This longtime US activist who is now living in France gives a fresh report and perspective on the current widespread protests in France.
I have read some of his essays and find a close correspondence of my political views with his. His politics are founded on the best in the classic anarchist traditions which emphasized control of political structures from the grassroots of society. Hence, he argues, citing historical evidence, that all elites, on both the left and right, inevitably betray their followers.
Regarding the riots and protests against government proposed cuts to pensions in today's France, he sees much of the protests coming from the grassroots and believes that the left elites, union leaders and left party leaders, would try to contain them, would normally try to reach an accommodation with the capitalist ruling class lead by Sarkozy. But Sarkozy is not cooperating with the left elites.
...the whole country is going wild, and no one knows what will happen between now and two weeks from now. On the government side Sarkozy, ever more intransigent, is pushing up the date of the final vote of his reform in the Senate, while among the youth and workers in transportation, petroleum, chemicals and other key industries the ongoing strikes and spontaneous, daily, local actions are intensifying all over France. One reformist union leader was quoted saying ‘by marginalizing us, Sarkozy turned the power over to the streets.’ So why did Sarkozy put his Presidency on the line by uniting the fractious French unions against him, freezing them out of the action and refusing to negotiate?