One year ago, we launched the appeal for Degrowth 2012: Our Candidate is Degrowth. More than 1000 of us signed the petition. Without any illusion, we wanted to plant some seeds for thought and debate to criticise the worst of the personalised political spectacle. What we have just witnessed over the last few weeks vindicates us on two fronts: firstly, this campaign leaves only a minimal space for the small candidates and/or critics of the system, and secondly, the debate has been missing over the recent weeks!
At a time when our Western civilisation is confronted with a convergence of crises, each as devastating as the others, we are witnessing a great political circus, where the “first lady’s twit”, cock fights here and there and the small formulas, so dear to the journos within the Parisian microcosm, are rehashed throughout the medias. This is enacted, in a one of, very strong abstention, which does not bother the winners of this travesty of democracy.
Meanwhile, poverty; the result of desperate austerity measures aimed at saving our dying economic model and therefore the oligarchy it feeds, affects an ever greater number of people, with its collaterals (suicide, depression, isolationism and the rise of the Far Right, etc.). Furthermore, the religion of growth is dished out at every sauce, mainly a green sauce, in order to better avoid any substantive discussion on this productivist system, which brings us ever faster into the wall.
Elections, con games? No, we must still mention, that these elections, away from the TV studios, allow us to engage into debates, to bring people together as we have seen in the 40 electroal districts where Growth objectors were candidates. Similarly, through our relationships with the Left Front (Front de Gauche), some embryos of debate and hope appear. We also had discussions and fructuous partnerships with our friends from the NPA (Nouveau parti anti-capitaliste – New Anticapitalist Party) and the Alternatifs. Finally, we wish all the best to the EELV (Europe Ecologie Les Verts – Europe Ecology-the Greens), blinded by the illusion that being in power is only what is required to change the society embarked on a rather sordid adventure!
In our approach which stems from Left movements converging around anti-productivism, but also from our serene and democratic transition strategy; a societal change starting with the existing situation, elections remain an important tool, offering a forum for debates and encounters.
Fortunately, elections are not the only tool, that is why we must continue, here and now, without any illusion and at once, to debate, discuss, experiment and reach out to spread Degrowth at all four political levels.
Still, the current very unstable economic situation, invites us to take part in the debates and the demonstrations, in our role of ideological provocators and of prevention to think round in circle, but also with our proposals, our political strategy and our practical experiences.
The oncoming turbulences could push our society on the wrong side; war, isolationism, eco-fascism, but also on a better side. Building on our seeds of thought, ideas, experiments, individual and collective experiences we are disseminating here and there….we hope to build together a society of the “Buen Vivir” (Good Life).
