[Marxism] France: New Anti-Capitalist Party `a very excitinginitiative'

[S. Artesian]

Just returned from dinner with a friend well-versed in French left politics.

His take is [statement of non-conflicting interest--he is a libertarian 
communist, currently working outside the established political groups, with 
an immigrant worker defense group]:

1. Big crisis in the Socialist Party

2. CP hardly exists any longer, and has lost considerable influence, support 
and membership in the CGT.  CP has basically broken into factions, with the 
factions publicly identifying themselves as  "____ faction of the CP."

3. LCR sees in the NPA, in a broad-based NPA, primarily an electoral 
vehicle-- given the frequency of elections in France, for municipal 
councils, senate, representatives, and the EU parliament, there are 
elections almost every year.  In France, if a party obtains a certain 
percentage of the votes cast, it can receive payments from the state for 
each vote-- I think that for 5% of the vote, the payment is 1.5 euros per 
vote.  With that money, the LCR?NPA can fund its internal administration, 
its organizers, its publications.

4. My friend thinks the LCR and the NPA are very good at getting publicity 
and saying the right things on television, but not too good at practical 
organization-- providing very little support to immigrant worker defense 
actions, among other things.

----- Original Message ----- 
From: <PoliticNow at aol.com>
To: <sartesian at earthlink.net>
Sent: Saturday, January 03, 2009 3:06 PM
Subject: [Marxism] France: New Anti-Capitalist Party `a very 
excitinginitiative'


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