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

2.2.1.2.2 Not very gravitational modes of formation

The second limit with popular education and the training of the militants lies in the form of the actions which are proposed by the committee. The meetings are not appropriate for some not inquired which thought of finding there a reflection denser. The group « campus » seems to better lend itself to these debates. Indeed, as Cécile explains it, more flexible operation (there is no agenda contrary to the public meetings) and cuts it more reduced (ten militants per meeting) of the group « campus » the debates of ideas facilitate. Moreover, at the public meetings, the participation is often monopolized by the most invested militants. Isabelle explains that the participation in a ' think tank ' is essential to take share with the discussions, under penalty of « to be put at the variation ».

The publications of the scientific Council constitute the principal means of information^469(*). However, they do not seem to agree with a teaching approach. Julie, who takes part in the group « information ", recognizes besides that the contents of these booklets remain difficult to reach. It specifies that a work of simplification would be necessary to operate. Isabelle regrets, that at the time of the first meeting of the committee to which it assisted, one « large pile of documents » was given to him without aucunes explanations. Besides it acknowledges never to have read them. The shape of the information memoranda thus does not seem not adapted. There would be a shift between waitings of the militants and opportunities which are proposed to them. Cecile considers that there is a too important distance between the militants and their working tools. The fact that the militants do not take part in the elaboration of the documents would be, according to it, at the origin of this problem. It suggests, in addition, that militants « work again » the documents in order to them réapproprier. This idea, which was already evoked several times, for the moment was applied very seldom^470(*). The militants thus do not contribute to the development of the information which comes from the scientific Council. How to give an account of this division of the labor?

Isabelle : In fact, which disappoints me a little with Attac, it is that I expected that one has discussions in depth and especially that one is informed on what one knows less. Whereas there, it is or you know your topic and you can fit a little inside, to bring ideas or if you do not know you smell yourself quickly put a little at the variation.

Julie : There is another slope is to make at the local level things which make it possible to challenge people and who allow to lead to the reflection, to make a form of information on what this master key, which is sufficiently... and it is there the problem... which is sufficiently simple and tonic so that that hangs people and there there is much progress to make because one cannot make yet well. I think that it is necessary to find the shapes of interpellation of people that it is in the street or that it is in the demonstrations, which lead to the reflection. And when for example our small documents are taken, for the moment it is necessary to be caught the head to include/understand. There is a work to make simplification... Finally a simplification which nevertheless says something, which is accessible and which hangs

Isabelle : After they spun us documentation, the first time an injury gave us a small package of documents... Extremely interesting! [Laughter]

[...] There is an enormous problem of communication and popularization of information. They spun me a large pile of documents, you look at them and you put them in a corner! I did not read them. I took them and I read one or two of them. But it is illegible, it is necessary to be said « I plunge myself there and I spend three hours there ». It is hard to digest but courage! It is really necessary to be justified, it is necessary to do one crowned effort! After, without wanting to really make an effort, there is nothing which is done in a gravitational way. In the newspaper of Attac campus, there are some who are a little more accessible but even on the level of Attac campus I have the impression that there is still a problem. They are already clearer but I do not think that it is accessible to everyone. People who did not make the economy, I am sorry, there are certain things which they do not include/understand. It is a little complicated. But I think that people do not realize inevitably, bus in Attac campus there is not badly which are in political sciences and they have courses of economy. But those which never made some, it is not obvious. Even me which made two years of éco, you read the articles, there are certain tricks you are there: yes of agreement... but still... There are things which are not obvious to include/understand.

Cecile : To work a leaflet, makes some you adapt itself a leaflet by working it over again. If you want to distribute a leaflet which comes from the information group, that gives you people who work all the documents that gives people who will distribute leaflets and which do not read them. There is a certain number of militants of Attac Isere which have to take part very little in political debates, because there is little political debate Attac Isere [...] It is true, that the members of Attac Isere would gain to have personal position [...]

Julie: The technical level I believe that it too is not of our... Good there are people who are leaning tops, then on the level of the scientific council of Attac and at the national level, but our group did not consider the technique, one answered one moment given to a questionnaire of work on the Tobin tax: for what that was used? Who could manage that? A work was done above but I believe that on the level of our group, the technical questions are not the priority. Because our priority is more to push the deputies.

* ⁴⁶⁹ Put aside the works which seem rather little read by the members, the scientific Council publishes «  4 pages  » devoted to certain topics of reflection (AGCS, debt, Tobin tax, etc). They are widely diffused within the committee.

* ⁴⁷⁰ The documents distributed by the militants during diffusions of leaflets are generally those which come from the national direction of Attac.