France General Discussion

[Bunwahaha [still dunno why, but well, so be it]]

Well, well, well...

Some news from France by a frenchman living in France (first of this topic...)

Concerning Sarkozy in France:

He's still highly popular in France (never less than 50%) and he imposes his-self more and more as a providential man that can rule every problems, opposition is highly down, more than ever. Actually, this mounth of november will be his first big obstacle cause of all the troubles that mentionned Attorney General Hashemite, fishermen is already ruled: 2 days and everybody is happy on this.

The ambiance that I can feel in my country is that he will pass this mounth of november and he will win on every problems, he's so strong and opposition is so bad and too used.

Then, concerning Sarkozy and international:

On this domain he's also strong. After the success of Lybia, Chad. I don't know what will be the result for Chad, but for sure it will be positive for its media image in occident.

I think that if USA choose a president who less play the "Cow-boy of freedom", Sarkozy could want to become this new "Cow-boy of freedom". This man want to go far, far, far, in France, in Europe and in the world...

[Bunwahaha [still dunno why, but well, so be it]]

In two hours, strikes versus government begin, first are railroad men.

I put a comfortable bet on the victory of Sarkozy.

[Bunwahaha [still dunno why, but well, so be it]]

Attorney General Ashemite

I agree with you for what you say about what's happening here and for what you think about the strikers, from students (students who block are effectivly so scilly, so irrealist and so unrespectfull of the ones who don't think like them) to rail workers.

On the other hand, I don't really like the current economical system and the current ideals of the societies of this epoch.

So what I am reaaly fed up with is that all these people who strike for all and anything, just for keeping unjustified and unrealist advantages without any concrete ideas and without any direction to follow, who want butter, money of the butter and the approbation of the butter seller, are discrediting the idea of a possible opposition versus Sarkozy who can impose his-self as the only way to follow, given that the ones who are not ok with the reforms are stupid and discredit democratic debate. That's what I am really fed up with.

I consider France as a very fragile country psychologically, she does not need all of this.

[Bunwahaha [still dunno why, but well, so be it]]

Concerning municipal polls:

The polls for the big cities don't show a good picture of France, most of these cities are mostly populated by people who have a comfortable life level but who vote on the left by compassion with the ones who have not this comfortable life, peoples who do that are called "BOBO" (BOurgeois-BOhème... could be translated by High middle class person-Bohemian)

Concerning the ratings:

First, Fillon is quite like a ghost in France, he appears here or there sometimes, when Sarkozy allow him (he revealed it really happened like that in a small video that someone put on internet). We don't really know what he do, maybe something, don't know... The one who is everywhere and do everything is... Sarkozy! He has made a tiny team of hard-worker collaborators who work in Elysée (presidential office) making that the nominated ministers are here more to comunicate with medias and to go to speack when there is a problem. But overall, Sarkozy is everyday on TV (it's not just a word, it's a reality, everyday), and like I said, he has more and more the image of a providential man, he gives the impression that he takes care personnaly about every problems that happen and that he rules all of them. Sarkozy is drugging France by his media omnipresence, I think it could make risks for the future if people use to refer to a providential man, what will they do when this man will leave the power?

All of this make that you should take care with the ratings, more of that his popularty use to be arroud 60%-65%, and when french answer pollsters only 52% trusting Sarkozy to face France problem, I think it's cause they do not want to confess that he is the only one who can do something to make France entering definitly in this begining of XXIst century, all other french politicians are absent, lost, or down.

If you want to have a view of the media omnipresence of Sarkozy you can watch french news on the websites of the 3 main french TV channels. Here are the main news we have every evening on TV, channel by channel:

Biggest (far): TF1 (like ABC in USA): http://videos.tf1.fr/video/news/

Second one (less big): France2 (public channel): http://jt.france2.fr/20h/

Third one (still less big): France3 (other public channel): http://jt.france3.fr/1920/

Currently, 60 universities are blocked, these poor extremists will make explode themselves.

I double my bet on the vistory of Sarkozy over all the movements of protest, strikers to students.

[Bunwahaha [still dunno why, but well, so be it]]

Why do French rail workers go on strike so much?

Big strikes, big demonstrations, that's a culture in France, "first we strike, then we speack".

It goes less and less, Sarkozy will end this I think. I think that these strikes will show that now a new time with new methods begin in France.

Currently, it's still actual, law men began to strike and public workers go on for it on Tuesday. Students still resist with 40 universities mobilized, sometimes and maybe most of the times by minorities. Rail workers are still on strike, even if it is less and less.

Most important thing is that we hear more and more a public opinion against these strikes, before they didn't like it but they said nothing, now they speack and they say they don't like, more and more. More of that bosses of unions have more and more problems to control their bases, unioners don't want to listen them cause they try to negociate feeling that time play against unions and that the possibilities of aquiring something are more and more tiny.

I'm alone to bet but I continue, and always with a bigger bet on Sarkozy.

[Bunwahaha [still dunno why, but well, so be it]]

Attorney

I would like to speack to you about what you've written about the PS (main current opposition party in France, for the one who don't know) in your signature.

You can't say that this party is a Milosevic lover one, a eurosceptic one or a communist one. In this party there are euroscpetics, there are some sorts of quite communists, but all of them are far  to be the majority, these are in PC (communist party) or in LCR (communist revolutionary league) or LO (working fight) or in any all quite hard leftists obscurate small parties. They are also not Milosevic lover at all, there are maybe one or two obscurate people of the party who could have been to don't intervene against Milosevic but not more and I say that but I don't know anyone, anyway there is surely people like that in all french parties, like in all parties all over the world.

This party, PS, is just fully lost in the globalization to me and he offers a poor very bad show and impeach a real and constructive opposition which could permit the France to go on by the cooperation and the compromise with the main political forces and which could permit to give more credit to politics in general.

Until now, lot of french thought they could live in a sort of "permanent revolution", "first we fight, then we speack". So until now, french political parties confronted themselves, each one with its truth and the none electec said "no" to all what the elected proposed on practically all subjects and all law except some very very important subjects which easily made general agreement.

All of this is currently changing in France now, this country is coming in the XXIst century globalization, more than ever.

[Bunwahaha [still dunno why, but well, so be it]]

I would like to give some precisions about what happened in France.

First, I also can't bear what happened in poor Parisian suburbs, these silly stupid burnings of library, schools, cars and all the rest.

On the other hand, I would add that France harvests what it seeded. 40 years ago France has made come a lot of immigrants from its old colonies (most of them from North Africa and Western Africa) but also from her territories in the French Antilles. They came to build the new infrastructure of France and to work in big French factories. France has put all these peoples in closed ghettos which formed suburbs of the cities without taking care neither of the peoples nor of the infrastructure of these ghettos and it never tried to make these immigrants come in the French community of the French republic (France has the tradition of a unified country where the French community of the French republic is more important than the small different communities, even if it is less and less). These immigrants didn't complain about what they lived, they worked and asked nothing, but, they made some children and these children grew. First, the children did not complain about what they lived, or not more than the other categories of the French population, but they were rejected from the rest of the French population. Just cause of their name, the color of their skin or of where they lived they couldn't have a job, have their own home outside of the ghetto suburbs or even enter in night clubs. More of that their parents did not speak and read French language or not really good and the schools, which were more of that ghetto schools with not many financial means, told them to educate their children without their traditional methods of authority, so the parents were lost and so was the education of their children. Here we are, with uneducated young peoples, who saw that nobody took care about their parents and who feel that nobody want of them.

For sure I don't excuse and I blame all the ones who burned the slightest public dustbin. I consider that all these burnings (from the dustbin to the library) and these violent acts (shooting on the police) are so bad and so stupid and have all to be repressed with the good proportions, from lightly for the bins to hardly for the shootings.

But also for sure, we have to take care about these suburbs and to consider the peoples who live in, they merit respect and to be treated as all the other ones. If the French Republic doesn't want to do it, riots will start again, again and again, and always more violent, is that what France and French peoples want?

[Bunwahaha [still dunno why, but well, so be it]]

Concerning Bayrou, I like the vision of the society he has.

Unluckily, I consider he had a bad strategy to reach the power and so, he fell down. More of that he is closing his-self in a sort of full alone strategy where he seems to consider that he is a sort of "chosen" who will win at the end no matter the reality.

Well, let us see, but I currently think that the most probable is that the reality will win on him.

[Bunwahaha [still dunno why, but well, so be it]]

Concerning Bayrou, I like the vision of the society he has.

Unluckily, I consider he had a bad strategy to reach the power and so, he fell down. More of that he is closing his-self in a sort of full alone strategy where he seems to consider that he is a sort of "chosen" who will win at the end no matter the reality.

Well, let us see, but I currently think that the most probable is that the reality will win on him.

Bayrou had an actual program/vision? News to me, since every time I saw him he was complaining or whining about the UMP/PS.

If he's elected President, then I'd give up my French nationality.

I like the values he does the promotion, he has some and he try to build a vision with it, he tries to do the promotion of putting his values in the actual society.

He was also the first to say publicly in France that now, left, right, all of this is quite dead and has to be redefine.

That's what I meant when I spoke about his vision.

Unluckily, like I said, I consider that he is too bad in political strategy and that he doesn't make the good choices to lead his ideas to the power.

[Bunwahaha [still dunno why, but well, so be it]]

You can't say he's always whining and complaining, it's just not true.

He just speaks with a sort of energy of despair.

There is a point on the one we can agree. It's that I also like when Montebourg or any Peillon just don't speak.

[Bunwahaha [still dunno why, but well, so be it]]

I find that some of his complains about the actual society and the French political system are legitimate.

Like I say from the beginning, where we can blame him it is on its bad political strategy which makes that he can't lead his ideas to the power to rule these complains, so yes, if he continues in this way he's condemned to complain, but it doesn't impeach his complains to be legitimate.

That's what I'm fed up with, I consider that he has good points of view but, to me, he doesn't make the right choices of political strategy to make them real.

[Bunwahaha [still dunno why, but well, so be it]]

The Nouveau Centre-PSLE is a smarter centrist alternative in what I'm concerned.

Please, don't say this party is an alternative, it's a fair sarkozist party, nothing else. They can oppose them on quite nothing with UMP, they haven't any political thought, they are not alone in this case, but it's not a reason to blame the ones, like Bayrou who try to have one.

What I can recognize to the "Nouveau Centre" is that they adopted a strategy which in theory permit to lead some ideas to the power, but to do it, ideas are needed.

To be more clear, I think they should have create a wing of the UMP, in the UMP, it would have been more honest.

[Bunwahaha [still dunno why, but well, so be it]]

Welcome in France!

Country of "le bon vivre" (the good life)! Peacefull and original part of the world, earth of cheeses, wines and other traditional good food, country of fashion and perfumes...

Oho! Wake up! We are in 2007!

Now! Bye bye clichés! A new time begins! With new methods! New ideas! New perspectives!

France was quietly sleeping in its quiet part of the world, saying the others: "Go on your way, let us be ourselves please". But French peoples were fed up with being themselves, they wanted money, they wanted security, they wanted to go fully in the globalization, they wanted... SARKOZY!!! And they got him.

As I said, now, "bye bye clichés". And it works for all clichés. You know, I forgot one, you know what I mean? That's it: France! The country of "Les droits de l'Homme" (translation: "Human Rights")!

Yes, this one too is down. Ok, we all knew that not any country can really respect "Human Rights", including France. But France was the country in which these rights were born and was still even a sort of reference in the current world, at least officially.

Why do I say "was"? Cause it seems that Sarkozy ended it today, or at least put a serious shot in these old principles which didn't need it.

Yesterday, Kadhafi (leader of Lybia, dictator for 37 years, ancient hard-terrorist, currently justifying Islamic terrorism in speeches, ancient taker of hostages) began a 5 days visit in France, invited by Sarkozy.

That France says that Kadhafi is better, or tries to be better, than before and that we have to receive him to encourage him to go on the way of "Human Rights" when it's just to make some trade with him, it hurts a little bit the image of the country and of the "Human Rights", but I can acknowledge that it's just some real politics like do all the states around the world, even if I don't like it.

But today Kadhafi was received with honors in the "Assemblée Nationale", official home of French democracy (could be like the Congress in USA to compare). Opposition opposed (but as it always does, we no more know when it opposes for good or bad reasons), the people of the government who is in charge of "Human Rights", Rama Yade, said in a newspaper that she opposes too but after having been at Sarkozy's office her position is more fair and the large majority of the UMPers (members of Sarkozy's party) tries to turn sentences in every direction to say us that there is totally no problem with it, that it's normal! Luckily some of the UMPers, but a few, kept their honor by saying that Khadafi had nothing to do in this home.

Nothing forced Sarkozy to do it (maybe unless a Kadhafi's blackmail for trade), to add to hypocrisy the insult in the principles of "Human Rights", so the insult in democracy and in republic.

Democracy and republic do not need such things to be some more and more famous pornstars, don't you think so?

[Bunwahaha [still dunno why, but well, so be it]]

Maxime Gremetz out of the Amiens race. A poll showed Robien winning by the first round again.

Wow! A old one could let his place to a... old one?

Clearly, even if Gremetz is a communist, he's a particular one, he seems to be a better politician than Robien, especially for mayor.

[Bunwahaha [still dunno why, but well, so be it]]

A question to peoples who don't live in France:

Is it spoken about the new girl-friend of Sarkozy in your medias?

Thank you

[Bunwahaha [still dunno why, but well, so be it]]

Ohoho

And is that also in serious medias or just in tabloïds (question for UK, Quebec and else)?

[Bunwahaha [still dunno why, but well, so be it]]

Stupid people-obsessed media.

Don't blame the consequence, but the cause.

Media give to peoples what peoples want.

[Bunwahaha [still dunno why, but well, so be it]]

Back on the forum

http://www.lemonde.fr/web/article/0,1-0@2-823448,36-996815,0.html

Jean Saint-Josse resigns as leader of CPNT, but says he'll continue to be active. 2007 candidate F. Nihous is the only candidate to take over the party thus far.

Saint-Josse is running for re-election in Coarraze as CPNT candidate in March.

Hmm, the question would be, is that an important event of the current French politics.

I would prefer to speak about the "politique de civilisation" (could be simply translated by: "policy of civilisation") of Sarkozy.

As somebody ideas of what would it design?

To me, it would be a sort of neo-conservatism. Someone to agree? Other ideas?

[Bunwahaha [still dunno why, but well, so be it]]

Sarkozy apparently said something along the lines of ending the retarded Communist 35-hour work week!

Yay for sanity!

Personally, I don't really care about the future of the 35 hours/week.

Clearly, I'm really more interesting in where Sarkozy is psychologically driving this country, my country, France.

That's why I spoke about his "politique de civilisation". I consider it's more important to know if this country is driving to a sort of neo-conservatism. Am I alone?

[Bunwahaha [still dunno why, but well, so be it]]

Yes, 'cos it's words, only words... Especially with Sarkozy.

Ah! A 3rd French here! We need some to equilibrate this "trusted by English peoples" "International discussion" room of this forum!

NO! 100 years War is not over!... Oh...euh... sorry... yes... it's over... well... calm down myself...

I'm joking of course concerning the English presence, if French peoples are not able to communicate in an other language than their, oh well for them!

Well, to be back on the subject, I know Sarkozy is a words and speeches expert, maybe one of the best on Earth currently, and I'm aware that he has a trend to give words and image instead of real things.

But, nevertheless, I think there is something serious with this "politique de civilisation". And I still think it would be some sort of neoconservatism with a christian trend. I thought this before he spoke about "politique de civilisation". His Vatican travel is to me the first step of it and I think we could see other steps of it during 2008.

Honestly, I hadn't heard of Carla Bruni until Sarko started dating her.  I'm woefully out of touch with the fashion world.

But yes, the press did cover, eg, his taking her to EuroDisney and to the Pyramids.

Even in the US! Was it in the big networks like ABC or else? And in non-tabloids press?

[Bunwahaha [still dunno why, but well, so be it]]

He's so strong (Sarkozy).

He surely loves that everybody speaks about him and Carla Bruni, but as media and journalists are too bad (especially in France), he can give the impression that everybody is obsessed by him without he cares about and that we should give interest to other things when he loves we give interest to it.

This country didn't need a leader who play with itself like that.

[Bunwahaha [still dunno why, but well, so be it]]

Sarkozy officially married according to the UMP mayor of the 8th arrondissement. Thank god it's over.

It's over?!?

Are you sure?!?

Well, let's hope, but remember, we're talking about Sarkozy!

[Bunwahaha [still dunno why, but well, so be it]]

Sarkozy officially married according to the UMP mayor of the 8th arrondissement. Thank god it's over.

It's over?!?

Are you sure?!?

Well, let's hope, but remember, we're talking about Sarkozy!

http://www.lemonde.fr/politique/article/2008/02/02/nicolas-sarkozy-et-carla-bruni-se-sont-maries_1006810_823448.html

Yes, wedding is done, I knew it.

But, are you sure it is over with Nicolas Sarkozy's private life?!?

Hey France's First Lady is now Carla Bruni! Imagine the papers each time she'll do something!

Same question than before, concerning the wedding of Sarkozy:

Is it spoken outside of France? If yes, in which sort of medias?

[Bunwahaha [still dunno why, but well, so be it]]

Covered in a number of them, but only a pic of them together. Remember, Sarkozy is due to visit the UK soon. Apparently a live-in lover wouldn't have been an acceptable consort.

I don't think this would have afraid Sarkozy but anyway it is ruled now.

[Bunwahaha [still dunno why, but well, so be it]]

Sometimes, more and more, I'm tired of what's happening in my country.

Last event in date:

After having laughed the French constitution on the question of the secularism of the French Republic by 2 speeches, one in Vatican, the other in Saudi Arabia, both of them saying what the hosts wanted to hear, Sarkozy has done one more thing which make my mind a little more tired.

Yesterday, at the "Dîner du CRIF", dinner given by the representative institutions of Jews from France, important annual meeting of the French political life, where a lot of different politicians and different sort of peoples are invited, Sarkozy said he wants to establish a new thing.

He wants every 10 years French pupil to be confide the memory of a Jew child who existed and who died during Holaucost. One Jew child per pupil.

He thinks it would be good that 10 years pupils establish a relation between themselves and these children, an emotional relations. And this in the way to better understand the History and to better feel what can be a human horror.

...(as I said, such stupid decisions make my mind tired)...

First, a ten years child is psychologically fragile. By doing such a thing, by putting him in front of  a so much violent History and by personally linking him to a personal story of this violent History, he can't have the distance that he needs to have to make his mind and his thought balanced. The distance that we all need to have when we learn and study History. At best, these 10 years old children will not be able to have this distance, at worst they could be traumatized or at least shocked. Anyway, a lot of them could not be able to correctly deal with such a thing.

Second, doing this is taking a position on what's happening now concerning the Israel question. These children which won't be able to correctly deal with what they will be given, which won't be able to corectly analyze the past situation, will be made more sensitive emotionally to the current cause of Israel. Hey! Israel/Palestine is not our problem, we don't have to take position on this, or otherwise we have to clearly say it, but not using the weakness of children's spirit like this.

For sure, such a decision is, concerning the studying of History and its understanding, totally useless and inaccurate.

And concerning the consequences on the future political thought of these pupils, it's a kind of manipulation by emotions with the one they can't correctly deal as they are too psychologically fragile because of their youth.

My country... Sarkozy... The French... The current World...

Wow! Sometimes, if we don't take distance with things, we are at best tired, at worst nervous, and anyway our thought is not accurate. So, I try to take distance, but sometimes, it makes tired anyway.

Hey! Mr Sarkozy! Distance! You should learn the signification of this word. You who is always on air, on move, here and there, everywhere at the time, wanting to rule all the problems, when do you take distance? When do you wonder? When do you think? Hello! You're France's leader now, it's important to do such things for such a job...

More of that, why taking such decisions? Nothing forced you to do it. It doesn't answer to a problem. Is that to seduce Jew community, in and out of France? To be good seen by Israel and the US? To manipulate children? I just hope it's not for these reason and that you did it because you, "president", thought it was a great idea, as you often think you have a lot of personal, or small committee, very good ideas. Anyway, because of what I explained, this one really doesn't seem to be a great one, as others which are most of the time made to do some media communication...

Poor president, poor decisions, poor epoch...

Have to take distance...!