The Need For More Leaderless Action.

      What is happening in France should be of tremendous interest to all those who wish to change society away from this corporate/state plutocracy to a system controlled by the people. This not a protest organised by some trade union or political party, this is a spontaneous uprising by people across a wide spectrum and not following the dictates of some ideology. Here we see people who didn't wait for the "leaders" to tell them to take to the streets, it grew among the people and spread across the country. Union leaders, bureaucrats, academics, party leaders, and academics stand confused, and I would think a little afraid as they can't get control of this phenomenon.  

     I have often said that nobody knows the spark that will start the fire. This particular fire that is raging across France started with a few disgruntled truck drivers who voiced their views on social media. That was the spark that ignited the underlying anger and discontent that rumbles under the surface in every corporate/state plutocracy that controls and exploits the lives of millions. All I can say is keep creating those sparks, the tinder is there, one spark is all it takes.
Two opinions of democracy:

 Photos by Abdulmonam Eassa

      There is an excellent article on the events in France by Jerome Roos, in Roar magazine. Here are a couple of extracts:

        What began four weeks ago as a nationwide response to a widely-disseminated Facebook call by two angry truck drivers to block local roads and highway toll stations in protest against a new “ecological” fuel tax introduced by Macron’s government has now spiraled out into a full-blown popular revolt against the banker president and the wealthy corporate elite he so openly represents.

And how various groups can gel:

       In recent days, the political crisis has been aggravated by what appears to be a veritable convergence of social struggles. On December 1, ambulance drivers joined the fray, demonstrating in front of the presidential palace with screaming sirens. On Monday, December 3, French students radicalized their ongoing struggle by blocking access to over 200 high schools; the following Thursday an estimated 100,000 of them participated in a nationwide walkout against Macron’s changes to university admission procedures and a rise in administrative fees. Shocking footage of several dozen students being placed in stress positions by riot police for an extended period of time soon went viral and served to further inflame the tensions and anti-police sentiment among the gilets jaunes. Then, last Saturday, thousands of environmentalists at a pre-scheduled climate demonstration in Paris donned yellow vests in solidarity. Meanwhile, the main unions for French farmers, truck drivers and public transport workers have all announced their intention to go on strike.

The need to ignore the old avenues of dialogue and compromise:

      Four weeks in, the uprising also continues to confound mainstream journalists and experts. “The gilets jaunes have blown up the old political categories,” one French media activist told ROAR on Saturday night, after a long day of riots in the capital. “They reject all political leaders, all political parties and any form of political mediation. No one really knows how to confront or deal with this movement — not the media, not the government, nor anyone else. What we are witnessing is unprecedented in French history.” While the outcome of these dramatic developments remains uncertain, it is clear that France is currently living through a rupture of historic proportions, taking the country onto uncharted terrain. For the left, the emerging scenario presents both exciting opportunities, but also a number of significant political risks. How are radical and autonomous social forces to insert themselves into this unfamiliar and uncertain situation without losing sight of the dangers that lie ahead?

Read the full article HERE: 

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