France General Discussion II: Living under Marxism

[Antonio the Sixth]

http://www.estcequilvabientotentaule.com/

LOL

[Antonio the Sixth]

Fortunately the UMP isn't the PdL...

[Antonio the Sixth]

What Lief said basically. Yeah, the French riot police is usually pretty awful, but these demonstrators are the last kind for which I'd feel sorry.

[Antonio the Sixth]

but these demonstrators are the last kind for which I'd feel sorry.

Because they believe that marriage is between a man and a woman?!?!?

It goes a bit deeper than that... but if you want a shortcut, yes.

[Antonio the Sixth]

Ah, obvious hyperboles and people who are so eager to point them out...

[Antonio the Sixth]

What Lief said basically. Yeah, the French riot police is usually pretty awful, but these demonstrators are the last kind for which I'd feel sorry.

Yeah, the anti-gay marriage crowd are basically disgusting homophobes who use the most absurd and retarded 'arguments' and put on some big melodramatic show. Just look at Christine Boutin's 'OMG I'M DYING' or Henri Guaino trying to imitate de Gaulle. And when you look further into the movements behind it, you find charming company: the Catholic fundies, the neo-fascists/racists or the UMP's cohort of morons and tools. Besides, any movement whose leader's name is 'Frigide Barjot' is obviously a joke.

Unfortunate to see the gwenn ha du associated to this disgusting gang. Please don't associate our flag with your bigoted cause.

This is surely not her real name, is it? You can't get such a ridiculous name by chance (and if you do, you usually change it as soon as you can).

[Antonio the Sixth]

Don't blame me, I supported Aubry.

(though, of course, I voted for Hollande and I would do it again if the alternative was Sarkozy... but probably not by the 1st round)

[Antonio the Sixth]

Piece of sh*t.

[Antonio the Sixth]

So that minister was tax dodging all along? What a f'ing scumbag. Hollande should just jail him for decades in retaliation.

I certainly hope he goes to jail for a long while. However, considering the French judiciary's legendary leniency toward politicians, he'll probably get some joke sentence.

[Antonio the Sixth]

I reckon the only way Hollande can salvage something from this is by appearing determined to see him banged up for a long time.

Well, ideally, the President should not interfere with the course of a judicial affair (of course, every President has actually done it, but Hollande at least doesn't want to make it blatant).

[Antonio the Sixth]

Well, these are criminal charges we're talking about, so it's pretty obvious he did his best to hide all that sh*t.

[Antonio the Sixth]

Apparently Cahuzac's bank account has been opened by a far-rightist fiscal lawyer who now is close to Marine Le Pen. Hopefully this will mean she won't benefit too much from this...

[Antonio the Sixth]

Minister of Free Time is by far the most ridiculous thing they've ever come up with.

The "redressement productif" bullsh*t should be on that list too.

[Antonio the Sixth]

Question to the Frenchmen here: how closely linked are the municipal and regional elections to national politics? If Hollande's still highly unpopular, will the PS get locally massacred?

Yes. French people don't give a sh*t about their local government, and they'll vote almost exclusively based on national factors (TBF, local factors do matter somewhat at the municipal level, but absolutely nothing at the regional and cantonal levels). The PS won landslides in 2004, 2008 and 2010 riding on the government's unpopularity, and the right will probably do the same in 2014.

Two other certainties: turnout will be abysmal, and the FN will do well.

[Antonio the Sixth]

Some nutjob UMP Paris municipal councillor proposes the creation of a "rue Margaret Thatcher" (street)... In Paris... Seriously.

Oh God... Please kick him out of this country.

We all know how it ended when Chirac tried to play Thatcher Wannabe in 1986...

[Antonio the Sixth]

Well, in France the term would be "Anglo-Saxon ultraliberalism", n'est ce pas?

Something of this flavor, yes.

[Antonio the Sixth]

Cahuzac has resigned as an MNA. By-election incoming soon, I guess.

Wait, won't he be replaced by his "suppléant"?

[Antonio the Sixth]

Cahuzac has resigned as an MNA. By-election incoming soon, I guess.

Wait, won't he be replaced by his "suppléant"?

Deputies are replaced by their suppléant if they die in office, if they enter cabinet, joins the ConCon (or becomes Défenseur des droits) or has a governmental 'mission' (usually some political bullsh**t) lasting over 6 months.

Since the 2008 constitutional reform, a cabinet minister who leaves cabinet no longer needs to go through a by-election if he wants to reclaim his seat as deputy - he/she automatically regains it from the suppléant. In this case, Cahuzac (like Boutin when she left cabinet) chose not to reclaim his seat, so he resigned and there will be a by-election within 3 months.

Well, he's from the Lot, so I assume his seat is safe, right?

Oh sh*t, it's Lot-et-Garronne.... So right-wing pickup likely.

[Antonio the Sixth]

Yeah, looking at past results it seems like a left-leaning swing seat. However, if we judge by previous by-election results, I could easily see the right winning there.

[Antonio the Sixth]

Of course.

Anyway, if I heard correctly final vote on the gay marriage bill will be on Tuesday.

[Antonio the Sixth]

Poison Dwarf latest: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/apr/19/french-inquiry-gaddafi-sarkozy-2007-campaign

ROFL

[Antonio the Sixth]

If anybody cares, here are the details of the presidential re-run polls:

Ifop, change to October 2012 poll
Poison Dwarf (UMP) 30% (+0.5%)
Flanby (PS) 22% (-6%)
Panzergirl (FN) 22% (+2.5%)
Mélenchon (FG) 11% (+1%)
Bayrou (MoDem) 10% (+3%)
NDA (DLR) 2% (nc)
Joly (EELV) 1.5% (-0.5%)
Poutou (NPA) 1% (-0.5%)
Arthaud (LO) 0.5% (nc)

http://ifop.fr/media/poll/2222-1-study_file.pdf

OpinionWay
Poison Dwarf (UMP) 28%
Flanby (PS) 23%
Panzergirl (FN) 21%
Mélenchon (FG) 11%
Bayrou (MoDem) 11%
Joly (EELV) 3%
NDA (DLR) 2%
Poutou (NPA) 0.5%
Arthaud (LO) 0.5%

Poison Dwarf (UMP) 53%
Flanby (PS) 47%

http://www.lefigaro.fr/assets/pdf/OpinionwayHollandeunan.pdf

In other news, Flanby has hit a new record low in the Ifop tracker: 74% dissatisfied, 25% satisfied (-6). This is apparently a record low for any President, at any time, in Ifop's trackers. Though this is not (yet) an historic record low for all trackers, however: Sofres had Chirac at 19% approvals at one point in 2006. 25% is the lowest Flanby has been in any poll.

Failure is a failure.

[Antonio the Sixth]

Haven't heard about the story firsthand, but I feel like the Guardian's presentation of it is a bit excessive and unfair. Quoting from the text directly:

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With a few nuances, I'd fully agree with that.

[Antonio the Sixth]

Mr. Swiss Bank Accounts (Cahuzac) is thinking about running in the by-election in his old seat.

http://www.lemonde.fr/politique/article/2013/05/07/le-ps-designe-son-candidat-dans-le-lot-et-garonne-pour-succeder-a-cahuzac_3172081_823448.html

"Aucune décision prise. Certains parlent pour moi sans mandat pour cela. Et je constate une forme d'attente ou d'espérance chez certains". This guy is really the epitome of arrogance and the stereotype of the slimy politician who should be run over by a truck.

What a pathetic excuse of a human being.

[Antonio the Sixth]

Yeah, no surprise here.

Though it's ridiculous how French governments, left and right, keep making outlandish growth predictions. They expected over 1%...