A-Infos (en) France, Alternating Current #220 - Editorial - Revolution rather than election (fr) [machine translation]

You can not sulk our pleasure to see Sarkozy and his clique will take a (small) slams 
election. The damage they have done for five years, we have fought. Work more to earn more 
than our bosses, this is not our motto. Work up to a still more advanced age, leaving 
millions of unemployed and precarious-its in trouble, we do not want it. Cut public 
services to promote the commodification, very little for us. Destroy the earth and the 
conditions of a relatively healthy life for mercantile interests, that we bristle. Combat 
illegal immigration and stigmatize groups of people according to their origin, it disgusts 
us. Wage war here and there to defend dictators, in turn others, and always according to 
capitalist interests, it makes us angry. Strengthen law enforcement capabilities and 
develop a generalized flicage, it revolts us. For all these reasons, see Sarkozy to 26% in 
the first round, or 5% less than 5 years ago and to consider his defeat on May 6 could 
look satisfactory.

Yet the prospect of ending up with the social-liberal Holland as manager of the crisis has 
been dismal. On some issues that were raised during the campaign (immigration policy, 
minimum service during strikes ...), he said he would be in continuity with Sarkozy. There 
is nothing to expect from these so-called socialist. On the other hand, we will try to 
scare us with a rising National Front. My eye! The total score of Le Pen + Megret in 2002 
was 19.20% in the first round ... For it is true that against Sarko has lost again the 
voice he had siphoned the FN 5 years ago, some right-wing voters were fed up with extreme 
bad copy Sarkozy offered to them. Obviously, that captures the extreme right as many 
supporters, there are frightening, but it's not on the politician he must fight, but the 
field of social struggles, never leave him space .

So we do not participate in the electoral circus. Representative democracy has nothing to 
do with real democracy because once elected representatives do what they seem good at all 
times and throughout their term. We see examples every day no matter what level (local or 
national) and in all spheres (political, trade union or association). The ballot is a 
resignation of power over his own life is a blank check given to a person you can know the 
true intentions. In these circumstances it is normal that they do as they please and, on 
this plan, Sarkozy has not been worse than its predecessors right or left. As Rousseau 
said about the first of the modern representative democracy, "The English people believes 
itself free, it is grossly mistaken, it is free only during election of members of 
parliament as soon as they are elected, is a slave, he is nothing. "

In contrast to representative democracy is direct democracy, which is sometimes expressed 
in certain associations or social movements of the AG, where everyone-e can be expressed 
directly. Under direct democracy, there are more rep-free to do what they want, there are 
delegates-are responsible for a specific mandate to report to their principal es- and 
revocable at any time. And there is no hope to get closer to direct democracy through the 
ballot box. The sixth republic that some would want to establish a rebalancing of power 
between president and assembly.

Representative democracy is only one tool in the service of capitalism, as capitalism is 
obviously that it is abolished, and that none of the ten candidates are not proposed. That 
the candidates of the right (Le Pen in Holland or Joly) only offer minimal facilities 
(protectionism, restrictions on financial speculation or super profits tax) is not 
surprising: they serve the capitalist system. But the three candidates of the left have 
offered nothing of consequence either. Mélanchon Poutou and are just a little firmer on 
the control of finance, raising low wages and setting a maximum income. Because they think 
a person can be worth another 20? And when Mélenchon evokes the right to resume business 
by employee-es, it is not considering the expropriation of the patron-sized but just a 
little more support what already exists because of employee-es can take over their 
companies, as whether in the form of SCOP or other statutes, provided that the commercial 
court judge they make an offer economically viable. Finally, the candidate of Lutte 
Ouvriere only has a right to inspect the accounts of companies and advertising on the 
distribution of profits. We are far from the abolition of private ownership of means of 
production, comrades!

So with that we can move forward? Of course, the 9 million voters, blank or spoiled votes, 
and about 3 million non-registered are unfortunately are not convinced as we are-that we 
should abolish capitalism and representative democracy. Disinterest and their refusal to 
participate does not advocate all-es of the social revolution, far from it. However, there 
may be among them people who prefer to fight every day to get things done. There are 
certainly among those who have a newsletter to one of three candidates left in the first 
round and be carried over Holland in the second, a lot of people who will do so without 
illusions and hopes with a particular in a third round office. It is they and them that we 
might find in the street demonstrations in the future and that we must explain that it is 
time to change methods if we want to change the world.

Change methods, make a revolution, not only at events "hot" see rioters. These actions can 
obviously be a time of struggle, but it is especially important to impose direct democracy 
in the struggle so that everyone-not really take the power to participate in key 
decisions. If you want to build a free society, one must already be open in the 
organization of struggles right now. This is also what show some examples here and 
elsewhere, and now yesterday, mentioned in this issue of Alternating Current.

Limoges April 22 23h
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A - I N F O S  N E W S  S E R V I C E
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