France General Discussion II: Living under Marxism

[swl]

Montebourg said he is taking a break from politics and he started some studies at the INSEAD. He wants to come back but for now he is not active in politics.

How did Juppé get so popular?

Juppé is definitely smarter than anyone else as the UMP. He's not even really campaigning, he simply keeps repeating that he could be candidate, and he's just waiting for the others to do the stupid thing that will ruin their career. It worked quite well until now, he is the last man standing with Sarkozy.

He is also playing a different card from the others. You don't realize the circus that French politics have been in the last years. French people are vaccinated against young guys who want to change everything (somehow Sarkozy managed to present himself like that). Juppé is a bit like Chirac, he is been in politics forever. 10 years ago it was a liability now it can be an asset. Sarkozy came in between and promised to change everything, the result was a circus, followed by Hollande's circus. People don't want promises anymore, they just want a president who will shut up.
So Juppé is playing this card, he is presenting himself like the old wise guy above all the sh**. If he becomes president, we will not hear about his private life in tabloids, he will not react to every minor news, he will not play people off against each other for electoral gains and he won't be every night in the news. That's enough to make him popular. 

[Famous Mortimer]

What's going on with Melonchon and Assassins Creed?

[MaxQue]

What's going on with Melonchon and Assassins Creed?

The game depicts Robespierre as an evil dictator, but, for some reason, the far-left in France likes to consider him like an hero.

[windjammer]

What's going on with Melonchon and Assassins Creed?

The game depicts Robespierre as an evil dictator, but, for some reason, the far-left in France likes to consider him like an hero.

[swl]

The UMP leadership election is underway today. Sarkozy should easily win in the first round.


Opinion poll on the Le Pen family (3 generations of politicians!):




Why is the FN rising in your opinion?



43% economic situation
36% other parties' difficulties
11% Marine Le Pen personality
9% FN's program

from http://www.odoxa.fr/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/Odoxa-pour-It%C3%A9l%C3%A9-CQFD-La-situation-du-FN.pdf

[Beagle]

Our local mafia press is going gooey over the prospect of a Sarko-Le Pen election, since it apparently would mean that either way Putin would get a friend in the Élysée. Now there's no reason to believe anything they ever print, but is it true that Sarko has gone public on the need to end all sanctions and transfer the Mistrals to Russia? I have no doubt he would do anything for money, but has he gone Putinista?

[RogueBeaver]

Partially thanks to your help, our former GG will lead la Francophonie come January.

[Tender Branson]

LePen re-elected FN-leader today with 100% of the delegates.

And look who was there as well:

 

[politicus]

LePen re-elected FN-leader today with 100% of the delegates.

And look who was there as well:

 

Guess its some Austrian FPØ guy. Their chairman?

[Tender Branson]

LePen re-elected FN-leader today with 100% of the delegates.

And look who was there as well:

 

Guess its some Austrian FPØ guy. Their chairman?

Yes, Strache.

[swl]

So Sarko is officially back, he is now the UMP president. Now the fight within the UMP is going to focus on the 2016 primary: basically a primary election restricted to UMP members would benefit Sarko, open primary would benefit everyone else. He promised to organize open primaries, but now he will do everthing to deny his promise.

Our local mafia press is going gooey over the prospect of a Sarko-Le Pen election, since it apparently would mean that either way Putin would get a friend in the Élysée. Now there's no reason to believe anything they ever print, but is it true that Sarko has gone public on the need to end all sanctions and transfer the Mistrals to Russia? I have no doubt he would do anything for money, but has he gone Putinista?

It's true but Sarko is extremely bitter and would say anything to embarrass Hollande. Since Hollande decided not to transfer the Mistrals, Sarkozy said it was a shame. Had Hollande decided to transfer them, he would have said the same. It's more an anti-Hollande than Pro-Putin position.

@Tender Branson: There was a bunch of European far-right leaders. Geert Wilders (PVV), Strache (FPO), the leaders of the Lega Nord and Vlaams Belang. These ones are already known to work together.
There were new faces though: people from OK Strana (Czech republic) and IMRO (Bulgaria). Andrei Issaev, vice-president of the Russian Duma also gave a speech.

[StateBoiler]

And also when things don't work very well, French people like to burn the place. I am surprised by the number of perfectly sane people I know who consider that the French and European political and economic systems have been complete failures, and thus that the best thing to do is to bring down everything and start anew.

Why? Look at French history, even in more modern post-World War II times, it's standard practice.

[windjammer]

http://blogs.mediapart.fr/blog/marie-anne-kraft/031214/sondage-sur-les-legislatives-2017-la-gauche-laminee-un-nouvel-attrait-pour-la-proportionnelle
Is the UMP going to become the leftist party in the Assembly?

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

http://blogs.mediapart.fr/blog/marie-anne-kraft/031214/sondage-sur-les-legislatives-2017-la-gauche-laminee-un-nouvel-attrait-pour-la-proportionnelle
Is the UMP going to become the leftist party in the Assembly?

No.

[RogueBeaver]

FN got Russian loans after domestic banks refused to lend.

[🦀🎂🦀🎂]

No commentary, just thought it was funny.

[Tender Branson]

'Torture can be useful to make people talk': Le Pen

In the wake of the damning American Senate report on the CIA’s torture practices French far-right leader Marine Le Pen risked a backlash when in an interview she claimed there are times when torture can "be useful to make someone talk".

 The report uncovered the brutal CIA interrogations of al-Qaeda suspects in the years after 9/11 and sent shockwaves around Washington and the rest of the world.

The UN and human rights groups are now even calling for the prosecution of the US officials involved but Marine Le Pen, leader of the right-wing Front National party, seems to have a more understanding view of torture. 

Responding to questions on a damning report released in Washington over brutal techniques used by intelligence agents to extract information, Le Pen told BFM television earlier: "I don't personally disapprove."

"At certain times, for example when a bomb is about to explode and 200 civilians could get hurt, it can be useful to get a person to talk with whatever means you have,” she said.

"I personally believe the people who deal with terrorists and also getting information out of them to save civilian lives are responsible people," the leader of the far-right National Front party added.

"So has there been abuse? Maybe, and the US needs to determine this.

"Allow me to say this: There can be cases, for example when a bomb is ticking, tick tock, tick tock, tick tock, and will explode in an hour or two and could cause 200 or 300 civilian victims when it is useful to get someone to talk."

Asked whether torture could be used to do so she said: "With the means at your disposal."

Once her comments caused a stir around the web Le Pen was forced to back track and denied she had defended torture.

http://www.thelocal.fr/20141210/torture-can-sometimes-be-useful-marine-le-pen-says

[politicus]

Hardly surprising.

[swl]

Hollande gaining 5 points of popularity:



The political debate is set to focus on security (there is a lot of debate on whether we need a French equivalent of the 'Patriot Act'-whatever that means-) instead of economy for a while.

[Antonio the Sixth]

If he can only get to 20% under such conditions, he's toast.

[Tender Branson]

If he can only get to 20% under such conditions, he's toast.

French people are not Americans.

I don't see why I would rate Hollande better because of a terrorist attack.

He is a political joke and will remain one.

[Antonio the Sixth]

If he can only get to 20% under such conditions, he's toast.

French people are not Americans.

I don't see why I would rate Hollande better because of a terrorist attack.

He is a political joke and will remain one.

The French are just like the Americans in that regard. Chirac, who was universally despised by the end of his first year, suddenly became popular again in 1998 after France won the World Cup.

[windjammer]

If he can only get to 20% under such conditions, he's toast.

Poll made before the "big demonstration"

[Simfan34]

Terrible news.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

This makes for rather sobering reading.