Besancenot best challenge to Sarkozy says Le Figaro poll

The question in the graphic for a poll published by Le Figaro asks: “over the last month which of the following personalities was the best opponent to Nicolas Sarkozy?” Twenty three per cent of those asked plumped for Olivier Besancenot – for the fifth consecutive month. The paper points out that you have to go…

Liam

February 13, 2009

1–2 minutes

The question in the graphic for a poll published by Le Figaro asks: “over the last month which of the following personalities was the best opponent to Nicolas Sarkozy?”

Twenty three per cent of those asked plumped for Olivier Besancenot – for the fifth consecutive month. The paper points out that you have to go back to April of last year to find the last time a Socialist Party figure was seen as Sarkozy’s most effective opposition. The SP is affecting amused detachment saying that they only need to worry when the Nouveau Parti Anti-Capitaliste starts beating them in elections.

Maybe they won’t have too long to wait. In the same poll forty four per cent of those questioned said that France needs a new anti-capitalist party today. At its founding conference last week it had already attracted 9000 members organised in 150 branches which indicates that it has a large national spread and while it is not qualitatively larger than the 2000 or so members of the LCR it does look like it will recruit rapidly.

7 responses to “Besancenot best challenge to Sarkozy says Le Figaro poll”

red tongue

February 14, 2009 at 5:25 am

First of all, it’s not 150 branches but 470 branches, that’s a big difference.
150, it’s the number of local conferences organised to electe the 650 delegates to the national conference.

Secondly, there were more than 3000 members at the LCR.
For example, 2300 of them vote at the conference at the begining of 2008 that decided the launch of the NPA.

And to conclude, 9100 was the number of founding members but now we are more thant that. People who joined the NPA the week before the national conference were usually not considered founding members.
And today, I think we should be 10000.
And there are 2000 more people who contacted the NPA to rejoined it even if at the end perhaps 1500 of them will rejoined effectively the NPA.

Sorry for my bad english.

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David Ellis

February 14, 2009 at 11:03 am

Liam: slightly off-topic this but I came across this speech that was made by Professor David Harvey in the Urban Renewal Tent at the opening of the World Social Forum in Belem at the end of January. I don’t know anything about him or even where he is a professor but it is really rather good. I made up the title myself so not sure if it fits:

http://thetroublewithcentrism.blogspot.com/2009/02/right-to-city.html

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Pete Shield

March 6, 2009 at 10:36 am

http://www.humanite.fr/Front-de-gauche-et-front-durable-entretien-avec-Christian-Picquet

Interesting point about the minimal demands made by the NPA, firstly a clear break with any alliance with any elements of the Socialist Party and secondly an outright rejection of nuclear power. Christian Picquet, ex CC of the LCR and a member of UNIR which is working for a single left of the left list, says that the nuclear veto was never applied by the LCR to any electoral alliance with LO, who are more pro-nukes than the PCF.

While I am very interested by the development on the NPA its decision to go it alone for the European’s has a strong tinge of national profile rather than politics which I think is a shame for the long run of developing a post stalinist left in France.

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Duncan

March 6, 2009 at 12:41 pm

Hey Pete,

What do you say “its decision to go it alone for the European’s has a strong tinge of national profile rather than politics”. The NPA was founded on the clear basis of no alliance with the Socialist Party.

The NPA isn’t raising opposition to nuclear power in order to exclude other anti-capitalists from its campaign. There is no left force outside the NPA that has its clear position against support for the Socialist Party. But the NPA has to raise other demands…

Picquet, of course, disagrees and favours a bloc between the capitalist and anti-capitalist left. It’s important to remember that, however, he and his comrades are in the NPA and – while they favour broader alliances – it is the NPA they are building.

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Pete Shield

March 6, 2009 at 1:04 pm

Hey Duncan,
I think that is what I mean, the NPA’s Euro election decision is essentially a party building one rather than a principalled one.

The LCR for example where very happy to share platforms with the left of the socialist party, the PCF and Greens during the No campiagn, which was in essence run on the PCF’s infrastructure, they were prepared to do deals with Lutte O (Who share they reluctance in all forms to to deals with anyone carrying a SP card) despite their pro nuke stance.

The NPA I think was, and maybe will be, a superb opportunity to re-group the Left of the Left, but that means working with comrades in what you describe as the ‘pro-capitalist’ left whether they hold PCF, PS or PdG cards. The NPA is seriously off to a bad start with that and have certainly alienated many like myself and comrades who I know who were looking out for a break from the sectarian inter and intra party fueding that has characterised both the small ‘revolutionary’ parties and the PCF.

But I can just talk about myself and those I know in the PS, PCF, Greens and indies in one little corner of the country far from Paris, who were looking to see if the NPA would indeed be a new force or whether it would drag along the old baggage.

Unfortunately all our parties seem happier fighting the battles of the past rather than dealing with the very frightening situation that whole of the french Left and trade union movement is now facing.

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Duncan

March 9, 2009 at 4:19 pm

Hi Pete,

Of course the NPA is working with the rest of the left in the unions,social movements and united fronts. However, elections are certainly a different event. The NPA is against alliances with the Socialist Party while, for example, the PdG and PCF are for it.

Bearing in mind that its opposition to the PS is the basis of the NPA, who could the NPA campaign with electorally while not blocking with electoral allies of the Socialist Party.

I understand that you disagree with the NPA’s policy, but I don’t see how you see its electoral independence from the PS as being a short-term party-building tactic. Actually, it seems to flow from the strategic principles of the party.

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Pete Shield

March 13, 2009 at 11:54 am

Duncan
Sadly we are noy disagreeing on the basic premise of the NPA. I just feel that it was a great missed opportunity and that to have as the core basis that holds the NPA together a sectarian postition to other left of the PS forces does not bode well for the future.

As Olivier will find, journalists are a fickle crew, they get bored of writing the same story day in and day out, when the French press turn tail the NPA’s key asset will be gone and with it I suspect the student and academic basis on which the NPA is built.

The NPA’s base, if you look at those militants involved with setting it up, in the unions and social movements is tenuous to say the least. More concentration on building that base will require close work with other left forces, and the parties sectarian origins won’t go a long way to help it there.

It really is a shame that both sides, and yes I do think the PCF has made error after error as well on left unity, are set on fighting yesterdays battles today.

Pete

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