Alain Krivine and Olivier Besancenot talk about May 1968 - videos

Alain Krivine and Olivier Besancenot talk about May 1968 on a French light entertainment show.

French elections and the left - raw figures

This is a cut and paste job from some e mails Murray Smith has sent out about the French elections.
The papers give a figure of 3.3 per cent for the “far left” - essentially LCR and LO. I haven’t been through all the constituencies, but I’ve looked at enough for it to be [...]

Sarkozy wins - let battle commence

This is for the next issue of Socialist Resistance
It was apt that news of Nicolas Sarkozy’s victory was greeted by small riots in a number of French towns. These first expressions of popular anger are only the first of the innumerable conflicts that we will see during his presidency. The semi-fascist Jean-Marie Le Pen lost [...]

Is that a ranting demagogue or a prominent British Marxist talking about France?

My career as an academic was flushed down the toilet in 1934 or thereabouts. The phone rang at 9.03 on a Friday morning asking if I wanted to do an MA in Italian Literature. I declined saying that I wanted to spend a few more months on the dole. This will surprise those of you [...]

SWP and Respect response to the LCR vote - discuss

Sometimes it’s hard not to be cynical. Below are the greetings sent to the LCR on behalf of the SWP and Respect. The first one doesn’t mention what a thoroughly bad idea its author thought Besancenot’s candidature was. Though no doubt the congratulations are heartfelt.
The second is more than a little disingenuous. Contrast everything [...]

Olivier Besancenot tops left vote

Official final results

Candidate
%

N Sarkozy (UMP)
31.18

S Royal (PS)
25.87

F Bayrou (UDF)
18.57

J M Le Pen (FN)
10.44

O Besancenot (LCR)
4.08

P de Villiers (MPF)
2.23

M G Buffet (PCF)
1.93

D Voynet (Verts)
1.57

A Laguiller (LO)
1.33

J Bové
1.32

F Nihous (CPNT)
1.15

G Schivardi (PT)
0.34

Declaration of Olivier Besancenot
“Nearly 1.8 million voters rallied around my candidacy. That’s 600,000 more than in 2002. Despite the pressure for the [...]

Abrupt SWP change of tune about Bove and Besancenot

Here’s what Alex Callinicos had to say about the LCR’s decision to stand Olivier Besancenot as a presidential candidate in Socialist Worker in February.
“The LCR could make this situation less farcical by withdrawing Besancenot and campaigning for Bove. This would probably be the best outcome, but the LCR majority are unlikely to do this because [...]

French Presidential Elections

In each of the last few issues of Socialist Resistance I’ve written a fairly long piece on a faraway land of which we know little. This month it’s a place called France.This is a draft on the presidential elections. It still needs a bit of work. I’m open to suggestions for a rousing closing paragraph.The [...]

The French Presidential Elections - socialists faced with the agony of choice

France! It’s so different from much of the world in so many ways. And mostly in good ways. Where else can you pick from one of three Trotskyist presidential candidates? This is a video of Francois Duval of the LCR speaking at a Socialist Resistance forum in London on March 21st. It’s about 35 minutes [...]

French Presidential elections

Why we support Besancenot
Socialist Resistance Public Meeting
with Gabriel Rosenman of the LCR/JCR

Wednesday 21 March
7.30pm, Indian YMCA
Fitzroy Square, W1, ( Warren St tube)
The two main candidates, Sarkozy for the right and Royal for the Socialist Party, offer a choice little different to that between Bush and Blair. And their drift to the right drift gives [...]