Programme pour une démocratie économique et une alternative écologique

Posted on May 14, 2012 by

Une des grande questions qui a été posée par tous les mouvements Occupy est comment repenser une démocratie qui ne marche visiblement plus. Une réponse possible, qui émane d’un contexte américain mais qui a une valeur bien plus générale, se trouve ici. Pour les auteurs de ce texte, la réinvention de la démocratie doit recommencer sur les lieux de travail et dans les communautés locales. Pour un film d’Oliver Ressler sur le même thème d’une démocratie à réinventer, voir ici.

Posted in The crisis beyond the Hexagon, The politics of crisis | Leave a comment

Economic Democracy, Not Austerity or Keynesian “Growth” by Rick Wolff,

Posted on May 10, 2012 by

Recent defeats of Dutch, Greek and French governing parties show rising opposition to their austerity policies. Across Europe and North America, similar oppositions mount. Bailing out large financial and other corporations with borrowed money has been the almost universal government plan for coping with global capitalist crisis. The result – rising government deficits and debts – was followed by “austerity policies” to reduce those deficits and debts. After suffering a crisis and then bailouts that bypassed them to favor major corporations, people now face austerity cutbacks of government jobs and services to offset the bailouts’ costs. As opposition mounts, will it seek Keynesian “growth” or go beyond capitalism to economic democracy? Continue reading →

Posted in The crisis and the economy, The crisis beyond the Hexagon, The politics of crisis | Leave a comment

Toni Negri and the French presidential election

Posted on April 30, 2012 by

For Toni Negri’s thoughts on  the first round of the French presidential elections see here. And for other interesting articles on the same (by the look of it broadly Negrist) site, see here.

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Marlière across La Manche: a diary of the 2012 French presidential election

Posted on April 24, 2012 by

Click here for Philippe Marlière’s take on the French presidential election every day until the second round on 6 May.

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Explorez les discours des candidats à la présidentielle 2012

Posted on April 24, 2012 by

Now that the first round of the elections have passed, those interested in examining the evolution of the campaign thus far will find the following tool of great benefit. It is hosted on Le Monde website and avilable via this link.

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France grows tired of Nicolas Sarkozy, its half-baked president

Posted on April 24, 2012 by

Philippe Marlière

Like Blair and Cameron, Sarkozy is not a man of deep political conviction. The French miss a president with a sense of state

Days before the first round of the French presidential election, Nicolas Sarkozy was addressing his supporters at a mass rally in Paris. His final words sounded desperate: “French people, help me!” The conservative candidate looked tense and the public mood was grim. A record attendance of 150,000 was hastily announced. Journalists on the ground showed that no more than 30,000 had gathered on the Place de la Concorde. Continue reading →

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University of California and the criminalisation of dissent (letter appealing for support)

Posted on March 24, 2012 by

Dear Fellow Education Activists,

I’m writing today with an impassioned and profoundly frustrated heart about what is happening on our campus at UC Berkeley, the so-called ”home of the Free Speech Movement,” and beyond. It’s extremely important to share this story with all of you, should it become a larger precedent for political repression–indeed, recent developments
with Occupy Oakland suggest that it already is (see here). I’m also seeking your support to help pressure District Attorney Nancy O’Malley to drop the unjust charges against political activists. Continue reading →

Posted in Crisis and the university, Protest and mobilisation, The crisis beyond the Hexagon, Uncategorized | Leave a comment