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submitted 1 month ago by Alsephina@lemmy.ml to c/worldnews@lemmy.ml

French President Emmanuel Macron has unveiled his new government almost three months after a snap general election delivered a hung parliament.

The long-awaited new line up, led by Prime Minister Michel Barnier, marks a decisive shift to the right, even though a left-wing alliance won most parliamentary seats.

It comes as the European Union puts France on notice over its spiralling debt, which now far exceeds EU rules.

Among those gaining a position in the new cabinet is Bruno Retailleau, a key member of the conservative Republicans Party founded by former president Nicolas Sarkozy.

Just one left-wing politician was given a post in the cabinet, independent Didier Migaud, who was appointed as justice minister.

France's public-sector deficit is projected to reach around 5.6% of GDP this year and go over 6% in 2025. The EU has a 3% limit on deficits.

Michel Barnier, a veteran conservative, was named as Macron’s prime minister earlier this month.

Members of the left-wing alliance, the New Popular Front (NFP) have threatened a no-confidence motion in the new government.

Far-left leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon called for the new government to "be got rid of" as soon as possible.

On Saturday, before the cabinet announcement, thousands of left-wing supporters demonstrated in Paris against the incoming government, arguing that the left’s performance in the election was not taken into consideration.

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[-] Alsephina@lemmy.ml 104 points 1 month ago

You're telling me writing something on a piece of paper in a liberal system predicated on being capitalist can't actually get rid of liberals?

Organize, comrades.

[-] assassinatedbyCIA@lemmy.world 36 points 1 month ago

If voting changed anything they wouldn’t let us do it.

[-] match@pawb.social 12 points 1 month ago

France could use a new Republic. what're they on, six now?

[-] imnotfromkaliningrad@lemmy.ml 17 points 1 month ago
[-] bdonvr@thelemmy.club 7 points 1 month ago

But this time seize the fucking bank

[-] hylobates@jlai.lu 6 points 1 month ago
  1. The united left wants a sixth with major change from that slow inefficient fifth.
[-] Mariemarion@lemm.ee 8 points 1 month ago

It took me a while to understand what you meant because we don't write anything on our ballots. There are piles of small cards with one candidate (or list) on each, we (are supposed to) pick one of each and put one in the envelope.
But yeah, I agree with your take.

[-] Akasazh@feddit.nl 67 points 1 month ago

Bit weird that the left have won the elections, yet the president gets to decide how the government is formed...

[-] HobbitFoot@thelemmy.club 23 points 1 month ago

France has a weird hybrid Presidential/Parliamentary system that no other country has and is really confusing.

Most other countries either have a diminished President whose only real duty is making sure there is a Prime Minister that has a mandate to lead or an empowered President that has a democratic mandate and has more leeway to run the government's administration.

[-] Akasazh@feddit.nl 7 points 1 month ago

That is confusing, indeed.

[-] PolandIsAStateOfMind@lemmy.ml 17 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

It's not that rare in Europe actually, for example Poland have very similar government forming procedure, and guess what, after most recent elections Polish president Duda tried to do identical maneuver, but unlike in France the elections weren't this close so he didn't really tried to do de-facto coup like Macron, just mostly maneuvered to exhaust all his time-delaying procedures to give his party colleagues from ending term time to jump the ship safely, destroy the compromising documents (literally, the central security service ABW bought lots of large paper shredders right after elections)

[-] butwhyishischinabook@lemmy.world 4 points 1 month ago

It is, but that's also a defining feature of the presidential system as opposed to the parliamentary system.

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[-] BakerBagel@midwest.social 57 points 1 month ago

Don't mind me. I'm jist digging through my post history to give a big fat "I told you so" to all the liberals on Lemmy.

[-] anarcho_blinkenist@lemmy.ml 20 points 1 month ago

I'm hoping the Communists in France have been reading their Lenin. I can't think of a better gift Macron could have given the communists. "Left-Wing" Communism, an Infantile Disorder

Chapter 9: “Left-Wing” Communism in Great Britian

~~Lloyd George~~ Macron entered into a polemic... with those Liberals who want, not a coalition with the Conservatives, but closer relations with the ~~Labour Party~~ New Popular Front (NPF)... ~~Lloyd George~~ Macron argued that a coalition—and a close coalition at that—between the Liberals and the Conservatives was essential, otherwise there might be a victory for the ~~Labour Party~~ NPF which ~~Lloyd George~~ Macron prefers to call “Socialist” ... "In Germany it was called socialism, and in Russia it is called Bolshevism," he went on to say. To Liberals this is unacceptable on principle, ~~Lloyd George~~ Macron explained, because they stand in principle for private property. “Civilisation is in jeopardy,” the speaker declared, and consequently Liberals and Conservatives must unite. . . .

... Thus the liberal bourgeoisie are abandoning the historical system of “two parties” (of exploiters), which has been hallowed by centuries of experience and has been extremely advantageous to the exploiters, and consider it necessary for these two parties to join forces against the ~~Labour Party~~ NPF.

...
At present, ~~British~~ French Communists very often find it hard even to approach the masses, and even to get a hearing from them. If I come out as a Communist and call upon them to vote for ~~Henderson~~ Castets and Mélenchon and against ~~Lloyd George~~ Macron and Le Pen they will certainly give me a hearing. And I shall be able to explain in a popular manner, not only why the Soviets are better than a parliament and why the dictatorship of the proletariat is better than the dictatorship of ~~Churchill~~ Barnier and Le Pen (disguised with the signboard of bourgeois “democracy”), but also that, with my vote, I want to support ~~Henderson~~ Castets and the NPF in the same way as the rope supports a hanged man—that the impending establishment of a government of the ~~Hendersons~~ Castets will prove that I am right, will bring the masses over to my side, and will hasten the political death of the ~~Hendersons~~ Castetses and the ~~Snowdens~~ Mélenchons just as was the case with their kindred spirits in Russia and Germany.

...
This has stripped more and more active and engaged and hopeful people of their illusions about bourgeois democracy than even bernie-clinton 2016 nonsense. Which even that created a lot of communists; and that was relatively milquetoast compared to this huge national mobilization and upswell and coalition movement which was big enough to make international headlines no less. If the French communists have been reading their Lenin and agitating on this stuff even before it happened (as you said, very predictable) then the communist movement has gained 10x more than any eurosocialist thinks "the left" lost.

[-] goferking0@lemmy.sdf.org 12 points 1 month ago

Bold to think they won't move the goal posts again

[-] db0@lemmy.dbzer0.com 5 points 1 month ago

Link back any hilarious replies

[-] yogthos@lemmy.ml 56 points 1 month ago

Thank you France for finally putting to bed the myth that western democracy works and the only problem is that people just have to vote harder.

[-] Pherenike@lemmy.ml 26 points 1 month ago

I've certainly not seen someone wipe his ass with the people's vote quicker than this guy.

[-] GoodEye8@lemm.ee 11 points 1 month ago

If anything it shows that authoritarians will choose what keeps them in power rather than what's best for the people. The left didn't get the majority, it was roughly a 3 way split between the left, center-right and far-right. The government would've been with the left and center-right or center-right and far-right. The former would've been better because it would've represented a bigger portion of the voters but the latter was also viable from the perspective of democracy.

However the choice was largely up to Macron (and his party) and he's definitely more autocratic than democratic. His decision is what ultimately threw the left under the bus.

Tldr: Democracy is fine, authoritarianism is the issue.

[-] yogthos@lemmy.ml 15 points 1 month ago

What is shows is that western implementation of the concept of democracy is such that it does not represent the interests of the working majority. Western democracies are class dictatorships where the capital owning class makes the decisions and dictates to the workers. This is precisely what we're seeing happening in France right now.

Meanwhile, authoritarianism is a largely meaningless term. Every government holds authority by virtue of having a monopoly on legalized violence. What actually matters is whom the government is accountable to. When the working majority has no tangible leverage then their voice can be easily ignored. That's why Macron is able to do what he is doing. The issue is with the way the system is implemented.

TLDR: democracy is fine, western implementation of the concept is not

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[-] CyberMonkey404@lemmy.ml 56 points 1 month ago

Far-left leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon

Mélenchon. Far-left. Come on!

[-] hylobates@jlai.lu 29 points 1 month ago

At best left, not remotely far left.

[-] CyberMonkey404@lemmy.ml 12 points 1 month ago
[-] Linkerbaan@lemmy.world 40 points 1 month ago

Cut a Liberal and a Fascist bleeds

[-] AnarchoBolshevik@lemmygrad.ml 12 points 1 month ago

Cut an anticommunist and an anticommunist bleeds?

[-] index@sh.itjust.works 40 points 1 month ago

Remember a bunch of years ago when the news were all about cheering this guy for having defeat his fascist opponent?

[-] GivingEuropeASpook@lemm.ee 39 points 1 month ago

Macron really going out of his way to fuck over the French people, eh? Calls snap elections right after the far right wins big in eu elections, then refuses to follow the will of the people when said election backfires.

Part of my thinks the left will be better off in opposition, though.

[-] anachronist@midwest.social 41 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

During 2022 the French left was saying "A vote for Macron in 2022 is a vote for Le Pen in 2027".

They appear to be right on schedule.

[-] RubicTopaz@lemmy.world 17 points 1 month ago

Calls snap elections right after the far right wins big in eu elections

That's the only reason they did that lmao. They were hoping the far-right would win, and ignored the results because they didn't.

[-] anarcho_blinkenist@lemmy.ml 38 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)
[-] reagansrottencorpse@lemmy.ml 35 points 1 month ago

Macron took his mask off and never put it back on.

[-] WeirdGoesPro@lemmy.dbzer0.com 30 points 1 month ago

So…does France go apeshit, or are they all revolutioned out?

[-] BestBouclettes@jlai.lu 50 points 1 month ago

To be fair we're pretty tired and hopeless, most people are apathetic now because nothing seems to be working.

Strikes and demonstrations are vilified by the media, the left is not united enough to hit as hard as they should, the president is a child throwing tantrums to have it the way he wants, the media is owned by very few people so they control the narrative, etc.

It honestly feels hopeless, most people want change, but to a lot of people the demonising of the left has worked and the far right seems to be a reasonable option now.

It's gonna get a lot worse before it gets better unfortunately...

[-] anarcho_blinkenist@lemmy.ml 18 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

because nothing seems to be working.

This is an inspiring sign for communists. No reason for pessimism. A large mobilization of masses of engaged politically active workers in a state where the masses still largely believe in parliamentarism; who formed sprawling coalitions into a large left national upswelling that also made international headlines, now have themselves and onlookers been shown, better than any propaganda alone ever could, why bourgeois liberal democracy is an impediment to progress rather than a channel for it; and that the Liberals will side with the fascists to keep the left from getting an inch. This has made more communists than you probably realize. Especially if your communists have been reading their Lenin and agitating on this point, which probably a lot of workers didn't even need much agitation to expect this because of the state of things and how just... unbearably awful Macron is in every way

VI Lenin: LWC Chapter 9: “Left-Wing” Communism in Great Britian

~~Lloyd George~~ Macron entered into a polemic... with those Liberals who want, not a coalition with the Conservatives, but closer relations with the ~~Labour Party~~ New Popular Front (NPF)... ~~Lloyd George~~ Macron argued that a coalition—and a close coalition at that—between the Liberals and the Conservatives was essential, otherwise there might be a victory for the ~~Labour Party~~ NPF which ~~Lloyd George~~ Macron prefers to call “Socialist” ... "In Germany it was called socialism, and in Russia it is called Bolshevism," he went on to say. To Liberals this is unacceptable on principle, ~~Lloyd George~~ Macron explained, because they stand in principle for private property. “Civilisation is in jeopardy,” the speaker declared, and consequently Liberals and Conservatives must unite. . . .

... Thus the liberal bourgeoisie are abandoning the historical system of “two parties” (of exploiters), which has been hallowed by centuries of experience and has been extremely advantageous to the exploiters, and consider it necessary for these two parties to join forces against the ~~Labour Party~~ NPF.

...
At present, ~~British~~ French Communists very often find it hard even to approach the masses, and even to get a hearing from them. If I come out as a Communist and call upon them to vote for ~~Henderson~~ Castets and Mélenchon and against ~~Lloyd George~~ Macron and Le Pen they will certainly give me a hearing. And I shall be able to explain in a popular manner, not only why the Soviets are better than a parliament and why the dictatorship of the proletariat is better than the dictatorship of ~~Churchill~~ Barnier and Le Pen (disguised with the signboard of bourgeois “democracy”), but also that, with my vote, I want to support ~~Henderson~~ Castets and the NPF in the same way as the rope supports a hanged man—that the impending establishment of a government of the ~~Hendersons~~ Castets will prove that I am right, will bring the masses over to my side, and will hasten the political death of the ~~Hendersons~~ Castetses and the ~~Snowdens~~ Mélenchons just as was the case with their kindred spirits in Russia and Germany.

...
It is a good day friend. Communism will win, and these liberal politicians are helping it do so. Don't let the systems and their media and propaganda make you believe otherwise in their lies. They're trying to convince you of your own defeat because of the implications if you don't believe you have been, and instead realize they're selling you the rope they will be hanged with; and you push harder in smarter ways that they can't keep up with, using connections built in these mass movements and coalitions which invariably have radical new elements that just need drawn together.

You're ahead of them in this. They've, in a very real dialectical way, undermined liberal democracy and created more enemies to the capitalist systems and institutions than they made allies, by their own blunders in being incapable of conceding anything to intelligently reify socialists back into feckless parliamentary legitimization of bourgeois democracy, and their failures to navigate contradictions in ways that aren't so short-sighted to look absolutely villainous to huge swathes of the population (and internationally, because this was a large enough movement to make headlines around the world; with a knock-on effect for the international proles who see parallels). Macron's so scared of radical politics he's making them everywhere he steps.

[-] hobovision@lemm.ee 3 points 1 month ago

Sounds like copium to me. The neolibs have really figured out how to placate the masses. Things aren't bad enough and the media keeps the majority unaware.

[-] anarcho_blinkenist@lemmy.ml 5 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

No, neolibs have figured out how to placate segments of the (ever-shrinking) petty bourgeois and defeatist windbags (like you've allowed yourself to become in saying these things, but can still self-criticize and grow from), who lack or otherwise benefit from not having an active dialectical consideration of the circumstances before us


in the bare-faced exposure of the sharpened contradictions between mass political movements in society; here between the reactionary bourgeois establishment and its allies, and the advancing of progressive segments and theirs; which itself in the arena of parliamentary and protest politics, and how the media reports on it, are significant representations of wider political trends.

And by not thinking before speaking, and engaging in this liberal and reactionary rhetoric you actively stand in the way of building communism and working class momentum more than Macron does, and you are perpetrating the same "keeping people unaware" that you say the media is. I don't think you should trust what it "sounds like" to you, because I don't think you've given serious thought to any of this. How does the media "keep the majority unaware" when we're, all of us even outside of France, hearing about and talking about it?

And "Things aren't bad enough" for what? For an immediate revolution and dragging Macron to the guillotine right here and now, like we're remotely in a stage of things in material reality where that's what you think "building the communist movement" is? In what way is that, to you, a reasonable framework to analyze the current material conditions and consequences for communists and how to orient within them? And how is it not just unthoughtful and inattentive idealist tripe completely disconnected from the material reality and trajectories that currently exist, and which only serves to justify sitting on your hands and telling others to sit on their hands because you're waiting for... What, exactly? Some utopian revolutionary miracle to pop into existence on its own out of thin air and awake the placated masses (of which surely you're not a part?)? Revolution is built; and its building takes dedicated and active long-term political engagement among the progressive elements of society with communists, even if not yet in the position to dominate its most visible "official" leadership channels, still always at the forefront of the struggle as members of the most politically advanced segment of the working class.

How do you expect to create revolutionaries before having them even come to recognize revolution as, not only an option, but a necessity; which can only be done through these kinds of lived political experiences highlighting and vindicating through agitation and propaganda the correct analyses of the communists, that bourgeois parliament will not and can not be the instrument to achieve their aims?

You're contributing to and advocating placation. Your "it's hopeless why bother" attitude is the "copium" (internet-poisoned term), which serves nothing but to take (and worse, try to further in others' minds) a lazy capitulation into your own placation. Comrade it is not only wrong, but it is intolerable opportunism. It is a reactionary and defeatist attitude, and is not in any way a cogent recognition of the reality


which is that the amount of rage and disaffection over this in the masses of the working class left-wing (and even just 'not right-wing') populace of France, which were able to mobilize as they did to get such results to compel these self-exposing acts in the ruling class, spills visibly through even the bourgeois-media articles about it. You have to close your eyes and plug your ears to not hear mention of the anger, frustration, exasperation, and that's just what they do mention. I guarantee they couldn't and wouldn't be scratching the surface of those masses that aren't being interviewed who harbor more severe sentiments or would, with proper political education, having experienced this. Many of even the petty-bourgeois reformist leaders of these parties are calling for obstruction and protest as less motivated, more opportunist, and bourgeois-aligned representatives of their much-more pissed off bases who carry much greater potential.

I've worked with and organized alongside US communists that became communists out of their experiences and disaffection over how the DNC and Democrat Clinton campaign undermined and slandered Bernie Sanders and his supporters in that grassroots groundswell. And Bernie and that whole experience was milquetoast and petty compared to this, and had more comprehensive targeted propaganda. And still it made many communists, some of whom have contributed more as more capable Marxists than even I had managed at the time, to elevating the consciousness of the working class and movement-building in their communities, instilling communist political understandings, analytical methodologies of theory and practice, and organizational principles in action around peoples lived material realities and experiences at the hands of the system.

People are pissed, and more than you allow yourself to recognize have, by the reality of the situation and living this political experience, come to or are primed but haven't-yet-been politically educated to understand and advocate, some of the first and most important recognitions, conclusions, and emotions toward bourgeois politicians and their system, and of its bourgeois class character, inherent and unchangeable without smashing it and putting in its place a proletarian dictatorship to maintain power against the these-and-worse bourgeois machinations and reactions.

Just because the masses aren't immediately fulfilling your idealist projections of what you unrealistically 'require' of them to "prove" to you personally that this is a progressive development for the communists (which is opportunist


rather than trying to engage actively as the most politically advanced segment of the working class to make and lead people to the proper conclusions, you are tailing behind mass movements among and as a member of the least advanced, soaking blankets to throw on the advancing segments in the most critically significant and educational moments); like they're not immediately revolting and dragging Macron to the guillotine over this when that's not the phase that things are in doesn't mean that this is not a progressive development for the communists. I strongly suggest you consider all of this and correct these opportunist and defeatist attitudes, which are misaligned with reality and run counter to progress.

[-] Pandantic@midwest.social 11 points 1 month ago

Sounds a bit like the US when you describe it that way…

[-] BestBouclettes@jlai.lu 5 points 1 month ago

I'd say we're still far from it, but that's definitely where we're headed full steam

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[-] theherk@lemmy.world 19 points 1 month ago

I’m not saying what they’ll do but the concept of the French being “revolutioned out” borders on comical. It may be beheadings or merely stacking trash in the street, but they aren’t known for staying quiet.

[-] index@sh.itjust.works 9 points 1 month ago

Plenty of people are protesting for one cause or another, see the troubles at the olympics. You don't hear much about it on mass media anymore because governments figured out that it's better to keep silent about it or protests spread.

[-] PolandIsAStateOfMind@lemmy.ml 7 points 1 month ago

I think they will go increasingly Vichy just with Berlin replaced with Washington, through Berlin.

[-] Zeshade@lemmy.world 15 points 1 month ago

The assemblée nationale can block and cause the prime minister to resign can't they? Can the left wing alliance not join forces again to veto the pm appointment? I guess the problem is that they managed to do it to repel the le pen's party but not all left leaning parties are similarly united against Barnier's government.

[-] BestBouclettes@jlai.lu 10 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

They could but they won't have enough votes to go through with it unfortunately. The assembly is roughly 33% of the three big groups, the united left, Macron's party and the far right. With the united left having slightly more seats than the other two.

[-] Irremarkable@fedia.io 4 points 1 month ago

You mean to tell me liberals sided with fascists over conceding literally anything to the left? Well I never!

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this post was submitted on 22 Sep 2024
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