UN RENOUVEAU DE LA PARTICIPATION ASSOCIATIVE ? L'engagement et le militantisme au sein du comité Attac Isère

1.2.3 Recognition of the local committees

1. 2. 3.1 a legitimate recognition ?

The local committees do not appear in the statutes. They are regarded associations with whole share (of law 1901) or as spontaneous groups of members. In both cases, the only adhesion which is taken into account by association is that which is done in a national way. The militants^139(*) of the committee isérois grant much importance to the statutes of association. The recognition of the committees is a subject of discord between them and the national direction. According to them, inconsistencies result from the absence of the local committees within the statutes. The transfer of the contributions at the committees, first of all, caused conflicts. The contributions of the members are paid directly with the national structure of Attac. So that the local committees can have own capital stocks, the national concedes to them the transfer of 25% of the contributions coming from the adhesions made in the committee. This payment is regarded as being one « refund »^140(*). However, this payment leads, according to Julie, with a contradiction since the national recognizes the local committees implicitly, in their allocating a sum. Julie estimates that the leaders recognize « the existence of a group which militates, which organizes something but that in addition [they] [NT] the capacity at the national level does not give them ». 

The second inconsistency in which the statutes end, according to some surveyed (Luc, Thomas, Julie), is nonthe recognition of the committees at the time of the national deliberations. The participation of a member in the General meeting is done on a purely individual basis. It can take a position only in its proper name. Thus, the questions which are put on the agenda or motions which are deposited at the time of AG main road are written on a purely individual basis^141(*). Certain committees, of which Isere, which have the statute of association then decided to make group decisions and to elect a representative. The committee isérois gave several opinions in a collective way which were presented at the time of national deliberations. Some of this standpoint took place within the framework of the plenary assembly which is opened with all the members. For example, an exceptional assembly had met on January 10, 2000 in order to discuss adhesion of the elected officials and authorities local. Resolutions were voted there, then were published and transmitted in the national office^142(*). In addition, the turnover can sometimes adopt positions in the name of the committee. At the occasion, for example, AG 2000 of St Brieuc, two motions were presented in a collective way^143(*).

However, inquired consider it regrettable that one cannot distinguish the individuals who come on a purely individual basis and those which present as are delegated of a group. The national statutes not granting an existence to the committees, their constituents are deprived of authority. The fact that they are elected does not give them more legitimacy with respect to those which are present at individual title. In the same way, a motion, which is deposited on a purely collective basis is in equality with that which deposited on a purely individual basis. Thus, the two motions suggested at the time of St Brieuc were rejected in national turnover. In addition, the militants of Attac Isere formulated same criticism for the elections of the members of the national turnover. The twelve seats to be provided are distributed in a geographical way. The candidatures, at the time of AG main road, are deposited on a purely individual basis. Luc explains that he voted for those which were elected by their local committee^144(*). In the same way, within the turnover, the individual members even represent only them. Julie explains that if a member wants to represent his committee, it has the right of it but that is not recognized in the statutes. In the same way, if an individual wishes to take a personal position, without consulting its committee as a preliminary, it also has the right of it.

Julie : One adheres all to the national, one adheres at all to the room and there too there are things which do not go, it is the national which redistributes part of the contributions at the local committees and it is where there are shifts, at the same time when one looks at the statutes it is each militant which is recognized and the local committees do not have a clean existence but nevertheless the national transfers us a percentage of the contribution at the local committees i.e. one recognizes in a certain manner the existence of the local committees since one pours something to them to function. There are things as that which are contradictory. It is a contradiction because that wants to say that one recognizes the existence of a group which militates, which organizes something but that in addition that one does not give them the capacity at the national level.

Luc : The local committees which come, one does not know at all what they represent. Us, one knows, because one discussed before motions which one has of taking, one represents the whole of the local committee. But of the other local committees, there are some who are similar but there are some of them, one does not know if they come as local committee or individual basis. One does not know what they represent, therefore when people speak, one does not know if they speak on a purely individual or collective basis. It is a caricature of democracy.

Thomas: It would be necessary that the local committees organize true General meetings and debates on such or such thing, in a structured organization, that the positions can be expressed by their representatives elected with the French National Assembly. The problem they is that the local committees do not have statutes with the national General meeting, therefore one goes there on a purely individual basis... Then one was to us a little slingers because one took the positions of the turnover Isere or groups of members who wanted to express themselves and who are of nothing... I would say legal because to express a particular position, one would need that everyone is joined together, all the members and that there is a minimum quorum i.e. half of the members, who decide by vote with the raised hand and whom that, the mandate of expression of this position, is given to a particular member, inevitably member of the turnover, to be represented. And that, that is not done. This position, it is a position emitted by a part, a group of fifty members of Attac Isere or hundreds or 150 and retransmitted by the turnover with the national General meeting but which is not... I will say legal within sight of the statutes, because the local committees in it do not have a place [...] And like there is not an organization behind and there are not somebody who says «Me, I speak in the name of so-and-so», in order to know which it represents, I always avoid intervening on a purely individual basis because that wants nothing to say.

Luc : How they [members of the national turnover] were elected, it should be seen was before the General meeting, one said « Who presents himself at the elections? ». Did people present themselves on which basis? Individually. Who does one know in it? Me I learned that there were people who presented themselves in the name of their local committee and my choice of vote that was according to that, I voted for those which were presented in the name of their local committee. And as that was not enough to have 12 people, I said myself that I was going to vote for women. Here how I voted. There are eighteen individual founder members and twelve members.

Julie : What one wishes it is the recognition of the presence of the local committees within the Board of directors, as representatives of collectives, because that does not exist and the people who are over there which is people who are there on a purely individual basis. For us that wants to say that there is at least, of the meetings of the local committees which are carrying a decision of collectives and not carrying their own words. It is not always what occurs. That concerns the personal decision of each one and if a representative decided to be carrying his group, it can be it, but if somebody decides to present himself at individual title and that it does not want at all to have bonds with his local group, it is completely possible. Since it is there on a purely individual basis. Each one can make the choice but it is not a decision which represents a form of democracy, I do not like too much to employ this term there because it is galvaudé but a form of operation which is very different.

* ¹³⁹ We speak only about the most militant members of committee (J.K, T.I, P.O, who are in addition members of the turnover).

* ¹⁴⁰ Ginisty (Bernard), Financial statement for 1999.

* ¹⁴¹ «  Any member can ask for the inscription on the agenda of any question which it wishes to see treated. He addresses, to this end, a letter registered with acknowledgment of delivery to the president before the meeting of the Council which precedes the convocation by the General meeting. The Council takes a decision on this request  ». Cf, appendix n°8, article 10-3, p. 22.

* ¹⁴² Attac Isere, «  Position of Attac Isere on the adhesion of the parties and communities  », 10.01.2000 appendix n°17, p. 35.

* ¹⁴³ Attac Isere, «  Ask inscription on the agenda of l'AG 2000 d'Attac  », 20.07.00, appendix n° 21, p. 41.

* ¹⁴⁴ Lines of Attac had published the names of the eight candidates who had been «  invested  » by their district «  in order to clarify the vote of the members of Attac, since no one cannot know each candidate individually  ». It was added  : «  It goes without saying, that whatever the degree of representativeness of each one of these candidatures, they all are beneficially legitimate and equal in right. They thus appear alphabetically, on the ballot paper, without mention of  «  nomination  » by one «  district  » or by one or more committees  ». One can note that on the eight introduced candidates in a collective way, all were elected with the A.C. Attac France, «  All on bases of Ciotat. Elections  : instructions  ». Lines of Attac, Paris, n°3, 09/1999.