A-Infos (en) France, UCL AL #365 - Spotlight - 2026 Budget: The Art of Government Obscurity (ca, de, fr, it, pt, tr)[machine translation]

Endless waiting, lightning resignation, reappointment, backroom deals... 
The political sequence of the past few weeks was ridiculous, but it also 
served as a smokescreen for a budget of extreme social violence. Jokes 
abounded about the absurdity of the government's recent events. Absurd 
delays in appointing a government that ultimately resigned in less than 
24 hours, on the pretext that little Retailleau was sulking in his 
corner. The lightning reappointment of Lecornu, who calls himself a 
"monk-soldier"... A succession of events as ridiculous as they are pathetic.

The sequence did, however, bring one interesting thing to light: a 
broadening of criticism of the state beyond the usual activist circles. 
Because despite these entire weeks without a stable government, society 
clearly continued to function. Better still: it was almost a respite, 
without any catastrophic anti-social announcements. A sign that we could 
surely live very well, perhaps even better, without a government or a 
president. And why not, without a state at all?

But beyond these considerations, we mustn't be naive. While it's 
tempting to attribute these events to the stupidity of our leaders, in 
reality, it was probably more about buying time, with a dual agenda: to 
remain in power as long as possible, and to get as close as possible to 
the end of the year, in order to put pressure on the National Assembly 
regarding the budget vote. A tactic confirmed by Lecornu's surprise 
announcement: the possible suspension of the pension reform, intended to 
be a powerful bargaining chip in the negotiations.

While we can welcome what is primarily the result of a long-term social 
movement that has made the issue of pensions central, we must also 
remain cautious. Firstly, because we're not being told about a repeal of 
the reform, but rather the possible possibility of a temporary 
suspension... Admittedly, this would benefit a few hundred thousand 
workers who would gain a few months of pensions, but it would still be a 
pittance compared to our demands. And a pittance contingent on the 
budget being passed.

And that's where the deception lies: backed by this social veneer - 
which has only convinced the Socialist Party, that should be a clue - 
the government is presenting us with a budget of record austerity. The 
anti-social nature of the project is crystal clear and remarkably 
cynical: the savings will be made at the expense of the poor, the sick, 
and immigrants. Lower pensions, a freeze on social benefits, increased 
legal fees-which would complicate access to labor courts-higher medical 
deductibles, less comprehensive coverage for certain sick 
leave-particularly for depression-and increased costs for residency 
permits and naturalizations... Behind the thin veil of smoke surrounding 
the suspension of pension reform, a hurricane fueled by the worst 
fantasies of capitalists is brewing.

We must face the facts: the start of the academic year was just a 
warm-up. Faced with the government's relentless pursuit, we must 
continue to organize, mobilize, and maintain the pressure!

N. Bartosek (UCL Alsace)

https://www.unioncommunistelibertaire.org/?Budget-2026-L-art-de-l-enfumage-gouvernemental
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