A-Infos (en) France, OCL: Brussels the beautiful... and, the Europeans. (ca, de, fr, it, pt, tr)[machine translation]

The European elections generally arouse little enthusiasm in France. At 
least that's what was emphasized, vote after vote, by editors, officials 
and other political communicators. ---- Remember that the European 
elections encourage abstention, in 1979, 40% in France and 37% in the 
European community, in 2009, almost 60% in France and 56% in the 
European Union. An issue which divides, within them, the political 
parties, between sovereignists who minimize its importance or attribute 
all the evils to it and Europeanists who welcome the benefits brought, 
thanks to the European Union, and the guarantee of independence facing 
the other imperialist blocs: USA, Russia and China. An election then 
deemed of little interest by the population and which has little 
enthusiasm among voters. The reasons are multiple: distant political and 
civic issues, assessments of policies that are confused or misunderstood 
because they are technocratic and opaque, rejection of political 
apparatuses...

However, this election of June 9, 2024 seems to have exploded the 
visions and explanations about this electoral time. Europe was at the 
center of this political moment, driven by the pro-Europeans. President 
Macron in the lead is the representative of a right and a center. 
Raphaël Glucksman and the remnants of the Socialist Party brought 
together a social democracy, then the environmentalists, big losers on a 
separate bench. Despite media differences, these pro-European blocs will 
have in common to divide the debates against the Euro-skeptics, these 
extremes that they will shamelessly conflate, the National Rally on one 
side and France Insoumise on the other, politically obliged. These 
elections have gained importance through the obligatory positioning of 
political leaders for a presence, a representation, towards the French 
presidential election of 2027. This will be a step not to be missed in 
these electoral races, being aware that in the peloton, the National 
rally led by its leader J. Bardella is well ahead. Following this 
escape, President Macron canceled the vote the same evening, announcing 
the dissolution of the National Assembly, to the great dismay of his 
followers and his Prime Minister, even before the announcement of the 
official results. Jupiter put the lid on the victory of J. Bardella and 
thereby erased his defeat and the affront suffered.

During a long interview on June 6, on TF1 and France 2, three days 
before the European election, the President declared that it was his 
role to intervene, given the probable level of abstention, to encourage 
the good people to vote and to fight the extreme right. "I will go to 
vote and on Sunday evening we will see the results... I know one thing, 
I don't believe in polls, I believe in elections." But after seven years 
in office, the Élysée seems to have disdained the warnings brought 
against its successive governments: the Yellow Vests, the pension 
reform, the neighborhood revolt and against so many other anti-social 
attacks. Jupiter did not see or ignored the grievances which then gave 
way to resentments, resentment and dismay. A generalized fed-up which 
will crystallize into an "all/everything except Macron". This reaction 
is in the majority in the middle layers of the petty bourgeoisie who 
feel downgraded, with a troubled horizon, and among the most 
disadvantaged, the precarious, those without teeth who do not want or 
cannot "cross the street for a job ". So many reasons which pushed 
voters to abandon the presidential cause and fueled a return vote 
especially for the PS and Place publique 13.93%... (LFI: 9.9%, the 
Greens: 5.5%, the PCF: 2.36%...) or abstention 48.51%. Also note 1.36% 
of blank ballots and 1.45% of invalid ballots. Either, were seduced by 
the new packaging proposed by J. Bardella and the National Rally 
(31.37%)[1]accompanied by the 5.4% of Marion Maréchal and Reconquête. We 
can reassure ourselves about the "rise of fascism" in France, without 
denying the dynamics of this bloc, by relating these scores to the 
number of registered voters: 15.70% for the RN and 2.74% for Reconquête; 
enemies that workers must fight. We can, we must question ourselves but 
not give in to the fear or paranoia in which the right and the left want 
to lock us in to make us forget their present or past policies.    The 
rise of this populist and far-right bloc is partly due to the policy of 
demonization, normalization and its integration into the republican arc, 
led by Marine Le Pen. A path also favored by the current President. This 
demonization took its time. It begins with the exclusion of Father Jean 
Marie, then with the end of the National Front, long live the National 
Rally! It reached an apotheosis with the presence of the RN during the 
Parisian demonstration in November 2023 against anti-Semitism. A 
demonstration which supports the State of Israel and its right to defend 
itself, after the Hamas attack in October 2023. This today allows S. 
Klarsfeld (the famous Nazi hunter) to declare on LCI on June 16 , that 
in the second round of the legislative elections, facing LFI, he will 
vote for the RN, which has "transformed itself" and which "supports the 
Jews" and Israel. On the economic-political level, an aggiornamento 
accompanied this normalization of the RN towards neoliberalism joining 
the vision of E. Macron for acceptance of trusts, markets and big 
capital. For the RN, there is no longer any question of leaving the Euro 
and Europe. There is no longer any question of talking about an increase 
in wages, the free choice is left to employers to increase them in 
compensation for exemption from charges or contributions. On the 
retirement age, after much procrastination, it seems that it is no 
longer a priority... Despite these standardizations, the basis remains 
the same: fight against insecurity, against migration and national 
preference. This is how the RN managed to bring to its side a number of 
disappointed people, those dissatisfied with Macron's policies and to 
make this ballot a sanction vote which caused Jupiter to waver in its 
Elysian Olympus.

In the European Union, this tidal wave so much predicted by the oracles 
has not been observed. Of course the results confirm a surge of 
populists and the extreme right but we are far from the surge which 
makes the President's declamation on 6/06 even more ridiculous: "If 
tomorrow, France sends a very large delegation of 'extreme right, if 
other large countries do it...', calling to vote for its list: "Need for 
Europe" led by V. Hayer. We therefore escaped the march on Brussels by 
the Mussolini blackshirts or the assault on the European Parliament by 
the Hitler Youth. Of the 720 seats, the various populist and far-right 
groups would only occupy 131 seats. A score still too high of course.

Otherwise, in Brussels, the EPP (European People's Party), integrating 
the French "republicans", is strengthened, totaling 186 seats. The SD 
(socialism and democracy), the second group in the assembly seems 
stabilized by losing only two seats compared to 1979. As for the "Renew" 
group - liberals - among which sit the macronists of "Renaissance", 
they, suffered a loss of 23 seats. The ecologists went from 71 seats to 
53. The pro-Europeans, the liberals and the socialists saw their margins 
for future political action narrowed but still predominant. It is with 
this in mind, and to protect herself from possible alliances, that 
Ursula Van Der Leyen, President of the European Commission and leader of 
the EPP, responds to the question of cooperation with the Eurosceptics 
of ECR ​​[2]: "It depends on the composition of the European Parliament. 
It depends on which party sits in which group." Let us recall in passing 
that she had provided unconditional support to Israel in the name of 
Europe. Whether we like it or not, whether we fear it or not, the 
European reality increasingly demonstrates the presence of populists and 
far-right radicals in various European governments. From the Hungary of 
Victor Orban to the Italy of Georgia Meloni via Austria, Sweden, the 
Netherlands, without this disturbing the liberal bourgeoisies in 
business in their country and in Brussels.
While the struggles, scattered and without any real connection between 
them, are gaining momentum in Europe, the far right is making electoral 
progress and expanding its presence. It is the revenge of the 
downgraded, the disappointed against the other, against the foreigner... 
The National Rally was also nourished and strengthened by the right-wing 
policy led by the "Socialist and Green" government from 2012 to 2017 It 
was an attack on pensions, the degradation of public services and 
working conditions. So many denials from this left in which the workers 
had trusted. So much bitterness... Of course this progression was and is 
supported, maintained by powerful media behind which powerful capitalist 
groups stand.    In times of rising struggles, populists exploit and 
accentuate the disarray which freezes the working classes; what propels 
them and they take advantage of it to distill their poisons: militarism, 
nationalism, security, a strong and sovereign state, a return to 
identity and the exclusion of others. Maneuvers which serve the 
bourgeoisies, which serve the capitalists caught in the turmoil of 
ecological, social, imperialist and political crises.
In this troubled and troubled situation, this extreme right responds and 
expresses the needs of capital and the bourgeoisie to unite. Close 
ranks, achieve a union around a leader, the nation, the State. To do 
this, it integrates those who will serve the greatness of the country, 
of Europe and the survival of capital, but at other unfavorable 
political moments, it uses them as a foil. This is President Macron's 
"at the same time". He celebrates Pétain and pantheonizes Manouchian. As 
always with political personnel, demagoguery, cynicism and hypocrisy are 
required, or on the contrary, they use firmness, legitimate repression 
of the State as recently with the 9 deaths in Kanaky.

What to remember from this election! That the 31.7% of RN voters do not 
adhere to the ideas or ideals of some in the RN, and that on the other 
hand for the upcoming legislative elections, the reaction of the 49.8% 
remains unknown. abstentionists. This election represents an alarm 
towards a government that will lead us further towards the path of war 
and a signal for workers to rely only on their strength and class 
consciousness in order not to be deceived and resist.

Decaen
June 17, 2024.

Notes
[1]2022 presidential election, Marine Le Pen: 41.45% and 13.288686 
million votes.Europeans 2024, J. Bardella: 31.7% and 7.765936 million votes

[2]The ECR group (European Conservatives and Reformists) to which 
Giorgia Meloni adheres with 73 elected officials. Another group, ID 
(Identity Democracy), 58 elected officials, brings together the RN of 
Mr. Le Pen, the League of Northern Italy...
(sources: European Parliament on June 10, 2024)

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