Looks like France is either taking a swing to the right or the left, the middle ground is dead

80% turn out
the far right take 20%, the far left 11%

Looks like Sarkozy will have to embrace the right or give in – going to be interesting

Current politics is throwing up some interesting things at the moment:

1. Our coalition with its good and bad bits
2. The failure of socialist/labour parties to make the most of what should be their best opportunities
3. The rise of more extreme/fringe parties
4. Protest or real votes?
5. Socialist French leaders courting the far right!!!

I thought Sarko would have done a lot worse – it will be interesting to watch. More messy compromises…????

http://www.thedailymash.co.uk/news/international/france-is-basically-hitler%2c-agrees-everyone-201204235151/

The French are all mental anyway. It doesn’t matter what government they’ve got, they’ll still be busy blockading ports, flouting EU laws, overfishing, going on strike, having sex with their neighbours wives, eating horses, smoking gitannes and annoying the rest of Europe, while shrugging Gallic-ally

Here, have a pretty map

Sarko did better than I thought, but it looks as if he will be re-elected. The far-right will vote for him to keep the socialists out, most of Bayrou’s vote will go to him too (this is where the balance hangs). The far left have always garnered that many votes, but because they have the one candidate rather than all the little left wing factions, it looks larger.

I’ve always loved the French attitude towards politics. They do seem to get far better turnouts and the physic dictates they’re all involved and happy to wear their hearts on their sleeves.

I think we need a sea change in the EU, this middle ground stuff is just not going anywhere, lack of drive and foresight.

He will remain in power because he is short … and we know all short people are very cunning …

I think we need a sea change in the EU, this middle ground stuff is just not going anywhere, lack of drive and foresight.

Trouble is, the middle ground is the best option. If the right wingers get in we’ll be herding anyone slightly brown onto boats and if the left get in we’ll be stoney broke. No thanks to either of those.

if the left get in we’ll be stoney broke

Most of Europe is there already. The EU are trying to hush it all up for a bit, but the Spanish economy is an utter car crash, with completely unsustainable levels of debt. A situation that it refuses to do anything to address. Italy is not far behind. And that’s before you get to the real basket cases.

The Eu is ****ed!!! Yet the French are part of the fingers-in-ears la-la-la-we’re-not-listening problem

Yet the French are part of the fingers-in-ears la-la-la-we’re-not-listening problem

Agreed but they’ll be more than a problem if the socialists get the reigns.

binners – Member

The French are all mental too cool anyway. It doesn’t matter what government they’ve got, they’ll still be busy blockading ports, flouting EU laws, overfishing, going on strike, having sex with their neighbours wives, eating horses, smoking gitannes and annoying the rest of Europe, while shrugging Gallic-ally

FTFY

geoffj – believe me, none of that was intended as a criticism. Well…. maybe the eating horses bit 😀

8)

Adding another one:

6. Hollande (the true enemy is the world of finance) having to tap international capital markets urgently in the early days of his term. How will the rhetoric change?

we due a French re-fi soon then THM?

Fortunately not – the French have more immediate funding requirements (approx 20% GDP financing due in both 2012 and 2013) plus a greater %age of funding coming from offshore than the UK – a minor inconvenience peut-etre? So if you have little/no intention of introducing austerity packages (presumably) then you have the unenviable choice (for Hollande) of bending over backwards and being rodgered by those you despite or swallowing Gallic pride and going to the eurozone bailout funds or the IMF.

Well not sure the votes from the centre are going to the UMP. Plus it will be interesting to see who the morons[s]IDtenT[/s] don’t really know how to name them, people who have voted FN just for the sake of protesting are going to vote for. I don’t want to believe 20% of fellow french who went to the poll are genuine racists. I still want to think they just want things to change. Best bet will be indeed to vote for the centre (come with such program hollande is not left wing). I’ll be watching the news very closely.
I really hope we get the least worst disease on the second round.

THM – but he’ll be able to disassociate the act of boring to spend from actually engaging with the financial markets. Everyone knows government expenditure comes only from taxes…dont they? 😉

“Je vois”, dit l’homme aveugle!! Merci beaucoup.

Mange tout, THM, mange tout.

The French know all about being condescended to and often respond in kind. Fais gaffe. 😀

Julian, sorry, dont understand the joke/point? I was responding to Stoner’s comments on tax in what was also meant to be a joke!

chewkw – Member

He will remain in power because he is short … and we know all short people are very cunning …

Priceless ! Thanks chewkw 😀

.

I don’t want to believe 20% of fellow french who went to the poll are genuine racists. I still want to think they just want things to change.

I hear that at least 40% of the FN’s vote is expected to go to Hollande in the second round. So that means that almost half of those who voted for the far right will be voting for the left wing candidate rather than the right wing candidate when it’s a straight choice between the two.

Which of course makes no sense at all and speaks volumes about FN voters. I suspect that sort of completely irrational attitude is widespread throughout Europe including in the UK. And it has historical precedents going back to the 1930s.

On the face of it working class people being attracted to the lies and simplistic solutions of the far right should be the cause of despair and despondency, but all the evidence is that this support is extremely soft and can be successfully challenged if the determination is there. It just requires education leading to better political understanding and awareness.

On the plus side support for the far right from ordinary working people shows that they have reached a position whereby they feel that radical solutions to their problems is required, that’s no bad thing. Obviously the lies and simplistic solutions of the far right plays right into the hands of those who are actually responsible for the problems, but once that angry is redirected at those who are actually responsible, then substantial progress can be made. Voting FN and the Socialist 2 weeks later suggests that many aren’t sure who to direct their anger at.

Ernie – do you think that Front Nationale’s recent economic policies were “right” wing or “left” wing?

if you can learn to tackle the dichotomy of a “right wing” party being fundamentally socialist , then you’ll begin to understand why so many of their voters will go to Hollande.

There has been a change in FN policies since the 70’s that has very much seen a move from capitalism.

(I’ve pointed this out to you with a critique of the BNP’s economic policies before BTW!)

Yes of course Zulu-Eleven, the FN is left wing/socialist. That’s why everybody, apart from you that is, describes them as the far right.

No doubt you’ll also want to tell us that Melenchon and the Left Front is in fact conservative ?

See, there you go, making an idiot of yourself ernie

Which of the FN policies is economically “right” wing?

A fundemental aspect of Marine Le Pen’s policy is is to nationalize a huge tranche of public services and she sees a strong and central government as an important platform of its economic policy – in the words of the FN:

Le FN promeut par ailleurs des services publics dignes de ce nom, portés par un Etat fort, stratège, protecteur et solidaire

Basically, The National Front wants a strong state that takes a lot of decisions for its constituents, on social and economic issues

On energy policy, they want to:

Impose freedom of research and commercialization of alternative fuels against the oil lobby.
Develop a plan to reduce consumption of fuel with eventual goal of replacing 10%, oil imports by fuels.
Create support for research in alternative energy to oil: hybrid, fuel cell, use of gas and biofuels.

She claims to be attached to the French public utilities, the civil servants and the general interest.

She opposes the programmed privatization of the French Post Office (La Poste) : in her view, “the privatization, with the aim of only making profitable, will result in the removal of post offices in the rural areas where the relinquishment of the state is already high”.

She warned that the UMP government planned a “progressive privatization of the French Social Security system from 2011” and that this was a condition imposed by the financial markets.

The FN favour a “protectionism that encourages cooperation in trade among nations through the end of ‘unbridled free trade'”

Is this really the policy base of a right wing economic party?

See, there you go, making an idiot of yourself ernie

Obviously Zulu-Eleven, along with everyone else in the world who describes the FN in France as the far right.

Except for you of course Zulu-Eleven – you’re a bit of a smarty-pants, and therefore you describe them as left wing socialists.

Listen Z-11 here’s a tip for you – if you are going to troll then at least try to add a comic angle to your trolling. It would make it all so much less tedious.

The Dutch cabinet resigned today after Geert Widers pushed them over the edge by refusing to back austerity measures
Interesting days indeed

http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2012/apr/23/eurozone-crisis-austerity-dutch-government

No ernie – you’re creating a straw man argument – I did not say that the FN was left wing, I said that there was a dichotomy involving a “right wing” party being fundamentally socialist

I’ll ask you again Ernie – do you think that Front Nationale’s recent economic policies were “right” wing or “left” wing? go on, answer it!

“the philosophy of the FN’s economic project comes down to some words: construction of a strong, protective and strategist state, reasoned protections at the boundaries, support to the small and medium enterprises, and get back the monetary sovereignty, only able to assure France’s recovery”

I don’t think you’ve actually considered any of the FN’s actual policies Ernie – you’re just on the bandwagon!

Question to consider – Whats the FN’s policy on privatisation of the motorway network?

There has been a change in FN policies since the 70’s

Ermmmm nope. Same sh1te different wrapping paper. But I am sure you are going to tell me I am wrong and I know ****-all about French politics.

No change in the Economic policies Juan?

You sure? go on then, whats the FN’s recent policy on privatisation?

Ever heard the phrase ‘gaucho-lepenisme’?

What change tell me…? Funny you hang on this string so tightly. Basically the Front Nazi isn’t having a socialist economic policy at all. They are just bragging about a couple of highly criticised fact that happened during the mighty midget reign.
I think you should read more about the FN program and see how much of socialist they are
“kick out all people who form their criteria aren’t french”
“Putting back death penalty (and no not for bike thieves”
“Banning IVG”
And don’t get me started on their social policy.

What have those issues got to do with Economics Juan?

Show me their free market capitalist economic policies – this is nothing to do with the death penalty or immigration.

C’mon then – whats their position on nationalisation/privatisation?

Z11 is quite correct on this occasion, and its quite common for “hate parties” to have quite socialist economic policies. They don’t actually believe in socialism, its just one of the tools used to build their hopeful path to power. They tend to target the most disadvantaged groups in society to build their power base, and need some policies that sound like would be beneficial to that group to dress up their more hateful agenda.

Zulu-Eleven – Member

No ernie – you’re creating a straw man argument

😀

I’m not creating any sort of argument !

I’m not arguing with you at all !

I’m very happy to leave you to your trolling 8)

I see you’ve not been able to point is to any of these “right wing” capitalist policies Ernie 🙄

A little light reading for the doubters

http://graphics.thomsonreuters.com/specials/EuropeLePen.pdf

FN are a hardline nationalist party, they are neither right or left wing, simply populist.

I see you’ve not been able to ……blah, blah, blah

Well we’ve already established that I’m “an idiot” along with everyone else who calls the FN in France a far right organisation ….. politicians, the media, etc.

And we’ve also established that you, on the other hand, are bit of a smarty-pants.

It looks to me like you’ve won to me.

So now you can strut around looking and feeling really smug ….. you deserve it mate – well done.

Sauce for the goose Ernie, sauce for the goose

Where’s these right wing economic policies? c’mon, should be fairly easy for you to point me towards them!

By the way, I can even disprove your claim that everyone else calls them far right

https://twitter.com/#!/afneil/status/194354152405606400

I notice someone only becomes a troll after they’ve caught you on the hop 😉

I can even disprove your claim that everyone else calls them far right

And it’s another win for Zulu-Eleven !!!!!

Seriously mate, this is cause for celebration……..why don’t you leave your computer a moment and do a little Lazy Town dance – because you’ve won !!!

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w826qm1XIaY[/video]