France General Discussion II: Living under Marxism

[Famous Mortimer]

but seriously, who moves to Israel to avoid terrorist attacks?

[politicus]

but seriously, who moves to Israel to avoid terrorist attacks?

There as a big difference between being part of the general population in a country, even one with a high terror risk, and being a member of a targeted minority. Usually the former gives you far better odds.

[Zanas]

but seriously, who moves to Israel to avoid terrorist attacks?

There as a big difference between being part of the general population in a country, even one with a high terror risk, and being a member of a targeted minority. Usually the former gives you far better odds.

Not necessarily, if you factor in this.

[swl]

Another pollster (IFOP-Fiducial) has much better results for Hollande and Valls:

[Antonio the Sixth]

Well, now that's a bump.

[H. Ross Peron]

NYT publishes an Op-Ed by Panzergirl. wtf.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/19/opinion/marine-le-pen-france-was-attacked-by-islamic-fundamentalism.html?_r=0

[Antonio the Sixth]

NYT publishes an Op-Ed by Panzergirl. wtf.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/19/opinion/marine-le-pen-france-was-attacked-by-islamic-fundamentalism.html?_r=0

New York Times: we publish Op Eds by far-right politicians, but not cartoons satirizing religion.


Truly an enlightened journal.

[RogueBeaver]

They published Putin, so Panzergirl's hardly a leap. S

[RogueBeaver]

Spectator on FN's LGBT support.

[politicus]

Spectator on FN's LGBT support.

Interesting how fast she has changed their image. Right wing populists have significant gay support in the Netherlands and Denmark (and probably also in other northern European countries), but FN was so massively homophobic under her dad that FN and gays seemed like an impossible combo.

Given the homophobia of many Muslims it is not hard to understand why Islamophobic parties attract parts of the gay community.

[swl]

MPs started discussing the Macron law.
http://www.english.rfi.fr/visiting-france/20150126-macrons-economic-reform-bill-gains-Frances-post-charlie-climate
http://www.economist.com/news/europe/21635835-economy-minister-must-convince-brussels-his-reforms-are-liberal-and-paris-they-are-not-macrons

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As the article states, a few weeks ago it seemed like the National Assembly would not vote the law. But now it appears that several UMP MPs will vote for it and compensate the PS defectors.

Quite a violent debate, seems like some socialists MPs are receiving tons of insults from notaries. And they already gave in to pharmacists.

[swl]

Quite a violent debate, seems like some socialists MPs are receiving tons of insults from notaries. And they already gave in to pharmacists.

Just to confirm the violence of the debate, Emmanuel Macron announced today that he will fill a complaint after receiving death threats from lawyers - the irony. In the same time, he confessed some mistakes and will give in to some of their demands.

[RogueBeaver]

ENA is adding an English fluency requirement for grads.

[politicus]

ENA is adding an English fluency requirement for grads.

Quelle horreur!

[Antonio the Sixth]

lolfrance

[Zanas]

The "left-wing majority" elected in 2012 is now officially clinically dead. Valls just engaged the "49-3" procedure on the Macron bill.

Context : the "loi Macron" is an economically neoliberal catch-all bill that makes numerous gifts to businesses and takes away numerous rights to workers (and also to licensed professions like lawyers, pharmacists or notaries, to be fair).

The "49-3" procedure is article 49 paragraph 3 of the 1958 French constitution, that states that the Prime Minister can engage the Government's responsibility on a bill, hence the bill passes without a vote. The opposition can thereupon engage a vote of non confidence.

tl;dr : Valls fears a right-wing bill could only pass thanks to right-wing votes.

[Antonio the Sixth]

Wouldn't be first time a French government uses 49-3 for fear of losing a vote.

[Zanas]

Nope, but the last one was the CPE in 2006... The PS just keeps losing piece after piece of the tiny amount of confidence I still have in them.

Oh and PS was all in favor of scrapping the 49.3 off the Constitution in 2008...

[Zinneke]

Surely Valls has to tender his resignation if he can't construct a majority?

[Zanas]

Surely Valls has to tender his resignation if he can't construct a majority?

Sadly, that's not how French politics work... But I'm sure you know that and were ironical.

[swl]

That's not how it works. The decision of bypassing the National Assembly triggers a vote of confidence that will take place tomorrow. The government does not have to resign but the Assembly can decide to dismiss it. I approve Valls decision because it leaves the PS rebels with a simple choice: either they support the government or they don't.

Context : the "loi Macron" is an economically neoliberal catch-all bill that makes numerous gifts to businesses and takes away numerous rights to workers (and also to licensed professions like lawyers, pharmacists or notaries, to be fair).

Are you sure you're able to cite which rights it's taking away from workers?

[Zinneke]

Surely Valls has to tender his resignation if he can't construct a majority?

Sadly, that's not how French politics work... But I'm sure you know that and were ironical.

I was only being half-ironic. In any sane democracy if you lose your majority you are essentially powerless. Valls has played his cards really well here but he could still face a spectacular fall from grace...

On another completely unrelated note, why did the UDF support Balladur in 1995, despite him being to the right of Chirac? Revenge for Chirac's antics in 1981? How much did this impact on the UDF essentially becoming a defunct political party?

[swl]

The Parliament rejected the motion of non-confidence (234 votes while it needed 289 votes -50% of MPs), thus the Macron law is adopted by the National Assembly.

I personally regret that some propositions of the law were abandoned (for example it was initially supposed to allow supermarkets to sell basic medicines) but it's better than nothing.

[windjammer]

The Macron law is terrible. Hopefully, Valls and Macron will resign one day.

(Sir John Johns, please, check your PMs)

[Antonio the Sixth]

Honestly, I don't get why people (both on the pro and anti sides) make a big deal of the Macron law. It seems like very small and inconsequential stuff to me. The biggest travesty is that the government wasted months on this empty shell instead of trying to do any serious reform.