This clip is from the 8pm news bulletin on French TV on Saturday 7 February. A big thanks to Pete who has produced this quick summary.

 

The news reader starts off cheekily asking who he is addressing, the leader of the new party or is Olivier going to refuse again to assume this role?

Olivier responds that the new leadership of the new party will be meeting in a few weeks and he remains one of a number of spokespersons for the party. That the party is made up of 9,000 militants drawn from all sectors of the struggle. That it is only through work in the public and private sector, with young people and in the poor areas will the party be build.

The news reader says that without his personality the new party would have had trouble getting off the ground and why doesn’t Olivier assume his responsibility re his popularity, to which Olivier responds that he is but the public face of the party and that nothing lasting can be built on personal popularity alone, reiterates that it is only through work in the public and private sector, with young people and in the poor areas will the party be build. That it is only through the leadership of a coherent political reponse that is present in the day to day struggles, that protesting is not enough and, they have decided to stand in elections and that they will demand of the other parties of the left to present a united front at elections and that by standing they have the opportunity to present the new party to the country.

He is then asked if the other parties of the Left, the Communist Party and the recently formed Party of the Left (A break away from the PS) can count of the NPA to join them in a united list in the next elections- The June Europeans- or will they go it alone.

Olivier responds that they are proposing a lasting common anti-capitalist platform, that is independent from the Socialist Party to the Communists, the APrty of the Left and why not to Lutte Ouvrier. What they won’t go for is an alliance with the other parties for the European’s only to let them (He is really talking about the PCF here) go back into alliance for the up and coming regional elections.

Olivier then goes onto to say that that the recent strikes in the public and private sector and the 2.5 million day of action, and the raft of social conflicts breaking out throughout the country, in particular the action at SBFN, near Lyon, here the workers are fighting redundancy, is not just a social phenomena but a deeply political one like the mobilisation against the special starting contracts for first time employees….

At this point the Olivier is closed down by the interviewer who asks what the objective of the party is, to win power or just a protest force?

Olivier responds it is certainly not just a protest force but they aim to create a majority opinion in certain areas of the population, the working class areas, the public and private sectors for the repartition of wealth, for the control of this wealth. And it is true that one day we want power but to do that we have to change the institutions and the way democracy works so that power is from the bottom to the top, not the top to the bottom. For us the social question and the democratic one are linked.
The interviewer finishes, thank you Olivier leader but not quite leader of the new anti-capitalist party.

 

4 responses to “Olivier Besancenot anti-capitalist party TV interview”

  1. Apologies to professional translators for this ham fisted job.

    The news reader starts off cheekily asking who he is addressing, the leader of the new party or is Olivier going to refuse again to assume this role?

    Olivier responds that the new leadership of the new party will be meeting in a few weeks and he remains one of a number of spokespersons for the party. That the party is made up of 9,000 militants drawn from all sectors of the struggle. That it is only through work in the public and private sector, with young people and in the poor areas will the party be build.

    The news reader says that without his personality the new party would have had trouble getting off the ground and why doesn’t Olivier assume his responsibility re his popularity, to which Olivier responds that he is but the public face of the party and that nothing lasting can be built on personal popularity alone, reiterates that it is only through work in the public and private sector, with young people and in the poor areas will the party be build. That it is only through the leadership of a coherent political reponse that is present in the day to day struggles, that protesting is not enough and, they have decided to stand in elections and that they will demand of the other parties of the left to present a united front at elections and that by standing they have the opportunity to present the new party to the country.

    He is then asked if the other parties of the Left, the Communist Party and the recently formed Party of the Left (A break away from the PS) can count of the NPA to join them in a united list in the next elections- The June Europeans- or will they go it alone.

    Olivier responds that they are proposing a lasting common anti-capitalist platform, that is independent from the Socialist Party to the Communists, the APrty of the Left and why not to Lutte Ouvrier. What they won’t go for is an alliance with the other parties for the European’s only to let them (He is really talking about the PCF here) go back into alliance for the up and coming regional elections.

    Olivier then goes onto to say that that the recent strikes in the public and private sector and the 2.5 million day of action, and the raft of social conflicts breaking out throughout the country, in particular the action at SBFN, near Lyon, here the workers are fighting redundancy, is not just a social phenomena but a deeply political one like the mobilisation against the special starting contracts for first time employees….

    At this point the Olivier is closed down by the interviewer who asks what the objective of the party is, to win power or just a protest force?

    Olivier responds it is certainly not just a protest force but they aim to create a majority opinion in certain areas of the population, the working class areas, the public and private sectors for the repartition of wealth, for the control of this wealth. And it is true that one day we want power but to do that we have to change the institutions and the way democracy works so that power is from the bottom to the top, not the top to the bottom. For us the social question and the democratic one are linked.
    The interviewer finishes, thank you Olivier leader but not quite leader of the new anti-capitalist party.

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  2. Thanks Pete!

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  3. The Party of the Left, les Alternatives, and various unaligned militants are pushing a Left Front for the Europeans
    http://www.humanite.fr/2009-02-07_Politique_Le-message-du-Front-de-gauche
    The LCR/NPA have said they will only get involved if there is a clear break from the PS and it is a ‘lasting’ front ie for the regionals and other election, which is a problem particulary of the new organisation, La Federation, which works with the left of the PS, Green left and unaligned people who previously have stood with the support of the PCF, and also a problem for the Greens who work with the PS in certain regions, and for the PCF who also work with the PS as minority partners in a number of regions like my own Languedoc- Roussillon

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