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

1.3.1.3 Contradictions of the committee isérois

If one observes the working procedure of the committee isérois, it would seem, in spite of the speeches held by the militants, that the decision-making is carried out on modes similar to the national structure. Luc explains that before the decision-making is not clarified, the members of the public meeting were sometimes brought to vote without that being for as much representative of the whole of the members. Following an incident (a group of not-members had occurred in a public meeting in order to affect the decisions of the committee), the decisions take place from now on only within the Board of directors. However, that does not satisfy all the members. For example, Francois, who militated in several organizations, estimates that the Parliament is there only for « to ratify » the decisions which were adopted before at the time of the A.C. Moreover, one can question the representativeness of the turnovers when it is known that alone less than one ten members^160(*) take part in it. The decision « collective », which is made to the 800 members of the group, is thus the result of a discussion and a vote which take place between a small group of militants. Luc besides acknowledg not to know which it represents within the committee. Its election, is according to him the sign of an agreement of the members isérois with the standpoint of the committee.

Mode elective, to which seem attached the militants isérois when it is about the national operating mode, occupies a very restricted place within the committee. Luc recognizes besides that the vote is very seldom used at the time of the A.C. It explains why the consensus is privileged and that it makes so that sufficient debates takes place. The vote is necessary only on two occasions : to put an end to a debate when conflicts of people appear and to be elected committee, which represents a source of legitimacy within a national debate. It is legitimate to wonder about the representativeness of the standpoint which is made in the name of the committee. At the time of AG iséroise 2000, certain members criticized the members of the turnover for their opposition to the national^161(*). Cecile explains that militants of the committee « reproach Attac national for making subjects without the assent of the local committees. However, the turnover of Attac Isere does an utmost of subjects without the assent of the members of Attac Isere! ».

Luc : There was a whole problem of decision within Attac Isere. Because in the beginning, I was not there yet and that it is clarified a few months ago, which makes the decisions within Attac Isere? Is this the Board of directors, or is this the monthly meeting? There were ambiguities not possible. Now one said one speaks to us to the Board of directors about Attac Isere elected during a General meeting. The spirit it is that. The Board of directors is elected and it makes decisions in the name of the Board of directors, it is out of questions that the Monthly meeting and that, that was clarified, makes decisions, because that it is all the anarchistic aspect, there are anarchists with Attac which said the decision is taken collectively. But does that want to say what collectively whereas in the monthly meetings we are around fifty and we are never the 700? Ca is not more representative, on the contrary they are people who are not elected. Moreover, one attended the level of our history... One wanted to make an action for Tunisia and it is me which had taken it in load, and more one action near the Tunisian consulate in Grenoble, one held a front monthly meeting. In this one there are full people with the consulate of Tunisia who came in the monthly meeting to affect our decision. Because in these public meetings one discusses freely. There no had been votes. Now one can make votes at the meetings, but it is said that they are preliminary votes. And then now one says who has his chart of Attac? Because no matter who can come to vote at a public meeting. This problem of democracy is now clear, one makes more decisions in monthly meeting [...] There was no report of front Board of directors. How was the decision made? It was fuzzy. The only decisions which were made in manner clear, these was those that one put on Internet and which are on the site Attac 38.

François : The General meeting is there to only ratify. For example the Board of directors of Attac Isere meets before and comes to the General meeting and says what it decided.

F.E : A few moments ago you said to me that in the Board of directors of Attac Isere there is little vote...

Luc: There is little vote and for example yesterday, when there was a vote was to stop the discussion because in my opinion that turned in the vacuum, therefore to stop I made a vote. But in a general way there is no formal vote, one often arrives at an agreement. Sometimes, for example compared to national coordination, where I asked for a formal vote, to be elected on something, so that I would be elected officially and clearly on something. I say « I ask for a formal vote on top ». Most of the time at the time of the votes, there are one or two people who do not agree or who abstain from. It should be said that one does not discuss badly, and I think that the whole of people are rather different.

Luc : I think that one has certainly same contradictions within Attac Isere, there are people whom one never sees, and it is in that which I say that one does not know what one represents. I know it if one is re-elected or not. These problems of the democracy are posed everywhere.

Cecile : Me I remember to the A.G very well. members, where there still had been the question of the relations with the national which had been put on the carpet, and where finally there was a member who had intervened for saying: «Me I have just learned that Attac Isere east in opposition with Attac national, I did not know it at all, I do not know the terms of the debate at all ! «. Thus the member had adhered to Attac, because it agreed national with Attac because it is Attac national which one sees and it was smelled a little taken as an hostage by the a little polemical standpoint of Attac Isere. Sometimes there is a a little impatient side compared to the national for more democracy in Attac, perhaps but it is necessary to sweep in front of its door initially [...] Not but it is true, when you are in a group, that you have a member who says: «Me I do not include/understand the position of Attac Isere with respect to Attac national». When one reproaches Attac national for making subjects without the assent of the local committees! However, the turnover of Attac Isere does an utmost of subjects without the assent of the members of Attac Isere!

Lionel : There was a problem at the time of the moral report/ratio of the year 2001, i.e. after the General meeting of Saint-Brieuc where the sling of the local committees had taken place. People had received a mail of Isere and they did not include/understand this friction with the national and the office had been very criticized by people who often do not come and who receive information. It did not include/understand why there had been as many problems [...] They badly were nevertheless not criticized even inside Isere. People who came to say «You criticize much but you are not perfect in the way in which you function! ».

Design of « democracy » intern who is present in the speech of the people interviewed excludes personalization from the capacity. However, it would seem that the local committee is taken, as for its operation, in same contradictions as the national. The deliberations of the turnover engage often only one ten members of association. At the general meetings, to which assist between 50 and 60 people, the speakers are generally the members of the A.C. François considers thus that « the more there is world and the more in fact the large mouths speak and the less democratic it is in terms [...] of decision-making ». Cecile considers that the committee is animated only by three or four militants. One can note besides that within Attac Isere, among the 33 stations of persons in charge for groups, 23 are occupied by militant members of the A.C. Certain are present as a member of the turnover, referent of a group and person in charge for a committee of reflection set of themes. There is a concentration of the stations which is thus very strong. The political participation, as Bernard Denni notes it, is characterized by a strong concentration with the profit of some and it is carried out on a model pyramidal (office plurality of adhesions and responsibilities)^162(*). However, one can note that those which occupy the most significant number of functions are not militants « professionals ». For example, Julie, who occupies four stations in association is not adherent of another organization. It has a relatively weak past militant^163(*). Contrary inquired which cumulates adhesions in the other organizations (Cecile, François) do not occupy of the stations with responsibility in the committee or do not invest themselves in those^164(*).

François : Because in the general Assemblies as that of Attac for example one sees that the more there is world and the more in fact the large mouths speak and the less it is democratic in terms of information and decision-making.

Cecile : There are people in Attac Isere which know about all that occurs at one time on all the groups; there are three four people of the turnover which is engaged and which really animates Attac Isere.

The militants isérois seem attached to the procedures of collective deliberations. However, according to Jacques Ion, one would attend since the end of the Sixties a questioning of the elective procedures. The vote, it is the means which allows within an organization of « to release a single expression and thus to make majority will the law of all »^165(*). This virtue of the vote which was exalté before would have become vice today. From now on it appears, like one « means too often used to slow down the processes of discussion and deliberation »^166(*). However, the preference of surveyed for this decisional mode contradicts this evolution. The use which is made vote within the committee, just like within national association, seems to go in a direction which is against the observations of Jacques Ion. The vote does not have here, only one deliberative role. It is used to close a debate or with being elected, i.e. to incorporate the individual wills and to legitimate their representation. There is thus a paradox between the democratic preoccupation of a better legitimacy and a better participation to which the members testify and the modes of deliberation which take place within the committee. It would seem that the militants isérois are confronted with same contradictions as the national direction. Whereas they carry a speech where « democracy » (heard as the collective participation) is central, the operating mode of association seems to escape this principle. How to interpret this paradox ?

One can suppose that the frequent evocations of the topic of the democracy testify, not only, of a real attachment to the concept of collective participation but also of a rhetoric allowing to criticize the national direction. If the militants attach such an amount of importance to the collective representation, it is perhaps in order to be able to play a more important part in the national operation of association. The conflict which opposes the direction of association to the militants isérois, testifies to a will to be recognized within the statutes, as a local committee, in order to have a more important place. The value that the militants grant to the elective mode of designation and the collective participation would be then a means of legitimating their claims.

These contradictions were shown finger on several occasions. Obviously, the attitude of the committee Attac Isere does not achieve the unanimity within association. It is, moreover, famous to be one of the committees most radical against the national direction. This relation is the subject of debates between committees but also between the members isérois.

* ¹⁶⁰ The preceding turnover comprised nine elected officials. It is specified in the management report that «  five [are] present indeed at the meetings  ». This is why, the new turnover elected on February 24, 2001 comprises from now on 18 members. Attac Isere, management Report, 2001.

* ¹⁶¹ To answer criticisms formulated at the time of the General meeting of February 24, 2001, a motion presented by the turnover was adopted for the preparation of an extraordinary General meeting  : «  AG of Attac-Isere joined together this 24 February 2001constatant the difficulties encountered in 2000 to elect the representatives with the General meeting of Attac-national on a position recognized by the majority of the members, asks for the convocation of an extraordinary General meeting in the month which will precede the national General meeting, in order to work out a majority position. This extraordinary General meeting, will transform itself into ordinary Parliament for the following exercises  ». Attac Isere, Letter with the members, 05/2001.

* ¹⁶² Refusal (Bernard), «  Political engagement  », in Grawitz (Madelaine), Leca (Jean), Treated political science, Paris, PUF, Volume III, 1985, p. 361.

* ¹⁶³ Cf, Table «  Biographical presentation of surveyed  ».

* ¹⁶⁴ Cecile is member of the A.C. However, it admits taking part in it very seldom.

* ¹⁶⁵ Ion (Jacques), op.cit, p. 71.

* ¹⁶⁶ Ibid, p. 71.