populist discontent can be directly affected by material and economic conditions.

    Is there any marxian principal of condition which would predict the prevailing of one side or the other of populist sentiments?

    The moral character of the proletariat on the aggregate seems like the only way to make a deterministic prediction on such a thing. Am I mistaken about that?

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 1 child comment
    •
  • [–] 7 points 1 week ago

    The moral character of the proletariat on the aggregate seems like the only way to make a deterministic prediction on such a thing. Am I mistaken about that?

    Well it has never happened in the imperial core really, so I guess we don't know. But I think generally, the masses must understand that liberalism and their far right populism isn't a viable option. Clearly we aren't there yet in the west, I think it will be clearer in the coming decades though, when the states are materially conditioned to cooperate with the East.

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • parent
  • [–] 14 points 1 week ago* (1 child)

    The French working class are revolutionary, I believe that. The problem however is that an electoral alternative is viable in Melenchon, and while that electoral alternative exists as a possibility there will be no revolution.

    If the state grants emergency powers to the presidency or suspends elections or something, you're getting revolution, because the only thing holding this back from being a revolution is that the electoral option is viable. If the state shuts that doorway on the movement then it has only one option and will turn to it.

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 1 child comment
    •
  • [–] 12 points 1 week ago

    Oh they are revolutionary alright, I am just doubtful that "the only viable electoral alternative" is Melenchon rather than Le Pen. Which is my point, the whole of western left is tweaking as if it isn't as likely (if not more) that the country just turn full on fascist instead, as is usually the case when Europeans run their economies into the dirt.

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • parent
    • [–] 39 points 1 week ago*

    I don't think this is a revolutionary situation so far, there are not many organised movements among the protestors and most of them look up to LFI which advocates for reformism and denounces "violence with no political signification," but I do think that increased repression from the government (the interior minister just mentioned that the army will be deployed in certain locations next Saturday) can backfire and sharpen the contradictions in this pre-revolutionary moment. If the repression further intensifies I am cautiously optimistic about the movement's ability to react accordingly.

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
    •
    [–] 39 points 1 week ago* (1 child)

    It's not revolt, but there is an uprising.

    The issue with saying the people are in revolt is that the demands are for concessions. This shit is incredibly easy to end with concessions but the ruling class thinks the smallest crumbs given will encourage action for more.

    Melenchon is popular and people will pursue him before revolution. You need the government to suspend elections or grant emergency powers or something - thus suspending their alternative electoral option - to turn it revolutionary.

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • hideshow 1 child comment
    •
    • [–] 28 points 1 week ago (1 child)

    very optimistic, I hope they're right

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • hideshow 1 child comment
    •
    • [–] 25 points 1 week ago

    The notion of "total crisis" is pretty accurate! The whole left and anything that gravitates around the social movement is just going because everything. More and more people are idealistically revolutionary, now my hope is that they succeed in organising and making good decisions, which implies becoming materialistically revolutionary. Unfortunately France has a massive idealism problem but we need to remember that reality is the best teacher of dialectical materialism

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
    •