France General Discussion II: Living under Marxism

[MaxQue]

Would somebody please think of the children?

Well, at least Boutin isn't in the Assembly anymore.

[MaxQue]

Well, so much for "Le changement, c'est maintenant!"  http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-19194639# 
Will someone please fire Valls already?

Well, I don't see why PS should close eyes and let people live in illegal and insalubrious camps.
Most kids aren't going to school, nobody pays taxes....
Helping immigrants, yes, letting lawless areas exist, no.

[MaxQue]

If Fillion wins, he's running in 2017. Shocking.
http://www.huffingtonpost.fr/2012/08/11/francois-fillon-2017-ump-candidature-presidentielle_n_1766972.html?utm_hp_ref=france

Fillon, not FillIon.

[MaxQue]

If Fillion wins, he's running in 2017. Shocking.
http://www.huffingtonpost.fr/2012/08/11/francois-fillon-2017-ump-candidature-presidentielle_n_1766972.html?utm_hp_ref=france

Fillon, not FillIon.

Embarrassing typo

No, because Filion is way more common than Fillon.

[MaxQue]

I find it unfair that any government should take anyone's money at all. Who are they to do that anyway ?

Without taxes, there's no government whatsoever, so...

I think it is irony.

[MaxQue]

In other news, Benoit Hamon is praising the Quebec cooperative model.

[MaxQue]

The gay marriage debate has started. Taubira made a surprisingly powerful and stirring defense of gay marriage and destroyed the right's strawman arguments; the right wants a referendum (which would be arguably unconstitutional); the right continues to prove that they're raging homophobes from the 1860s (speaking about 'nature' and that awful stuff). Jacques Bompard (fascist creep from the Vaucluse) is trolling, and has proposed amendments to legalize polygamy, incest, marriages between minors and family members but also getting rid of marriage altogether.

Here's a diagram of how the deputies should vote: http://www.lemonde.fr/societe/visuel/2013/01/30/mariage-pour-tous-comment-devraient-voter-les-deputes_1824115_3224.html

LOL @ Lassalle being the only "undecided". Modem staying true to its Moderate Hero creed, I guess.

Anyway, Borloo, Lagarde and Jégo are good surprises. But since these are basically the "leaders" of the UDI group, it's surprising that they don't bring any backbenchers with them...

Lagarde isn't a surprise, he voted for the 2011 socialist proposal.
Anyways, Lagarde is strange and isn't an usual right-winger. The fact he was easily reelected in such a left-wing constituency and the 70% in the first round he got in Drancy in 2008 (it was part of the red belt) shows it.

[MaxQue]

Yeah, French media are all out on this. Actually, it's been numerous years since most of the Party's federations were not using the hammer and sickle on any of their activist material.  And Emmanuel Dang Tran is only secretary of one of Paris' 20 sections, one of the most reactionary ones.

But I find it a pity. The hammer and sickle is an international recognition symbol, plus a historical landmark. Oh well, no big deal.

How many workers today use hammers or sickles, especially in a country like France?

Face it Seatown, the laptop and photocopier just don't have the same pizazz as the hammer and sickle.

A laptop and a photocopier? We are talking of the PCF here, so no office workers.
An assembly line would be more apt.

[MaxQue]

Good.

Why does it take so long before going to the Senate, though?

If I understand well, things have to pass into a Senate committee, which needs to write a report on it. The original plan was to make that in mid-March, but government decided to leave more time for preparing the report and to put the banking law in the mid-March slot.

[MaxQue]

"Cumul" reform delayed indefinitely... This government is officially a joke.

Shocked. I certainly never expected a party of power-hungry career politicians would do that.

It's not like if the other party would do anything else, on that question.

[MaxQue]

Bit wierd than Lower Normandy is in the TOP 6 of the best Hollande regions.

[MaxQue]

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...

It's one of her closest advisers.
She defended herself by saying than it happened while she was at the law faculty and than opening an account in a foreign country isn't illegal, it's not declaring the money in it which is. She is quite right on that one, the law faculty was useful for her.

[MaxQue]

Well, the good news is than he can't really go lower and than there is no elections in 2013.

Wonder if he didn't made all the bad decisions he had to take this year, in order to be more free to pass better policies in election years?

[MaxQue]

PS insulting Merkel in a policy paper, calling her "selfish" and the "chancellor of austerity", saying the EU is now an Anglo-German cabal (Anglo-German ultraliberalism?), etc. LOL Flanby.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/apr/26/france-socialist-party-german-chancellor

Well, they are right about Merkel, but the Anglo-German plot is ridiculous.

[MaxQue]

ConCon validates the entire gay marriage law:
http://www.francetvinfo.fr/le-conseil-constitutionnel-valide-le-mariage-pour-tous_326516.html#xtor=EPR-51-%5Balerteinfo%5D-20130517-%5Bbouton%5D-%5Bfacebook

Great news! I hope "le conseil constitutionnel" will invalidate Sarkozy's campaign!

That answers the question some here were wondering. Not on right, then.

[MaxQue]

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/frigide-barjot-the-french-antigay-marriage-leader-under-attack-8631618.html

If the homophobes and the fascists decides to kill each others, I certainly won't try to put myself between them.

[MaxQue]

Reaping what she has sown.

If the homophobes and the fascists decides to kill each others, I certainly won't try to put myself between them.

I'm probably in the minority here, but I find unvarnished bloodlust a bit more disturbing than opposition to same-sex marriage.

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So, who has the bloodlust?

[MaxQue]

The first Socialist Prime Minister of the 5th Republic, Pierre Mauroy (1981-1984) has died.
He also was mayor of Lille for a long time.

[MaxQue]

Seems like a NKM-winning-the-nomination bump and it should go back a little.

Is "de Saint-Just" the FN list-head ? Who is it ?

Wallerand de Saint-Just, a lawyer. Lawyer of the Le Pen family, treasurer of the FN.
He comes from the Catholic ultra-right.

[MaxQue]

Why is acceptance of homosexuality down 6%? That can't all be from Muslims, can it?

People being annoyed at the gay marriage debate.

[MaxQue]

Why is acceptance of homosexuality down 6%? That can't all be from Muslims, can it?

People being annoyed at the gay marriage debate.

"How dare those queers ask for their rights?  That's it, I don't accept their lifestyle anymore because of how angry I am!"

No, people are annoyed by all the ruckus it caused.

[MaxQue]

Sarko prepping for a comeback?

He won't win office again, he can try but it won't be successful.

You sure he wouldn't in a Rematch with Hollande?

Well, surely the economy will improve before 2017.

[MaxQue]

What happens now with regards to legal penalties?

The penalty is no refund of electoral expenses, which is a loss of 11 millions, I think.

[MaxQue]

Kind reminder to our True Leftist mates about who the great Panzergirl really is: http://blogs.mediapart.fr/edition/pole-emploi-mon-amour/article/260613/marine-le-pen-tombe-le-masque-sur-la-societe-quelle-imposera-si-elle-est-elue

Maybe it's because I'm an awful American, but I don't see what was so terrible about Le Pen's statement.  I'm also uncertain what the writer's point was.  Was it that the length of one's state-funded unemployment compensation should be based on the length of time one was employed?  If so, that's rather idiotic in my opinion.  It might have been in favor of a guaranteed minimum benefit that would be continued indefinitely.  That would be rather less idiotic, but still highly utopian.

She propose to expell foreigners from the country once their employment benefits are ended.

[MaxQue]

Fun news of the day: some obscure article in a law passed by Poison Dwarf in 2010 allows me to vote for the European Parliament... in the Ile-de-France constituency

I envy you: being able to vote for Pécresse

Well, I suppose you'll get Béchu, as he is running in all list elections in Western France (and resigning if he loses).