In order to change a little, I’d like to say a few words about a transition which is not “transgender”: the current construction of the french New Anticapitalist Party.
This is a process that has been started by the LCR (Ligue Communiste Révolutionnaire – Revolutionary Communist League) after the last presidential election, where our candidate, Olivier Besancenot, obtained a bit more than 4% of ballots, which was quite significant because of the weakness of other radical left parties – the LCR was in thoses elections the second left party, after the PS (socialist party).
The LCR, in the second half of 2007, decided that the context (i.e. Sarkozy’s election and our relative electoral success) justified to put in practice something we had been talking about for some years: the creation of a new anticapitalist party.
The first step was in the municipal elections of march 2008, which were to be a test of this orientation: we tried to have many unitary candidates with other radical left forces. Our main condition was (and still is) the indepedendence relatively to the PS (socialist party). These elections were a success, and in many cities we obtained consequent results, giving us some municipals elected.
The next step was creating base comities everywhere in the country. There again, I think it has been a success, since from the initial number of members we had in the LCR (around 3000, which is ridiculously small compared to the audience we have and even our electoral results) we have at least doubled.
The problem is that there is no real organization yet, which makes communications and synchronisation a bit difficult. The first step toward the construction of this was held the 28th and 29th of June, since there was a national reunion of delegates from every comity. It was an interesting week-end, where we worked in small commissions (I personally went in the feminist and the LGBTI one). The result was some new call to anticapitalist militants to join this process and the election of a temporary “direction”, whose role is to coordinate and animate the process. This is an important part because it now means that it is not the LCR anymore that coordinate this: there is a start of an autonomous party where non-LCR people opinion have the same weights.
Currently, at least where I live (Marseille), the situation is that most activity is now done through the NPA (New Anticapitalist Party) and not the LCR. The new party should be officially created at the beginning of next year.
I am enthusiasmed by all of this, because I think that it is a reinforcement of anticapitalist forces which is not being made (only) on the right: while some reformist people joined us, we also have some anarchists and other communists. I hope that the launch of this party will be able to change a bit the things in the balance of France’s politics and class struggle.
However, I am also a bit afraid. Even if I have only been in the LCR for five years, it seems like an eternity and I feel very attached to it. While this is a transformation and not a disparition, I am already being a bit nostalgic :)
(And there is also the question of how a political party, “anticapitalism” or class struggle incorporate which is often seen as “secondary questions”, and particulary (for which concerns me) the question of feminism and LGBTI issues, which was already present in the LCR but might be more acute given the diversity of backgrounds of new members. But this would need an entire post to be talken about…)
