FRENCH, SPANISH

Everywhere, social movements are multiplying to denounce the economic, social and environmental impacts caused by the big companies. In France, in the yellow vest movement, a number of dysfunctions in French society have been denounced:

lack of democratic tools and citizen expression; lack of government transparency, fine line between the executive and the judiciary, strong police brutalities, abuse of power, embezzlement, tax evasion and fraud, environmental crimes, corruption, laws and acts of libertarianism, lack of respect for human rights, social inequalities, discrimination...

The health crisis that we are currently going through because of COVID-19 and the way in which members of the French government have failed in certain aspects in the management of it, giving rise to several complaints against them, only reminds us of the dysfunctions brought to light by the yellow vests movement. However, it must be said that there are still others:

the strong dependence of our country on foreign countries and more particularly on China; the neglect of our craftsmen, farmers and breeders; the lack of individual (citizen) autonomy; the lack of means of the care services (constantly reminded for years and more particularly since the last demonstrations of health sector); the high cost of living with regard to basic necessities and local products; the supposed European "UNION" that has failed to manage this crisis jointly (it has shone through its inaction), and the natural reaction of our environment, which shows us to what extent WE ARE THE SOLUTION, not to say that we are part of the problem.

For all these reasons, why not project ourselves now into the establishment of a new model of society that is more social and more supportive? This new model, built collectively, with citizen participation and thanks to democratic tools, could take shape within an INTERNATIONAL PACT AGAINST SOCIAL INEQUALITIES #IPASI in which France will have to take its part by already committing itself to the following 10 commitments: 

A. Work on scenarios to defend against pandemics (health - employment - education - politics - business) at the national, European and international levels.

B. Reviewing our European treaties and questioning our dependence on the EU (no coordination in the management of this crisis! no solidarity! no common plan)

C. Fund research into suspected pandemics and the needs of health care sectors.

D. Putting in place tools accessible to all, on the procedure to follow in the event of a crisis of this type (good practices, doing "do-it-yourself", prevention, etc.) and creating psychological focal points. 

E. Reduce the country's dependence on foreign production but also stop privatizing everything. Put back the hand on the sectors that are supposed to meet our essential needs (production of masks for example !!)

F. Encourage short circuits (e.g. a ban for super/hypermarkets to sell local fruit and vegetables if cooperatives, breeders, farmers, etc. are present in the sector). 

G. Eliminate taxes on staple, organic/healthy and local products 

H. Sanction the biggest polluters; propose transport alternatives in areas where they are lacking and abolish the carbon tax until such time as alternatives are put in place. And more generally, recognize and punish environmental crimes whose socio-economic impacts are even more important in times of crisis.

I. Putting in place tools to monitor what the government is doing with our money (taxes and duties) that should have been used to finance schools, medical facilities and measures to prepare for the ecological transition ... (where is our money going??!)

J. Rewrite the rules of our society which, in view of all these dysfunctions, are clearly obsolete (= rewrite the Constitution)

Why this observation and how to organise the next day that so many civil society actors are beginning to talk about?

France is the eurozone country with the highest tax burden and the biggest European payer of dividends. France, but not its citizens, has never been so rich! And yet public services lack everything, social gains are gradually being destroyed, national assets are being sold off to the highest bidder and inequalities persist, widening the gap even further. Everywhere else, big business is getting bigger (never before have so many dividends been paid out in 2019 worldwide) and governments are facilitating this race for profit, for power.

But what are these companies without their employees? NOTHING

What are Présidents and their Ministers? They are our employees! Employees whose work we cannot control, whose abuses we cannot punish, whose abuses we cannot challenge, whose we can only alert through militant actions that are often mocked and repressed! We have no other tools and they have no interest in putting them in place. No interest in holding us accountable.

Let's avoid repeating the same mistakes. Let's demand an end to all this.

The post-COVID-19 period must not accentuate these shotcomings and abuses on the pretext of saving the economy. The post-COVID-19 period must be the result of a society that rethinks solidarity and responsibility. Where social inequalities and warnings about climate change will finally have to be taken seriously, because, as we have seen, nature has timidly tried to regain its rights during the period of containment. Pollution is decreasing and the environment is pointing at us as THE FAILURE.

Confined, we see in a few weeks that it is possible to respond to the climate emergency, that an ecological transition is possible and faster than we think. Let's have the courage to do what it takes: it is clear that drastic measures must be put in place if we want to preserve our environment. And if this were to be considered, let us refuse to lift the sanctions on companies that pollute. Let us refuse to put in place recovery plans for fossil fuels. Let us refuse to destroy our hard-won social gains from the struggles of the past. We have seen how important it is to have a health care system and we must preserve it when, elsewhere, perhaps they should finally create one! 

During this crisis, acts of solidarity on the initiative of the citizens of this world, including many public figures, are multiplying without waiting for any directives. When some governments are still ordering masks, others are stealing them from them! When, at the beginning of its term of office, the French government immediately abolished the wealth tax, it now dares to ask the population to take part in a collection of donations! When its health minister admits having participated in letting the virus spread after having proclaimed everywhere that there was no danger. When the government spokesperson says that wearing a mask is useless. When at the beginning of March, the presidential couple invited us to go out while our Italian neighbours were dying of the virus! When solutions are suggested by specialists but are immediately denounced as overshadowing the pharmaceutical industry. 

Also, we saw to what extent the professions usually mocked, despised, neglected, invisible, are occupied by women and men who today save our lives by continuing to work. They allow us to live and survive at the risk of falling ill and infecting their loved ones. Garbage collectors, delivery men, cashiers, nurses, postmen, farmers...essential professions. And all too often, when they demand more means to exercise their profession serenely, political responses are poor or even non-existent. 

How many mistakes, how many excesses must still occur before we react?

Is it not time to rewrite the rules so that they no longer favour only a small section of the population (i.e. rewrite the Constitution, rewrite the Declaration of Human Rights and create new ones)? Don't you think that the system that wants us to elect representatives who have ALL POWERS is OBSOLETE? It is an update that should be made so that inequalities in all areas stop. The citizens of this world who have been mere spectators until now should now be able to be involved in the taking of important decisions. Let us create, let us create citizens' assemblies drawn by lot to reflect on this update. Let us become actors.

Let us make our governments respect certain fundamentals that could provide us with a minimum guarantee and help to reduce social inequalities.

Let us propose that they prove their good intentions by putting in place measures that should find their place in this INTERNATIONAL PACT AGAINST SOCIAL INEQUALITIES in 10 points.

1-Right to live in a healthy environment 

2-The citizen's right of political expression

3-Right to education and success for all, on all tracks 

4-Right to choose one's life course (in or out of the system)

5-Right to the truth, to the knowledge of historical facts. 

6-Right of access , for all , to communication directed to the public 

7-Right to stability and equal treatment in the world of work

8-Citizen's right of inspection and control over institutions and public authorities 

9-Right to travel (world citizen)

10-Right to equality

For example, for France, measures I and J mentioned above would find their place in points 1 and 8 of the INTERNATIONAL PACT.

A platform could thus be set up to detail each point and monitor the progress of the implementation of the measures or identify those that already exist for each country.