By La Riposte
The results of the first round of the legislative elections confirm the strong trend of a rise of the far right in the form of the Rassemblement Nationale (National Rally, RN), which came out on top. As for the camp of President Macron, his party suffered a rout and found itself in third place behind the New Popular Front (NFP).
These results are not surprising and no longer surprise anyone. The capitalist system is dragging the vast majority of the population towards social decay and into deep uncertainty about their future. It is a system in crisis and its continuation can only be achieved by rolling back all the social gains of the labour movement of the past which today form an obstacle to the profits of capitalism.
Macron and Co, as good servants of the capitalist class, have carried out a policy of cuts for all the social benefits of workers in favour of their masters at the Medef and the CAC40 [The French equivalents of the CBI and FSE100 stock exchange index]. On several occasions, they have stigmatized one part of the population to divide workers and sow confusion, such as, for example, the immigration law that was passed in parliament thanks to the votes of the RN.
By this very fact, Macron’s government torpedoed the so-called Republican Front that had him elected, and it reinforced the xenophobic programme of the RN, which bases itself on a demagogic and nationalist campaign. Given this situation, the dissolution of the National Assembly was like rolling out the red carpet for the RN, showing them the doors to government ministries. Macron has been the stepping stone for the RN to come to power.
Did Macron really think he would repeat his previous success in forming a barrier against the far right, by winning an absolute majority in the National Assembly? Did he assume that the left would be unable to form a coalition? It is true that the European election campaign could have led one to think so.
But this “surprise” coalition of the New Popular Front (NFP) undermined Macron’s strategy of dividing the left, so much so, that during this legislative campaign, it became the main enemy in the eyes of the government. To frighten voters and try to sow division, a campaign of lies and slander was unleashed on its largest left wing, La France Insoumise (LFI).
The whole political and media machine was set in motion. It is obvious to the capitalists that the measures put forward in the NFP program would represent an attack on their profits. They believed the NFP had to be destroyed, to be dragged through the mud and LFI must be waved around as a scarecrow, falsely described as ‘far left’ which in their language meant ‘chaos’ and ‘civil war’. But more than anything, it was the accusation of antisemitism that was levelled at LFI that rounded off this filthy campaign.
The decay of capitalism is causing political life to become polarised, with the far right on one side and the so-called “radical” left on the other. In the centre, Macron and the Republicans are fading away, discredited in the eyes of the voters, unable to stop the social decay around them. As privileged representatives of capital, the Macronists try carry out their ‘duty’, to manage capitalism in the best interests of the capitalists.
However, for French capitalism, the far right of the RN can be an ‘escape route’ if the threat from the left is seen as greater. Some representatives of the capitalists are making this choice without hesitation, such as Vincent Bolloré, who, thanks to the media he owns (Cnews and the JDD), has been leading a campaign to promote far-right ideas for a long time. This is only the tip of the iceberg, because many other media outlets are following suit more or less openly.
When the RN puts forward social reform measures in its campaigning, it is pure demagoguery. The rowing back on all the pseudo-social reform measures after the defection of Éric Ciotti [former president of the Republican Party] to the RN, and the discussions with the [Business Federation] Medef, is flagrant proof of this. That this is done, shows it is in the interests of the capitalists and to the detriment of the workers.
In the end, unless there is a challenge to the economic power of the capitalist class, that is capitalist property, it is capitalism that will impose its policies on governments. Far-right parties are generally not favored by the capitalist class, because it is able to exercise less direct control over such parties. However, it can easily accommodate itself to such parties if it becomes necessary.
If the RN comes to power, it will manage capitalism in the same way as the traditional right-wing parties and movements, exactly as Giorgia Meloni is doing in Italy today. Inevitably, faced with the rout of the former presidential majority and the rise of the left, capitalism in France will be obliged to turn to the far right.
Macron is holding the RN’s by the hand and taking it to the gates of power. Under these conditions, it is essential that the New Popular Front gets the maximum possible number of deputies to block the way to the far right. In no case can either the Macronists or the Republicans be bulwarks against he far right and no vote should be cast for these political organisations in the event that they find themselves in a two-way contest with the RN.
A strong message must be sent to workers who believe they see the far right as an alternative to Macron’s pro-capitalist policies and who allow themselves to be seduced by the demagogic rhetoric of the party that presents itself as “alone against the whole system”. Already, a significant part of the youth is placing its hopes in the NFP.
It is essential to continue to convince workers, because as the driving force of society, the solution is in their hands. In any case, the fight against the far right and capitalism cannot be limited to casting a vote in a ballot box. The capitalists will wage a bitter struggle against any policy that targets their interests. In the weeks and months to come, the [trade union federation] CGT will have a role of primary importance. The massive mobilization of workers through strikes, company occupations and demonstrations is absolutely vital and more than ever on the agenda.
Based on an article in the French Marxist website, La Riposte, the original of which can be found here.
Top picture: Jordan Bardella, a key leader of the RN party. From Wikimedia Commons, here.
