The feeling is one of concern for the future of Europe and democracy and only the left is a real alternative to populism and the threat of the far right. At least, that is what Manon Aubry thinks, MEP elected by Insubmissive France (since 2019) and one of the chairmen of The Left (the most radical left-wing parliamentary group in the European Parliament).
Speaking to DN, in Lisbon, where she would participate in a colloquium organized by the Bloco de Esquerda, the MEP refers that, “The right and far right have been going hand in hand in Europe for years, for example voting to fund walls to prevent the passage of migrants“What we see is that the far right traditionally uses the right and sometimes Renew [grupo do Parlamento Europeu onde estão os partidos liberais]he accuses. Therefore he says, The left can play an important role for several reasons”. Which one?” First, because we won a series of cultural battles. The cuts have come to an end; the energy market and price increases were questioned; and there are a set of fundamental tenets of neoliberalism that have been questioned, challenged and shown to be false”.
Elected by France Insubmissa, by Jean-Luc Mélenchon, Manon Aubry still looks forward to next year’s European elections with some trepidation. “The European Parliament will likely be more fragmented than ever. The left should unite with that in mind and build a viable alternative,” he argues.
NUPES in Europe? It is possible
In the national context, before the last elections (June 2022), France Insubmissa signed an agreement with other left parties (including the French PS): the New Popular Ecological and Social Union (NUPES). The goal was to secure a majority for President Emmanuel Macron in the National Assembly. It was achieved and NUPES elected 131 deputies to the National Assembly (out of a total of 577), placing second.
Taking into account the results at internal level, is this an alternative to follow in the European scenario? “I think a lot can be gained from this experience. The Socialist Party ruled France until 2017, and in just five years it has dropped to less than 2%, because it has let people down. And the reason why Jean – Luc Mélenchon achieved a result so high that the bet is on a campaign with clarity. In addition, there was a bet on breaking with neoliberal policies and then this union happened. There is room to do the same in the European Parliament.”
What NUPES ultimately did, says Manon Aubry, was “unite the left on more radical bases”. “We have shown that it is possible to unify the left on more radical grounds. We were told that France could take a similar path to Italy, with the collapse of the left. In Italy we now have the extreme right [os Irmãos de Itália, da primeira-ministra Giorgia Meloni] to govern and I think we saw the impact of the decline and collapse of the left and showed a different path in France, reinventing the left,” said the MEP.
‘Protests are the biggest since May 1968’
France has faced several protests in recent weeks against the decision to change the retirement age (from the current 62 to 64). And, as is now known, on June 6 the unions will take to the streets again.
For Manon Aubry, the protests are proof that France is more united than ever. They are the largest social movement in French history since May 1968. It’s the biggest movement I’ve ever seen, some demonstrations had more than three million people. 80% of the population continues to support the movement and oppose pension reform. So Macron has already lost. It remains to be seen whether we will win,” says the MEP, adding: “I think that the victory in France is also very important for the rest of Europe, because we can point a way that does not oblige us that the retirement age two years is postponed by two.”
Moreover, from your point of view, Macron is also responsible for “fragmenting the country like never before”. And this, too, is part of the reason why the left has a role to play. “We are the only ones who are still closely associated with the working class, that is, the low-income class, which the centre-left has often gradually given up. In France, that class is divided between us and the extreme right, for whom we are the only alternative,” he concludes.
Source: DN
