The different parties in the far left alliance find themselves on two grounds: being horrified by neoliberalism and an aversion against the “old”, “traditional” Left, more specifically the "Parti Socialiste" (PS, the French social democrats) and "Les Verts" (the French Greens).
Last night, in the rainy city center of Toulouse, Mélenchon was received by a crowd of approximately 70.000 people. They all came to listen to the man that strongly attacks the neoliberal class in France and Europe. His style is revolutionary, a shameless attempt to reincarnate 1789 France. Mélenchon knows what the French like to hear on the left side of the spectrum. Like Sarkozy, he refers to France as a nation of "Grandeur". A nation that finds itself in the centre of the world and where radical change is possible if the masses are behind an idea. And that is exactly what Mélenchon is capable of: gathering the masses.
Mélenchon's performance in Toulouse was a follow-up to his big manifestation in Paris at Place de la Bastille. This historical place is generally seen as the scene of the first act of the French revolution, where the people took over the direction of their fate. It is with these words that Mélenchon is hypnotizes his crowds. He fiercely shouts : "Take over all places and streets in the Republique, in every city and every village". And, referring to the Place de la Bastille: "We came at the right place, at the right time at the point of departure of all our revolutions".
These words are not new. Communist parties and more radical left parties have always existed next to the established political movements in France. What makes Mr. Mélenchon so interesting is his background in the established PS. Only in 2005 did he resign from the PS over a dispute concerning the party’s pro-EU standpoint in the referendum on the European Constitution. Mr. Mélenchon was against the "neoliberal' Constitution, whereas the majority of the PS voted in favour. This event gave birth to a new political class. Together with Oskar Lafontaine, his German counterpart and leader of the far left German group "Die Linke", he formed a European alliance against the current European model, that both saw as a overtly neoliberal organization. The European debt crisis gave both men political wings.
Since Mélenchon became a serious contender, he had to come up with a serious political programme. How does a revolution look like in terms of state policy? Mélenchon proposes to raise the SMIC (French minimum wage) from currently 1398 Euros to 1700 Euros per month. He plans to undo the Sarkozy reform that increases the retirement age from 60 to 62. He states that all healthcare costs should be compensated. 200.000 new social houses should be constructed and hundreds of thousands of jobs should be created at the government level. His economic plan is estimated to cost more than 70 billion Euros, a sum that he claims paying for through the abolition of all tax benefits and the raising of 100% of taxes on all salaries higher than 360.000 Euros. The execution of such plans could indeed be called a modern revolution.
The problem with Mélenchon is that he fails to understand that France is not the centre of the world anymore. France will have to understand that it needs cooperation in order to survive as a strong entity. France needs the European Union, even more than Germany. France also needs the financial markets to finance its debts. It already lost its Triple AAA status under Sarkozy. Under Melenchon, France would get downgraded to Portuguese levels. That’s how a neoliberal revolution looks like.
I don't think that Mélenchon honestly believes he can be president of France. I think the same of Marine Le Pen. What I do believe is that Mélenchon can influence the PS candidate, Francois Hollande. The more popular Mélenchon becomes, the more concessions Hollande has to make towards Mélenchon's followers. In this setting I fully support Mr. Mélenchon. It's time for some chili peppers in the boring dish that social democrats have served since the nineties.
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