“Everything is possible, but in the current state of affairs, it seems very complicated to me”: with this statement, which has the merit of being clear, Jean-Marc Coppola, the spokesperson for the Communist Party, effectively buries the possibility of a joint list with the Socialists in the first round of the elections in the PACA Region.
Yes, indeed, the government policy is frankly indigestible to the good comrades who have a little idea in mind: to take advantage of the difficulties of their current allies in the PACA Region to attempt a takeover bid on the left-wing electorate and position themselves as the opposition force to the more than probable right-wing majority (whether classic or extreme) after the election that will take place on the upcoming December 6 and 13.
Are we playing to be the best loser, you might say?
The expression is readily found, and it is simple: it is necessary to involve citizens and the associative world who have distanced themselves from the Socialist Party after the election of François Hollande in 2012 in the debates.
The gap between the program of the former Socialist and Left Front candidate (in the second round) and the achievements of the one who became President of the Republic has created a chasm that the fear of a hard and pure right-wing does not suffice to bridge.
In short, for the communists, the equation is already written: either Christophe Castaner, the Socialist candidate, will accept (a first meeting is scheduled for today) the demands and options of the communists and leftists or everyone will go their own way.
Furthermore, the law that will define the scope of competencies of the new macro-regions (even if nothing will change in PACA) does not go in the direction desired by the communists: the removal of the general competence clause will take away budgetary flexibility and reduce the elected officials to mere managers of a balance set by state allocations and a predetermined application framework.
However, Jean-Marc Coppola does not want to be defeatist: “We have not inscribed defeat in our forecasts. Nothing is decided provided there is a complete mutation of the austerity policy.”
Beautiful words that risk remaining unanswered: can you imagine the Valls government decreeing a moratorium on layoffs as the communists demand following the numerous ongoing and announced social plans?
At this point, all that remains is to invoke the worst-case scenario (with a strong right-wing in power, it is not certain that some social gains – pricing of school canteens and transport – will be maintained, and as for social advances… ) to imagine a defensive alliance?
For the spokesperson of the Communist Party (and future lead candidate of the Left Front in December?), the question is not really relevant: for him and his collaborators (headed by departmental secretary Cécile Dumas), the real challenge is to restore hope to this left-wing electorate that is marginalized and abstains during elections.
Their recovery, added to a broad gathering of other political formations (green-ecologists, socialist rebels), could change the dynamics. We are talking about 300,000 voters who need to be re-motivated.
The next step is the Fête du Château on the coming June 27 and 28: 20 to 30,000 people will participate, and it will be an opportunity to listen to their grievances, ideas, and proposals before setting the party’s political line.
By September, everything must be decided and ready for the long course. Jean-Marc Coppola is already warming up…
