"Despite the thunderous pronouncements of all political parties without exception, the reality of the last municipal elections (March 15 and 22, 2026) is that - once again - the largest party in France is that of abstainers. It has even increased by more than 4% compared to 2014, which was already a record year." This abstention is particularly pronounced in working-class neighborhoods of large cities: 57% of registered voters in Saint-Denis or Aubervilliers did not turn out to vote, sometimes more than 60% in working-class neighborhoods of Marseille. To be completely thorough, we should add to these figures all those who, for one reason or another, are not registered or have been removed from the electoral rolls, as well as all non-European immigrant workers who have the right to pay taxes and social security contributions, but not the right to have an opinion on how they are used...
The media-whether public and state-owned, private and owned by millionaires, or so-called "social" and owned by fanatical activists-tried their best to engage the population, and especially its largest segment, the working class, but their electoral charade failed. Because, as everyone can see, politicians' promises are only binding on those who believe them. In any case, even the most left-leaning politician wouldn't have a free hand to implement it. This has nothing to do with the candidates' qualifications or honesty. Once elected, they are bound to respect the institutional rules of the Constitution, and these rules do not include the abolition of private property, which is the foundation of the system of social injustice in which we live: Capitalism.
Everywhere, the observation is the same and demonstrates a profound disinterest, even disgust, with what is commonly called politics-that is, the rivalries between politicians who couldn't care less about our daily problems and fight to save or obtain an elected seat-with the salary and all the associated privileges.
But having observed this massive voter apathy, what conclusion should we, as anarcho-syndicalists, draw, particularly in light of the 2027 presidential election and the announcement of the far right's imminent rise to power? Should we succumb to fear and heed the siren calls to rush to the polls?
While we share the rejection of politics (politicianry) expressed by many, it seems important to us-as anarcho-syndicalists-to proclaim the necessity of engaging in defense of our interests, an approach that is eminently... political. It is a necessity, insofar as politics is the art of engaging with what concerns the city and its inhabitants; it is what contributes to what our lives and daily routines are today. However, particularly because of the damage caused by the incompetence or demagoguery of traditional politicians (whether they have held power or not), this need for direct, unmediated engagement is not always understood. So, let us be clear: taking an interest in politics has nothing to do with supporting one political party or another. On the contrary, it means seeking partners-around us at work, in our communities-to collectively, freely, egalitarianly, and fraternally develop solutions to the (recurring) problems we face in our daily lives (for example, the unbearable cost of living, job losses and widespread job insecurity, substandard housing, pollution and its health impacts, insecurity, and police brutality...) and which torment us, sabotage our life plans and our lives themselves, constantly leaving our future in uncertainty.
Thus, it is only when we understand that lamenting-one by one and in a scattered fashion-about the ills of current capitalist society is pointless, but that it is necessary to unite and try to act directly, using collective action and solidarity, if only to avoid being completely crushed psychologically, that we will be able to begin to raise our heads and envision the future. Abstention from elections must be accompanied by active engagement in solidarity, lest it become a resignation to the worst.
As the rise of the far right to power seems increasingly likely, rather than relying on a hypothetical savior emerging from the ballot box, let us recall what our anarcho-syndicalist comrades from the clandestine network stemming from the then-section of the International Workingmen's Association (IWA) wrote in 1943, in the midst of the dark night of the Nazi occupation: "It is not a question of fighting only against Hitlerian fascism, but against all fascisms, against all tyrannies, whether right-wing, centrist, or left-wing, whether royal, democratic, or social, for no tyranny will emancipate labor, liberate the world, or organize humanity on truly new foundations. It is not a question of speaking of freedom, it is a question of living freely. It is not a question of speaking of fraternity, it is a question of living fraternally." We are not fighting to put words on a banner or change the color of a flag. We are concrete. We want to move: from perpetual war to perpetual peace; from the exploitation of man by man to social equality; from total or partial tyranny to complete freedom; from incoherence to conscience. We accept no compromise with anyone. We are not attached to any personality or party. We want the practical realization of the social ideal advocated for nearly two hundred years by the republicans of 1789, the socialists, the syndicalists, and the libertarians. And we are convinced that only the aforementioned method can achieve it...
SOURCE: CNT-AIT - Toulouse | Anarcho-syndicalism
https://www.socialisme-libertaire.fr/2026/06/emparons-nous-de-la-politique-avec-le-communisme-libertaire.html
_________________________________________
Source: A-infos-en@ainfos.ca
Geen opmerkingen:
Een reactie posten