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

Presentation of oneself

What seems surprising a priori in Attac, it is the dynamics which one allots to him spontaneously and who makes of it a phenomenon^6(*), successes story^7(*) or a start up citizen according to words' of Bernard Cassen^8(*). This innovation would originate in the conditions in which appeared the association of which here some signs forerunners: « the volume of mail (a several thousand of letters or message) receipt in the diplomatic World after the publication, in December 1997, of the leading article to the requirement « To disarm the markets » in which Igniacio Ramonet suggested, like one launches a bottle to the sea, the creation of an association which would be called Attac, both « T » referring at the time to « tax Tobin » ; the immediate availability of the personalities and the publications, organizations trade-union and associative contacted in order to take action on the summation that the readers made with the newspaper create Attac, and not to await a hypothetical creation by others (what was by no means considered in the beginning and explains the obligation in which quickly was the author of these lines to imply itself in this company) ; the speed with which an agreement was found on the statutes, the platform constitutive and provisional direction of association ; more symptomatic still, the facility with which the decision-making bodies of the various organizations founders ratified the proposals of their representatives to the discussions »^9(*). A call sent to the citizens, thousands of letters, the immediate regrouping of a whole of organizations : the launching of Attac is connected with a fairy tale of which nobody had envisaged the extent of the success. The course of the continuation of the events was going to raise of the same unpredictability as that which marked the emergence of association^10(*). Consequently, Attac is described as being an association marked by the seal of the innovation, because of its original organization and of the engagement which it causes.

First of all, the initial spontaneousness of the movement would have made possible the emergence of an organization whose form is not easily qualifiable. Attac is presented as being a flexible association allowing the setting in network of the individuals and the organizations which take part in it^11(*). In addition to the individual members, association succeeded in gathering more than thousand organizations starting from the same charter^12(*). Moreover, in response to the centralism and the hierarchy of the traditional organizations (trade unions, parties) a flexible operation would have been privileged. Indeed, the counterpart of the not-recognition of the local committees (which do not appear in the statutes) would be the important autonomy of action they have.

But the principal originality of Attac would be to have allowed a revival of engagement. The most obvious sign of this alarm clock of the participation is the exceptional progression of the number of adhesions. Whereas the topic of the crisis of the participation appears like a leitmotiv, the media do not hesitate to speak about a return of engagement. Some see there a movement with counter-current of the political parties and to the lifelessness of the great structures partisanes and trade-union, they oppose the strength of associative engagement^13(*). Others propose the return of the participation of the young people in the political life, such as for example this magazine of women's magazines which titrate: «You Engage! You re-engage! : one had not seen that since the Seventies. At the city as on the screens, political engagement becomes again a value [...] Enquête into a phenomenon of young mass»^14(*).

Attac would have made possible not only one revival of engagement militant but also a new engagement type. The participation in Attac would escape all existing classifications. It acts, first of all, of an engagement which does not rest on affinities partisanes but whose principal spring is it « citizenship ». The associative participation should consequently be heard as being a categorical imperative which is binding on each member political community. Attac would be thus a regrouping of citizens aiming at putting an end to « tyranny of the financial markets ». Engagement within Attac would not be forcing contrary to a political adhesion. It would constitute an engagement « nonpoliticking policy »^15(*).

Moreover, the speech of association grants a big part to the figure of the citizen « credit » i.e. which does not limit its participation in the only electoral gesture. The militant of Attac is a citizen who testifies to a will to take part and of « réapproprier future of the world ». For that it does not hesitate to associate « information, formation and the action »^16(*). Attac would thus constitute one « popular movement of education turned towards the action ».

Lastly, one of the characteristics of Attac would be its imperceptible territorial dimension. The citizen falls under a national community in which it takes part. He is also attached at a local community. As recalled by Bernard Cassen, although Attac was launched initially in a national form, the local committees took over very quickly: « When Attac was born, one did not know what that was going to become! Very quickly, one was surprised by success but also by enthusiasm and the will to act of people themselves. The first committees are create in a completely spontaneous way, before even as we envisaged the existence of it »^17(*). With this local citizenship, the emergence of a world citizenship is added whose Attac would constitute one of the demonstrations. The engagement of Attacants would testify to a «new style of militance and to an associative world which again carries to act beyond the borders »^18(*). Certain leaders of Attac see there even the emergence of an international news of the people.

The representation of the citizenship such as it is spread in association implies a reflection on the territorialisation of the participation. The goal of each militant would be of « To think total and act local »^19(*). However how the inscription of engagements in the room is carried out ?

* ⁶ In October 1999 is hardly a year and half after the creation of Attac Michel Gairaud in Christian Témoignage writes «Attac, it is also a cascade of figures: more than 12  000 members; 890 associations, trade unions, companies, municipalities, media, affiliated with the network. Hundred twenty and one local committees; a committee with the French National Assembly extremely of 115 deputies; 18 international Attac groups; an Internet site translated into seven languages, consulted 350  000 times on average per month of then 80 countries; 100  000 signatures for a petition in favor of the Tobin tax given last week to Laurent Fabius... And all that in only 15 month of existence! «in Michel Gairaud, «  The plea of Attac and dictatorship of the markets  », Christian Testimony, number 2885, October 21, 1999, p. 16.

* ⁷ Cf De Maillard (Thibault), the Attac Base, Air, May/June 2000, p. 39.

* ⁸ Remarks made at the time of AG of St Brieuc.

* ⁹ Cassen (Beranard), «  We all are of learning  » in Attac, an economy with the service of the man, Paris, ED Thousand and One Nights, 2001, p. 283.

* ¹⁰ «  When association was formally constituted, June 3, 1998, by the will of forty founder members [...] none of the latter had indeed ideas very precise of the turning which association would take [...] At the time, indeed, nobody would have ventured to reason of tens of thousands [of members]...  ». Ibid, p. 12.

* ¹¹ «  The structuring of association [...] take part it even of the logic of the electronic networks. National association- and not federation it makes it possible each member to take part and contribute to its development with the same relevance  ». Cassen (Bernard) under the responsibility for, All on Attac, op.cit., p.19.

* ¹² At January 1, 2001, association asserted, among 29830 members, 1159 people morals including 575 trade unions, 362 associations, 61 local sections of parties, 59 companies, 54 local and territorial communities, 26 publications, 9 federations of association, 7 work's councils, 6 co-operatives. Cf, Attac France, «  Inventory of fixtures at January 1, 2001  ». Appendix n°12, p. 29.

* ¹³ Nicolas Weil, journalist in the written World: «This would not be that by the swelling of these manpower Attac constitutes, at the end of these two years of existence a phenomenon with counter-current of the main tendencies the political life [...] the development of association indeed was essential like a counterexample on the decline generalized of militance traditional [...]» in Nicolas Weil, «  Attac. Ni normalizes Anglo-Saxon nor American model of dispute  », The World, 5/06/2000, p. 6.

* ¹⁴ Cf Marion Rugieri, «  You engage! You re-engage! : there was not that since the Seventies. At the city as on the screens, political engagement becomes again a value  », It, April 10, 2000, p. 265.

* ¹⁵ «For the moment when the policy and the parties suffer from a major discredit, nourished renouncement and supplied with certain unworthy conduits, it is advisable not to confuse the object itself and the crisis which affects, and of knowing, with the politicking practices, to oppose engagement citizen. », in Board of directors of Attac, «Attac and the policy  », March 22, 2000.

* ¹⁶ Chantal Aumeran, Pierre Tartakowsky, management Report, General meeting of Attac Ciotat, October 23, 1999.

* ¹⁷ Ibid, p. 12.

* ¹⁸ Weil (Nicolas), «Attac between counter-evaluation  , action and recovery  », the World, 26/10/1999, p.6.

* ¹⁹ Cf, Attac France, To act local, think total, Paris, Thousand and One Nights, 2000.