A Final(?) Letter To Valery Giscard d'Estaing
Debate Between Patrick Martin & John Martin
Thwarted By A Surge Of Democracy
Bringing Europe Closer Together?
France pulps copies of EU treaty
French pressure dilutes services directive
Marie-George Buffet is the leader of the French Communist Party. She made the following statement on 29th of May following the result of the French Referendum:
"A great hope has arisen today. Having mobilised in an exceptional manner, our people have said 'no' to the neo-liberal tidal wave that has ravaged Europe and the World for the last twenty years. It is a turning point. This victory was constructed on the rejection of the damage and suffering caused by the policies of social division; by the struggles and mobilisations of recent years and by a dynamic of popular unity which evokes the great times of the popular front and May 1968.
"This victory is above all a victory of the wage earners, employees, young people, unemployed, French and foreign activists who did remarkable work to allow our people to forge their opinion. These men and women mastered the content of the text which was given to them and they gathered in the polling booths to reject this neo-liberal straitjacket.
"Our Government must submit to the decision of the people or resign.
"France must ask for a renegotiation of the treaty and demand the abandonment of the ultra-liberal projects from Brussels: the Bolkestein Directive, privatisation, and the regression of social rights anticipated by the Lisbon timetable.
"The French parliament must meet before the European Council in Mid June, to draw all the consequences of this vote.
"Let us mobilise en masse for the European Council so that it might hear and respect the position of the French people.
"This 'no' of our people is European, generous and a 'no' of solidarity. It invites everyone to organise in this country, and at the different European levels, popular assemblies for another Europe. Let us have the ambition to build our strength so that it will dictate the direction of the re-negotiation of the treaty.
"The left, for its part, must draw the lessons of this poll. After so many disappointments, this victory demands political unity to beat the neo-liberal policies.
"The people demand of the left that it may have the courage and strength to confront the power of money and the neo-liberal dogmas. The Communist Party calls on all of the left to assume this immense responsibility.
"I call on citizens, elected politicians, political activists, organisations, who have campaigned for this victory to meet in every community in France. I invite from the bottom of my heart men and women and organisations of the left, even those who might have voted 'yes', to take your place, to participate with us in this noble adventure to construct another Europe, a genuine left wing alternative.
"Let us forge together a popular united left so as to change our lives."