Macron turns into unlikeable working-class-bashing douche

[mvd10]

Macron really should refrain from making these comments and focus on reforming France (that one time when he called factory workers illiterate was terrible). But I don't really feel sorry for the people ravaging Paris every time the French government tries to reform the labour market (and didn't he mean them by "slackers"?). Anyway, hopefully they'll stop complaining when Macron's flawless beautiful economic reforms help France achieve full employment by the 2020s .

[mvd10]

I doubt Mélenchon would have defeated Fillon. Mélenchon led him in the polls, but there wasn't much attention for the possibility as they basically were tied for third in the polls. The entire global establishment probably would rush to Fillon in a Mélenchon vs Fillon match-up because of Mélenchon's EU views, and the stock market would have crashed. I think that might have been enough to push Fillon over the top (and Macron probably would have endorsed Fillon as well). Pensioners voted for Macron en masse because they knew Le Pen's EU plan would screw them (despite agreeing with Le Pen on basically everything else lol). Meanwhile Fillon basically was the pensioners' candidate (dude literally got 45% of people aged 70 or over in the first round) while Mélenchon would be an even worse fit for them.

[mvd10]

Turns? People didn't realize that he was a far right-wing corporatist before? Even Fillon or Le Pen would have been slightly better.

Macron is just a more reformist version of Hollande (Third Way). Fillon would have been (or he would have tried to be) France's Thatcher. Macron wanted to cut spending by 60 billion, Fillon by 100 billion, Macron wanted some labour reforms, Fillon wanted to reduce the labour code from 3400 pages to 150 pages, Macron wanted to keep the 35 hour work week somewhat intact, Fillon wanted to repeal it entirely. Macron promised to cut 120,000 public sector jobs, Fillon wanted to cut 500,000 public sector jobs. And Fillon wanted to slash taxes by 50 billion (40 billion for businesses) while Macron only cuts them by 20 billion. Fillon also was really socially conservative, while Macron is quite liberal on social issues.

It's a shame Fillon turned out to be hilariously corrupt, he truly could have made France great again . I still would have voted for him (I'm a VVD member so I'm kinda used to crooked politicians ).

Anyway, Political Compass also claimed that Macron to the right of Fillon on economic issues, so perhaps that's where his claim comes from.

[mvd10]

He always was one, just can't hide anymore now that everyone hates him

Yeah, literally nothing about this is new for him. This is why I told people on this forum, back when it was the height of the French election, that I wouldn't have voted for him and that he'd ultimately strengthen the far-right in France.

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Well, if the Left had actually gotten it sh*t together and actually united behind a candidate, they could've actually won, but no, as usual, infighting.

Infighting was everywhere, that's how Macron got in. And had Hamon somehow dropped out and his supporters given just enough to put Melenchon over the line, the battle would've been a fight against the far-left, which would've strengthened the far-right anyway.

It'd have taken Fillon vs Melenchon, and to get a Melenchon win [somehow] to stop this outcome.

Melenchon could've defeated Le Pen.

I'm not so sure of that.

Nah, I think Mélenchon would have defeated Le Pen. But it doesn't really matter as I doubt either of them would have won a majority in parliament because of the complete f**ing chaos a Mélenchon or (especially) Le Pen victory would have caused. The buyers remorse would have been huge after a stock market crash.