France General Discussion II: Living under Marxism

[Hash]

Well, the idea that just reducing the number of regions will save costs or make local governance more efficient is stupid. There's a ton of other things that they could (but won't) do that would be much more effective at doing that; reducing regions is just some window-dressing cosmetic changes which don't address the issues.

Secondly, this whole obsession with reducing regions to create some "super-regions" and whatever just reeks of good ol' Jacobinism/paternalist centralism mixed in with ridiculous neoliberalism (the obsession on making everything in government 'efficient' and blablabla) as if regions were nothing more than branches of Wal-Marts which could just be merged and destroyed.

[Hash]

Legislative news:

The National Assembly adopted the two bills banning the 'cumul des mandats'.

The first bill bans MEPs from holding more than one of the offices of regional councillor, departmental councillor or municipal councillor (communes over 1,000 inhabitants). They will need to resign from one of the mandate that they held prior to the election which created an incompatibility, and they will need to do so within 30 days. No worries though, this law only takes effect after the 2019 European elections.

It was adopted 300 to 198 with 17 abstentions. In the SRC group, 3 MRC deputies voted against and three PS or DVG deputies abstained. In the UMP group, 5 deputies voted in favour (a DVD who defeated the official UDI-UMP candidate in a Val-de-Marne by-election in 2012; Jean-Luc Moudenc, the former mayor of Toulouse; Lionel Tardy, a filloniste UMP deputy with a reputation of being a maverick; Laurent Marcangeli, UMP deputy for Corse-du-Sud and Thierry Solère, who defeated Claude Guéant). In the UDI group, 17 voted against and 11 abstained (the 4 members from New Caledonia and Polynesia, Borloo, Hervé Morin, Yannick Favennec, Charles de Courson, Philippe Folliot, Charles de Courson, Bertrand Pancher and Likud deputy Meyer Habib). 11 out of 16 members of the Radical group voted against, the two who voted in favour were Falorni (ex-PS, defeated The Crazy Lady) and Thierry Robert (MoDem Réunion) and the one who abstained was Jean-Noël Carpentier (MUP, Robert Hue's party). In the GDR group, there were 7 in favour, 3 against (Carvalho and 2 Martinicans) and 2 abstentions (1 PCF and one Guyanese). In the NI, Sylvie Andrieux (Criminal ex-PS) and Jean Lassalle (MoDem) voted for while Véronique Besse (MPF, what's left of that?) and JFK-NDA voted against.

The text of the law:
http://www.assemblee-nationale.fr/14/ta/ta0279.asp

The other bill, an organic law, limits dual office holding for deputies and senators. Deputies and Senators will not be allowed to be mayor, 'maire délégué', 'adjoint au maire', president/VP of an EPCI/'syndicat mixte', president/VP of a regional/departmental/territorial assembly, president/VP of some public bodies. Again, this law will only be applied following the 2017 election.

You might recall there was a tiny cluster when the Senate, in September, adopted the bill with an amendment exempting them from the rules and allowing them to hold one of the above offices. As in the legislative procedure, the National Assembly got the final say and adopted the bill over the Senate's objections.

The text was adopted 313-225 with 14 abstentions. All 3 MRC deputies voted against, as did one DVG (ex-PS) deputy; the same 5 UMP deputies who voted for the other bill voted in favour of this one too; 21 UDI deputies voted against with 9 abstaining (the same minus the 2 Polynesians); all Greenies voted in favour; 11 of the RRDP deputies voted against (with Falorni and Robert in favour, joined by one PRG deputy; and Carpentier abstaining and 1 not voting); the same folks in the GDR voted against or abstained (although 3 did not vote on this bill); Andrieux and Lassalle were joined by Panzermiss and Collard in voting against, although fellow fascist Jacques Bompard voted against and Gilles 'Hitler didn't kill enough gypsies' Bourdouleix didn't vote.

The text of the law:
http://www.assemblee-nationale.fr/14/ta/ta0278.asp

There's been some abortion moralf****try sparked by the government changing the wording of an article in the public health code allowing for abortion. Instead of reading 'La femme enceinte que son état place dans une situation de détresse' (a pregnant woman whose situation places her in a state of distress) it would read 'La femme enceinte qui ne veut pas poursuivre une grossesse' (a pregnant woman who does not want to continue a pregnancy). A semantic change to make it more modern, but apparently it got the crazies out of the woodwork once again and got them out on the streets.

A small group of social conservative UMP MPs led by Jean-Frédéric Poisson (a close ally of Bible thumper extraordinaire Christine 'married her cousin' Boutin) proposed an amendment under which abortions would no longer be covered by social security. The UMP leadership was unfavourable, and it was voted down 142 to 7 with 4 abstentions. Of the 14 UMP deputies present, 6 voted in favour and 6 voted against. The only other vote in favour was Bompard, who gave a crazy speech about it.

The National Assembly is currently debating ratification of the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages (with reservations, opt-outs and the like). It requires a constitutional amendment, and the government has chosen to do it through Congress (a three-fifths majority of deputies and senators meeting in Congress) rather than through a referendum.

[Hash]

BREAKING NEWS: Flanby is going to separate from Valérie.

http://mg.co.za/article/2014-01-25-frances-francois-hollande-to-separate-from-partner

[RogueBeaver]

Which was sort of inevitable when he refused to immediately confirm that she was still first lady. So does Gayet move into the Elysée or does she stay at arm's length? Good news about the dual mandates though. Don't know what the Assnat schedule is like but someone who runs a region and sits in Paris can't have too much spare time.

[RogueBeaver]

Elysée is denying it, and Reuters has confirmed that there won't be an official announcement today. Regardless it'll have to be done before Flanby heads to the US.

[RogueBeaver]

Never mind, media was right. He announced "la fin de sa vie commune" with Treirweiler.

[You kip if you want to...]

So France is now sans First Lady?

[Sec. of State Superique]

TROLL ALERT:

One of the reasons why Sarkozy is leading in the polls is because the French want a First Lady. Hollande is a threat for our families, at least Sarko has Carla Bruni!

[NewYorkExpress]

So basically, Hollande is probably the French version of Bill Clinton, with all the serial womanizing...

[Peter the Lefty]

So basically, Hollande is probably the French version of Bill Clinton, with all the serial womanizing...

And with less charisma/ability to bounce back.

[You kip if you want to...]

So basically, Hollande is probably the French version of Bill Clinton, with all the serial womanizing...

No, Hollande's just the President of France. They're notorious for it.

[Beezer]

Record unemployment in December:

http://uk.reuters.com/article/2014/01/27/uk-france-unemployment-idUKBREA0Q18B20140127

[Zanas]

So France is now sans First Lady?

It has always been. There is no such thing as a French First Lady. It's all bullsiht. The President can bang anyone he wants, who cares ? If only he could just be less of a super-duper capitalist prick...

[swl]

There is a big rumor today that Peter Hartz, who developped the (in?)famous Hartz reforms in Germany may become an advisor for Francois Hollande. The Elysée denied.

[Sec. of State Superique]

There is a big rumor today that Peter Hartz, who developped the (in?)famous Hartz reforms in Germany may become an advisor for Francois Hollande. The Elysée denied.

I'm a big fan of UN Models and once I was Merkel in the European Council. It was funny to see French willingness with Hollande to create more flexibility in the labor legislation, actually, during that time, the boy who was playing him was not following rigidly his expected foreign policy. It seems that it's becoming a reality now!

Actually, when I see people in the left proposing universal healthcare, a strong basic income, but with a strong flexibilization of labor legislation with none or a small minimum wage, it seems to me that we are seeing a new era of the non-marxist leftist movement. Maybe a Social Democracy of the 21st Century? Or a return to Triangulation?

Whatever it is, I believe that it won't help President Hollande that is now only approved by a few people. The 75% tax rate is the worst thing by now, may be there's still time anyway for him to make a U-Turn like Mitterand and revert his policies....

[Hash]

Time for the monthly installment of 'lol flanby' - in today's episode, Flanby's approval ratings keep dropping, at this rate will have -50% approval by 2017.

CSA: Flanby
No confidence 71% (+2)
Confidence 23% (-2)
NSP 4%

Worth noting: 32% of PS sympathizers disapprove, older people slightly kinder on Flanby

Also in CSA's Barometer, Valls remains the most popular politician but he's not everybody's darling - his approval dropped 3, and has 42% negative perceptions. Sarko in fourth overall, but his positive perceptions are down 2 to 44% and has 54% negative perceptions. Panzergirl at 29-67, Jeff Copé at 22-70

TNS-Sofres
No confidence 78% (+2)
Confidence 19% (-3)
NSP 3%

Even more extreme: this is Flanby's lowest ever numbers in Sofres, even PS sympathizers are split equally (49 conf, 48 no conf). Again, older people slightly kinder and (this might be a small sample size given self-id in France) does best with the wealthiest households (34%).

I wish to point out that Flanby's unstoppable drop to 0% approvals is not extremely common: French presidents' approvals follow a net downwards trend from their honeymoon, but in reality they mostly settle or bounce back and forth at varying levels. The exceptions are Chirac, who pretty much dropped non-stop from 2005 to 2006 (the lowest ever approval rating for a modern French President, I think, is still held by Chirac's 16% in a July 2006 TNS-Sofres poll) and Sarko who dropped consistently from late 2009 to mid 2011 (also Mitterrand dropped from stratospheric highs from 1981 to 1983). But, on the other hand, Chirac had a deadcat bounce after 2006 (up to 30% when leaving office), Sarko had a rebound in late 2008 until the time of the EP elections.

[windjammer]

LOL

[RogueBeaver]

Interesting finding on DP, lol Flanby.

[Frodo]

Quite a turnaround from the Bush years:

You must be logged in to read this quote.

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Read more: http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/198125-gallup-us-opinion-of-france-near-all-time-high#ixzz2t4soqFrC

[King]

The Iraq War being a disaster turned the France numbers around quickly.

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

Not so much that it was a disaster, but that once it was no longer an irritant in our bilateral relationship, opinion returned to what it was before.

[Hash]

Wrecking Ball parody with Manuel Valls, courtesy of Les Guignols:

http://www.canalplus.fr/c-divertissement/pid1784-c-les-guignols.html?vid=1020208

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

Incidentally, I came across a remix of "Wrecking Ball" done as a 80's pop song.  It's actually fairly good.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4jF3lZaxhY

[windjammer]

http://www.lesechos.fr/economie-politique/politique/actu/0203337922793-valls-accuse-goasguen-de-venir-de-l-extreme-droite-clash-a-l-assemblee-652834.php

I don't understand the UMP's reaction. He's a far rightist after all.

[Icehand Gino]

Don't try to understand UMP, it's impossible.

These guys "elected" a clown as their leader while they had the potential to made huge gains due to Hollande bad ratings.