The summer wildfires seem uncontrollable, as if our society had used up all of its resources against nature’s fury. But that’s not true. If firefighters lack funds, if the fleet of Canadair water bombers is outdated and ridiculously small, it’s because the government hasn’t allocated the required funds. And yet, in Gironde, only a few dozen kilometers from the flames, there are Dassault factories with production lines turning out three Rafale fighter jets every month. Why wasn’t Dassault forced to set up a Canadair production line? Because it wouldn’t have made them enough profit!

We are helpless against these fires because we live in a society of unbridled and destructive capitalism that is ruled by the big bourgeoisie’s race for the highest and quickest profit.

Gas prices are also flaring up

Things are heating up in other places: gas prices have just reached an all-time high. TotalEngergies announced, oh so generously, that it was going to cap its gas and diesel oil prices at 1.99 and 2.25 euros per liter respectively! In the same breath, the group announced its record-breaking profits to the financial world. For just the first semester of 2026, the group made a net profit of 11.4 billion euros. Compared with last year’s figures for the same period, that’s an almost 50% increase. During the same six months, fuel prices rose 40 cents per liter.

When questioned on the subject, government spokesperson, Maud Bregeon, claimed to be against “Total bashing”, as if she were defending a victim! She added: “We’re lucky in France to have a major global energy company that can ensure our supply.” Not only does she condone the extortion, but it also sounds as if she believes we should be grateful! As soon as political leaders are in government, they defend capitalists unconditionally, however rich and parasitic they may be.

The price of crude oil is going up due to the war that the U.S. is waging against Iran and the blockade of the strait of Hormuz. And the blockade of another strait, that of Bab-el-Mandeb, by the Houthis from Yemen, Iran allies, could make the situation worse by reducing crude oil exports, particularly out of Saudi Arabia. The CEO of TotalEnergies, Patrick Pouyanné, himself agreed that speculation on oil prices following the conflict in the Middle East was a considerable financial windfall source and that their crude and refined oil trading activities were very successful.

How oil companies are parasites

But the reality is that oil business has been for a long time in the hands of a cartel of oil trusts, including TotalEnergies, with the American groups Exxon Mobil, Chebron, Anglo-Dutch group Shell and the British BP. Because they have a monopoly, these companies can create their own shortages or, at least, use global events to do so. Their policy can therefore be summed up as: produce and sell less but at a much higher price.

And it’s not just the price of gasoline. Fruit and vegetable prices have also gone up. But the economy is based on energy prices and their increase is the precursor of a new increase for almost all other products and services.

In this domain too, those who profit from the increases are the large conglomerates who have a monopoly, who can come to an agreement on prices: automobile, shipping, steel, chemical, and retail sectors, etc. Small businesses however are reluctant to raise their prices for fear of losing customers and sometimes prefer to reduce their margins even if they risk bankruptcy.

Workers should be running the economy

At the bottom of the ladder, those, i.e. the workers, who have nothing to sell but their labor, their energy, their minds will be the ones to pay for the price hikes with the collapse of their purchasing power. Faced with the threat of another rise in inflation, there is a demand that is common to all of us: a massive increase in wages, retirement benefits and other pensions and to have them index-linked to prices! Another vital element is to impose price audits by the workers themselves.

It’s up to us to control the way that this society is run. Our government leaders are driving us into catastrophe and only the working class can stop them.

Nathalie ARTHAUD