Re: [Marxism] Le Monde critique of France's New Anticapitalist Party's approach to the European parliamentary elections

["Lenin's Tomb" <leninstombblog@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

On Sat, Jun 6, 2009 at 12:49 AM, David Thorstad <binesi@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

> I don't have time or inclination to translate the article, but it struck
> me as serious (the author says he started out with a favorable view of
> the NPA).


It wouldn't be that easy to translate at any rate, since Onfray is an
extremely mannered writer.  The basic critique is that the NPA didn't join
the Left Front with the PCF and the Parti de Gauche (PG) to contest the
European elections.  Part of the political background is that the PCF and PG
are both in favour of cooperation and electoral agreements with the Parti
Socialiste (PS).  On this account, it seems, they rejected the NPA's unity
proposal, which called for a more durable coalition based on an agreed
emergency plan.  The NPA, for their part, will have no truck with what they
see as an 'electoral cartel' (or, as they quote Mélenchon saying, an
'electoral coup').  They say that it means cooperation with the right-wing
policies of the PS.  Onfray thinks the NPA are taking a purist stance, but
my limited powers of translation, even with the assistance of Google, don't
disclose any particularly profound insights or engagement with the
underlying politics.  Unfortunately, Onfray appears to borrow some
bog-standard liberal terms of abuse for belabouring the far left (they're
dogmatic, they only care about gesture politics, they're too pure, etc). I
presume that the only reason *Le Monde* carried the article was to
exacerbate divisions in the left vote.
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