Expelling Militant in reverse.
Readers of a certain age will recall that the expulsion of Militant Tendency members etc by Kinnock helped make the Labour party electable. The French, however, seem to think differently, and François Hollande (the former Mr Ségolène Royal) has come up with a really, really smart idea - a party linking the Socialists with the thousand and one variants of Tankies, Trots, Greens and other far left groupuscules that infest France.
The theory is that all of the Trot etc voters can be enticed into siding with this broad left party (Didn't they used to call these things Popular Fronts?) thereby giving it a guaranteed minimum 35% of the vote, roughly the combined vote of all the 'out' Left parties in the first round of the Presidential election this year.
There might, perhaps, be flaws in this theory. Firstly the two Trotskyite parties (LO and LCR) can only rarely agree on a joint slate, as they prefer ideological purity and lost deposits.
Secondly, the Gauche Caviar might be a little frightened off by the Socialists allying with full blown Fourth International Trotskyites.
Thirdly, given that if you put five lefties in a room you will get six opinions, what chance of an agreed manifesto?
Fourthly, what chance of this Popular Front persuading centrists like 2007 Bayrou voters that a hard left platform is just what La France Profonde needs, given that 35% is not going to sweep it to power?
That apart, I think it is a terrific idea, and I strongly recommend Brown reaches out to Respect, Continuity Respect, I Can't Believe It's Not Respect, the SWP, CPGB etc etc and Labour could then rule forever......
The theory is that all of the Trot etc voters can be enticed into siding with this broad left party (Didn't they used to call these things Popular Fronts?) thereby giving it a guaranteed minimum 35% of the vote, roughly the combined vote of all the 'out' Left parties in the first round of the Presidential election this year.
There might, perhaps, be flaws in this theory. Firstly the two Trotskyite parties (LO and LCR) can only rarely agree on a joint slate, as they prefer ideological purity and lost deposits.
Secondly, the Gauche Caviar might be a little frightened off by the Socialists allying with full blown Fourth International Trotskyites.
Thirdly, given that if you put five lefties in a room you will get six opinions, what chance of an agreed manifesto?
Fourthly, what chance of this Popular Front persuading centrists like 2007 Bayrou voters that a hard left platform is just what La France Profonde needs, given that 35% is not going to sweep it to power?
That apart, I think it is a terrific idea, and I strongly recommend Brown reaches out to Respect, Continuity Respect, I Can't Believe It's Not Respect, the SWP, CPGB etc etc and Labour could then rule forever......
Labels: Extreme Left, France, idiots
This entry was posted
on Wednesday, December 12, 2007 at 10:50 am.
You can skip to the end and leave a response.
As a keen observer of thigs Gallic, it's a very interesting post, Mr. C. Seems they're trying to ensure an UMP victory next time, not that it's relevant with the EU taking over post-2010.
One might wonder whether Holland is an entryist intent on destroying the French left. If so, I wish him every good fortune in this endeavour.
» Post a Comment