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

2.2 A militancy « by bottom » ?

« To inform, form, act, build with Attac »^449(*) : this slogan translates the will of the leaders to locate the action of association at several levels. First of all, it is a question of facilitating the information of nonthe members and of allowing the intellectual training of the militants. It is what Attac indicates by the term of « popular work of education »^450(*). In addition, the second aspect is the militant action itself, i.e. the whole of the collective mobilizations. The leaders establish between these two poles, the reflection and the action, a logical directing wire by defining Attac as one « popular movement of education turned towards the action ». The figure of the militant and that of the intellectual would be thus reconciled. Better, the distinction between the head and the arms would have ceased being. The militancy would be carried out from now on « by bottom ».

2.2.1 The popular work of education

2.2.1.1 To inform and include/understand

2.2.1.1.1 Economic information

Popular education first of all consist in informing the public on the claims carried by association. This diffusion was facilitated by the publication of many economic popularizing works. These books are published in a collection small size (Thousand and One Nights) and their number of page remains weak (between 100 and 150 pages). Each book is devoted to a topic what allows the multiplication of the works (presentation of association, Taxe Tobin, tax havens, OMC, the place of the multinationals, full employment). The sales of these works are considerable what carries some to perceive the anti-mondialiste dispute like a potential market^451(*).

Information is also relayed in each city by the local committees. For example, the committee isérois organizes sometimes diffusions of leaflets in the center town of Grenoble or at the time of various events^452(*). The distributions of leaflets are however rather rare^453(*). François specifies besides that the number of interventions seems to him insufficient. The turnover decided besides to organize, on the proposal of Francois, a diffusion each month starting from the re-entry 2001. The distribution of leaflets represents before very for association a means of attracting new members. This role of publicisation determines the choice of the topics of information. While the first leaflets related primarily to the Tobin tax, which represented the standard of association, the leaders grant from now on a dominating place to the subjects of « topicality ». For example, the GMO or the boycott of Danone represented as many advisabilities in order to promote association. Thus people associate, according to Thomas, less and less Attac with the Tobin tax. On the other hand, the committee carries out relatively little information on the cancellation of the debt. Thomas explains that it is about a delicate subject because people are not very receptive there.

The purpose of this information is not of course only to inform but of « to educate » public, i.e. « to raise, train somebody »^454(*). Association would have to play a part of « conscientisation citizen » which aims at making become aware of the influence of finance. Certain militants estimate however that this design is dangerous because it leads to reproduce a distinction between « high » (members) and it « low » (nonmembers)^455(*).

Thomas : The largest diffusions which one makes it is street Felix Poulat because I always said that it was necessary that one intervenes at least once a month over there. That one is there permanently and that the practice is had that us are seen, to be present. I would like well that that occurs in other cities like that, as in Voiron or Bourgoin because there are local committees over there. Gresivaudan, they do it regularly. I would like that one can intervene more regularly because I think that it is a basic work on popular education that one does not make. Alas, it is not the priority in Attac Isere. It is rather located to follow the international events, which is well! But one could benefit from it to transform that by an intervention around these topics. The street Felix Poulat because it is a place very passer by, in one hour you distribute more than 1000 leaflets Wednesday afternoon if the weather is nice and then there are many youth and much students.

Lionel : In fact people who come, come very little, even at all, for the ideas of Attac. In theory people already think of being informed, it is much more compared to the group of Isere. On the other hand, they know the Tobin tax very little, when they know it it is already that they are quite indicated on Attac. It is much more compared to other problems as compared to the genetically modified Organizations, there was many people which came after the conference organized with Jose Bove and the country confederation. They intend to speak about Attac in the press, the newspapers, television and very little in the leaflets diffused on Isere.

Thomas: Either now, it is not any more the Tobin tax. Because one intervened on heaps of ground, in particular the GMO and thus now. Before yes during the first year it was the Tobin tax. One told them Attac you know? It said « Ah yes ! It is the Tobin tax ». During one year, one year and half that was that and maintaining that changed, from Seattle, from Davos it is really an association anti-universalization.

Thomas: The topics which one tries to inform more it is of course the Tobin tax, the tax havens and international finance, the problem of the retirements also and capitalization and the funds of pension because that touches many people and the problem of the AGCS and OMC and also the problem of the GMO in connection with the country Confederation. Here approximately the four topics, the debt it is a problem which is more difficult and which one can less propose for stories of mentalities, it is always the same problem. It is included/understood the fact that... There is a prejudice compared to the Third World [...] People they include/understand more easily, they more easily take a file which will explain to them than the questioning of the retirements by distribution, that wants to say that tomorrow there are people who will be able to finance their retirement and others which will not be able, rather than saying, it is necessary to cancel the debt of the Third World countries because their first reflex it is of saying «Wait, me when I have a debt I pay it! ». The fact of saying debt they answer «Me I refund my debt» and then they say they to us are all of the feignants... You see what I want to say... They want to live above their means and so on.

* ⁴⁴⁹ Chantal Aumeran, Pierre Tartakowsky, management Report, General meeting of Attac Ciotat, October 23, 1999.

* ⁴⁵⁰ Cassen (Bernard), «  We all are of learning  » in an economy with the service from the man, Paris, Thousand and One Nights, 2001, pp. 9-16

* ⁴⁵¹ The work All on Attac had been sold with 35.000 specimens six months after its launching. The commercial repercussions of the sales are not negligible in spite of the low cost of a work (ten francs, but seventeen francs recently) since the publisher Fayard (very criticized within association because of its affiliation with Lagardere Groupe) offers 10% of royalties to association. Cf, Ferrand (Christine), «  The dispute  : a market of pocket  », Delivers Hebdo, 01/12/2000.

* ⁴⁵² The militants of the local committee for example, during the year 2000, held a stand at the time of the day of the Woman (8/03/2000), of the day of May 1, the festival intercultural of Villeneuve (24/06, Isere), of the fair «  Future with the naturalness  » of Albenc (2-3/09, Isere), of the world walk of the women (14/10), of the days «  Interdependent market and equitable trade  » which took place with Vizille (24-25/11, Isere), of the Naturissima living room «  Life with the naturalness  » (2-5/12).

* ⁴⁵³ During the year 2000, in addition to the already quoted stands, a distribution of leaflets took place on the place Felix Poulat on the AGCS (2/12) and a stand was held on the campus (13/11). Ibid, pp. 4-5. One can note that this lack of investment of the militants in the distribution of leaflets is confirmed by the investigation of Thomas Marty according to whom 12,5% of surveyed would be ready to take part in the distribution of leaflets. Marty (Thomas), op.cit, appendices, p. 11.

* ⁴⁵⁴ Berthelot (Jacques), the dictionary of our time, Paris, Hatchet, 1988, p. 476.

* ⁴⁵⁵A militant of Attac wrote in this direction on Internet  : «  I also benefit from it to wish that we others in Attac know déprendre of a certain complex of superiorities of «  militants of left  ». I am explained  : we are persuaded so much that we have a message important to deliver with «  masses  » (the Tobin tax, the critical denunciation of the financiarized economy, etc), that we have sometimes tendency to under considering the state real of conscientisation and education of the civil company in these fields [...] The civil company is not so ignorant and inert that one believes it with regard to the Tobin tax [...]  ». Douillard (Luc), «  Dear Bernard Cassen  », Attac talk, 26/03/2001.