President Emmanuel Macron has decided to dissolve the National Assembly on June 9, 2024, causing a shockwave in the political world. Nadia Bouhami is a candidate (LO) in the 6th constituency of the Rhône (Villeurbanne). Interview.
Lyon Bondy Blog: When Emmanuel Macron announced the dissolution on June 9, what was your reaction and what was the reaction of the Lutte Ouvrière camp?
Nadia Bouhami: We were surprised. Afterwards, when you think about it and take a step back, these are the tactics of politicians. We, the workers, must not get into it.
Whatever the label of the Prime Minister on July 7, in any case, they do not defend our interests, the workers. So that’s why I’m speaking to the workers. I wish they had class consciousness. What is class consciousness? This is because society is divided into 2 categories, there are the exploiters on one side and those who create the wealth at the base of the economy, these are the workers. Workers must defend their class struggle, that is to say, they must realize that they are at the base of the economy and that it is up to them to lead society and decide.
L.B.B. : Did you mobilize your activists very quickly?
Nadia Bouhami: Yes we have 14 candidates in the Lyon metropolitan area in 14 constituencies. The other parties were not able to do the same, apart from the National Rally and nationally, we are present in 550 constituencies.
L.B.B. : How strong is your movement right now?
Nadia Bouhami: We are proud to have reacted quickly and we are also proud to replant this red workers’ flag. They say that workers need a party. the party is here! We were able to mobilize quickly and take matters into our own hands. We were able to organize ourselves quickly to put together the lists. We had a problem with the ballots and very quickly we found solutions. When we say that workers would be able to run the company, this is a typical example.
L.B.B. : In the second round, if the New Popular Front is in the lead, what will Lutte Ouvrière’s decision be?
Nadia Bouhami: For the moment, there is a first round, it is June 30. This is not our problem, our concern is to overthrow this capitalist system. All these politicians, whether left or right, must serve the capitalists. They make people believe in competition to have the best positions and to be at the service of the bourgeoisie. Capitalist society is based on exploitation.
L.B.B. : On the evening of July 7, let’s do some political fiction: Nathalie Arthaud comes to power, what happens?
Nadia Bouhami: That will not be enough, because if you put Nathalie Arthaud as prime minister, she will not be the one to decide. They will tell her Madam, you are good, but the decision-makers are us. This is not enough, the workers really need to revolt.
L.B.B. : If Nathalie Arthaud is elected Prime Minister, there will be a constituent, how will it happen?
Nadia Bouhami: First, workers must seize power and the ideas that we defend. If they want to get out of this, they will not have much choice. They must lead an independent policy. For example, increasing wages in relation to the increase in prices, but who will impose it, it must be real. Workers within companies must take power away from the bosses, but this will be done with the solidarity and struggle of all workers in France. Workers must unite and discuss their daily worries around a table in order to lead large-scale struggles against the capitalist system in the future.
Even the unions, notably the CGT, help the workers more because they support the New Popular Front, it is disarming the workers by doing this. The left is not the first time that it has been in power and each time it has been in power, it has disappointed the people.
L.B.B. : Except between 1981 and 1983, did the left pursue left-wing policies?
Nadia Bouhami: Quite quickly, we realized the deception. They made mass layoffs, they also closed factories. We remember at this time the strikes at Talbot or at Toyota, where the Prime Minister of the time Pierre Mauroy did not intervene and even worse, he had dealt with the strikes of the workers on strike by the Ayatollah. This is why the RN is making votes today! By making us believe that they will change our fate, they have done us well.
The real masters of today’s society are the bosses and the shareholders. Workers have been subjected to this system for far too long. With this policy of blocking the far right, it just strengthened the RN vote.
I take this opportunity to leave a message to the workers, to tell them that it is not by voting for National Rally that their lives will change. If they are fed up with Macron, let them come and swell our ranks to seize power in the face of the capitalist system which is running out of steam. We won’t let them go!
The workers who support the RN are fighting the wrong fight because the far-right party supports the bosses and therefore the capitalists. I invite them once again to join us.
Bardella has backpedaled on pension reform, we are starting to see the true face of the RN, supported by the big bosses. What they want is to go to the feeder!
This will not prevent Bardella from pursuing his policies if he is elected prime minister. He even rented an apartment where he received all the bosses so he is on their side.
L.B.B. : I’ll leave the last word to you…
Nadia Bouhami: Workers must resume their work of struggle, they must become aware of their number and their impact on society. During COVID, the first in line was not Macron but the workers who got their hands dirty to keep society running. Macron, apart from his representations on TV, he has not done much. Once again I call on workers to join us!
