Talk Elections

Quite a lot happening in France (and Chad) nowadays. So, if Ireland can have one, France can have one too.

Feel free to post here.

LOL France

Chad? Are the French going in like? I'd have had much more respect for France had she gone into Iraq. About as much use on the UN Security Council as an ornament, which is a shame. The UN? Now there's a tiger with no teeth

Struggle to name any other leading nation blighted by it's "Non, Non, Non" self-interest :(.

Nevertheless, I'm sure France if she has a will to do so become, significantly, less :) introspective in international affairs

Dave

Sarkozy basically flew to Chad and airlifted the accused Frenchmen (and Spaniards) out, my impression is without the consent of the Chadian government.

(Accused of attempting to kidnap around 100 Chadian "orphans" who really had families, if you missed that story.)

Yes, basically a bunch of "humanitarians" wanting to take kids back to France for adoption; they didn't tell their Chadian aides until the day before. They're all in jail and the Chadian people are understandably quite mad. They released the journalists and Spanish hostesses only, not the main conspirators. Chad should release the 74 year old Belgian pilot and 3 remaining Spanish crew soon to be left only with the main criminals IMO.

Btw does Sarkozy still have the popularity that he had only a couple of months ago? Because I was reading in the Economist, That he had a higher disapproval rating then approval?   

What, you're suggesting the French should use the americans and the British as role models?  I would suggest that the Empire follow the French model.

Anyway, its ridiculous to say the French military is a 'tiger with no teeth' just because it isn't used to rape countries as often as the anglo-saxon ones are.  They're extremely capable.

He never was particularly popular.

Pot calling the china black, anyone?

woot! Trendsetting :)


In all honesty, I think all of the other Permanent Members of the Security Council meet this standard.

Of course. That's the whole point.

Fixed your post.

But what about...eh...mmm...oh, nevermind. :)

You must have misread, his popularity is still above 50%.

Paris Municipal Elections, 2008

Old September Poll

Delanoë (PS) 47%
de Panafieu (UMP) 33%
de Sarnez (MoDem) 8%
Baupin (Verts) 5%
Bild (FN) 4%
LO/LCR u3%

Lyon Municipal Election, 2008

Old Poll

Collomb (PS) 39%
Perben (UMP) 27%
MoDem 17%
Millon (DLC) 6%
Gollnisch (FN) 5%

Strike Tracker
November 7, 2007

Decided I might as well initiate this too, since my lazy countrymen are taking up their national sport again.

University Students Strike: Rennes II, Toulouse, Lille, etc To protest Valerie Pecresse's plan on autonomy of universities.
Fishermen's Strike: Brittany, Atlantic France To protest very high oil prices
Upcoming EDF, SNCF, RATP, etc Strike: Nationwide, intense in Paris and Suburbs To protest the equalization of retirement plans reform

Must be others I haven't heard about.

DLC?

A small right-wing liberal-christian-crazy party led by Charles Millon. Irrelevant.

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...

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

I put a comfortable bet on the victory of Sarkozy.

For those interested in approval ratings...

"Do you have confidence in ~ to face France’s problems?"

Sarkozy
Confidence: 53 (-4)
No Confidence: 42 (+2)

Fillon (Prime Minister)
Confidence: 44 (-8)
No Confidence: 47 (+5)

http://www.angus-reid.com/polls/view/28970/sarkozy_fillon_lose_points_again_in_france/

The UMP honeymoon is rapidly coming to a close. (Sarkozy enjoyed a rating of 64-32 in August, and Fillon 53-39.)

Rant

University "Strikes" by "Students"

The students, who I would bet are a majority as shown by the referendum in Rennes II where the pro-work and anti-strike side took 62%, are blocking access to the university for those that actually want to study instead of acting like wannabe Communists and politicians. Apparently, some "students on strike" went into the strike with iron bars and baseballs, those students are idiots and should be expelled from school pure and simple. These students are clearly a bunch of red communists who want to keep a nanny state that gives money to everything instead of being capitalist and independent like North America and other sane countries. Either that or its a sad excuse to skip classes. Those students deserve to be expelled, flunk, or become unemployed.
In Rennes II, a referendum yesterday where students voted 62% against continuing the blocking of universities was sabotaged by this same group of wannabe commies who decided to ignore a democratic rejection of their stupid tactics. They decided to go into the streets and continue to block the university. I can't say I'm enchanted about the next generation. In Nanterre, it went to the point that the CRS needed to escort those students wishing to study to their classes. The CRS got into a violent confrontation with the lazy students.
I have absolutely zero compassion with these students or this "cause" which is entirely ridiculous and retarded.

Pensions Strike

I have slightly more compassion with the rail workers, some atleast, those who still work long hours. However, going on a huge general strike which will very likely anger the majority of public transport users is ridiculous. There's nothing wrong with having the same rules for everybody and no advantages, especially not to the SNCF. These people don't shovel coal anymore. This is 2007, not 1930 we're in darlings. Nurses, my aunt is one, work crazy hours at night, much worse than these "poor darlings" in the SNCF/RATP. They're protesting the fact that sometimes life is tough and it ain't fair and that sometimes you need to work more. This is like me going on strike protesting my flunking of the Science test.
Hopefully this useless strike, the 6 millionth by the SNCF/RATP, won't last too long and will not penalize the normal citizen who needs to actually work. Unlike some who want to keep their special nanny-state advantages from the 60s.

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.

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/ (http://videos.tf1.fr/video/news/)

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

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

Why do French rail workers go on strike so much?

They've got such a reputation for that, one of my French books at school featured a cartoon that ended with the discovery of a transport strike.

The unions that represent rail workers in France are controlled by Communists (CGT) and various other forms of hard-leftist, including (last time I checked) Trots.

Mind you, do they actually go on strike more than the RMT does on the tube these days? Serious question actually.

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.

The strikes are a failure for the commies since only about 30% of the SNCF was on strike yesterday, around 25% of the RATP. I hope those wannabe Trots/Commies get their ass kicked and start working, lazy idiots.

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.

It's worse on the Glasgow Subway as the system is still 'state' run. You can't get them to work after 6pm on Sunday if theres a special event without a strike before hand

The scums are at it again, after a tragic accident (collision with police car) which killed 2 youths (although their motorcycle had no headlights nor did they wear helmets), the scums of the suburbs (this time in Villiers-le-Bel, in Val-d'Oise) are burning libraries, schools (which shows these scum's lack of culture), cars, they're looting. And apparently they're using dangerous weapons against the police- hunting rifles among others. Around 80 policemen wounded in the incidents, a few by gun fire. I guess the deputy for the city won't care too much as he is none other than DSK who's got better things to do right now. Apparently it's also spread to other suburbs and also Toulouse where they also burned a library. Assholes.

These scums and such incidents make me pissed off. If I lived in the city, I'd be even more angry.

Having a massive show of force in Villiers le Bel forced the idiots to stay home and it quickly solved the violence. And Sarkozy's response was much acclaimed, even by the perpetual whiners. And Arnaud Montebourg didn't have anything to say!!!

The stupid baby Bayrou founded his new useless party with his 3/4 deputies this weekend. Related to him, Royal said she proposed to him to become PM if she'd won. Scary thought. A novice useless politician as President and a baby and worse Min. of Edu. ever as PM.

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?

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.

Every time I see him, he's whining and complaining.

Get a platform and I'll vote for him.

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.

It's not me, every time he's on TV he's complaining about something. Blame the TV if you want.

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.

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.

The whole point of NC was a bunch of politicians who wanted to get reelected, not any sort of actual ideology. There just more UMPers.

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?

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.

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

Yep, complete with picture of her in a near see-through swimsuit (the ability of the UK press for gratuitous pictures of women in revealing outfits is legendary).

Yes, the retarded Quebec media goes crazy on that. Stupid people-obsessed media.

Ohoho

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

Stupid tabloids, some cheaper newspapers. TV also

Don't blame the consequence, but the cause.

Media give to peoples what peoples want.

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.

Back on the forum


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?

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?

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

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.

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.


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

I just hope he marries soon so we can get it over with. My opinion of him has greatly decreased in the past few months, but he's still better than Royal or Bayrou or anything else.

CNN, quoting some French sources, said he already has married her.

Those are rumours, I saw a few back on Thursday.

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.

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?

ok, when they will divorce now ? I take the wagers...

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.

Le Pen has been sentenced to three months in jail (http://www.lemonde.fr/web/depeches/0,14-0,39-34239817@7-37,0.html) for comments he made in 2005 about the Nazi occupation of France.


He also claimed that the occupation "hadn't been particularly inhuman, even though there were some problems, which was inevitable in a country with an area of 550 000 square kilometers."

Is this meant to come as a surprise to anyone? Hopefully his daughter will lose in Henin-Beaumont and his Nazi party will be trounced in the locals.

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...!

Sarkozy fails. Francois Fillon for President.

François Fillon president...

?!?

Yes, maybe, in a "paralleeel univeeerse..." (to quote this song of the Red Hot Chili Peppers who sometimes back to my mind...)

But, clearly, I also would have preferred François Fillon for president, far.

Following the current day by day French policy, it would have been less shameful for France.

Less shameful because with him, we at least would have someone who has the sense of responsibilities, at least he seems to.

We have to wait to know if he fails or not for managing the country, what is sure it is what I always said, he badly psychologically lead this country, and this one is fragile.

After "les élections municipales" (the municipal elections), changes will occur and some could be big. Maybe he is doing all his managing errors until now and he might will learn from them.

I think Attali's report is his only chance for good managing the country, let's see how he will deal with.

But, if all of this does not happen, for sure, he will fail, more and more, and more he will fail, more he will try to take decisions to make some shock, such as the last ones, and the country will drive from bad to bad.

Personally, no matter he succeed or not in the managing, I still think that he has no vision for the future, that he is unstable, that he doesn't wonder, that he thinks he is a great man thinking he always has great ideas, that he is an ideologist who is not aware of some psychological realities (as all bad ideologists). Well, I still think he will badly psychologically make explode France and maybe further...

France has been charmed by him, now she pays the bill of its non-vigilance.

Wanna cry concerning French politics?

Here's a video from a "politician" woman who concurred for deputy for the last legislatives (2007), she has been endorsed and not denied by UMP (Sarkozy's party, biggest of France). She comes from a French TV show (called "Sans aucun doute") which pretend to rule all problems of poor and despaired peoples who come to the show. Compared to Philippe de Villiers (French far-right), he is a nice sweet guy.

I think that this woman is just a caricature of the future of politics around the world. But here we are in France, and I think that it is a man like Sarkozy who opened the door to such "politicians" in our country...

Beware! It' scary!

For non-French speakers, non-understanding what is said might not be a problem to understand how this way is a dangerous way for politics.

Sure you wanna watch?

OK, let's go... (http://fr.youtube.com/watch?v=OtUeB2Zqc_c)

There is a second part here (http://fr.youtube.com/watch?v=Fni7DasgbUA).

Don't deform what I said. I support most of Sarkozy's policies, but I dislike his presidential "style" and his bling bling Presidency.

Oh well, OK, I did not want to deform what you said but I maintain my post.

For those into favourable ratings:

IFOP, Feb 24 compared to IFOP, Jan 20

Sarkozy
Unfavorable 38% (-9)

Fillon
Favorable 57% (+7)

I've been polled by IFOP yesterday. That's something funny:

It begins by politics, then questions on pencil marks, then on chain saw, and then back on politics...

Concerning the fact that Sarkozy is hardly down for about one month:

Now he's really unpopular, he has nothing to lose, and I think we haven't finish to see him taking poor ways...

Last one:

He said he was ready to go personaly to Colombia's border to pick Ingrid Betancourt...

What did France elected?

A president of a country?
An actor?
A super-hero?

I think he wants to be all of this at the time and he succeed to be nothing of this...

CSA had him down to 35% or something IIRC, but CSA is bullcrap.

Why?

Lol, seriously, look at their tracking record.

Last poll before the first round, 2007

Sarkozy 26.5
Royal 25.5
Le Pen 16.5
Bayrou 16
Others 15.5
Runoff tied 50-50

And they also do runoff polls in Paris, Lyon, and Marseille. Haha.

Sure, what you say doesn't play for them, maybe poor bad shots, personally, I don't follow enough polls to can say it.

Doing runoff polls for local elections in Paris, Lyon, and Marseille is a sign that they suck. Any pollster doing such polls deserve to be shot.

Well, please forgive my stupidity, but, why shouldn't they do runoff polls for Paris, Lyon and Marseille?

I know the lists are in mess with MoDem, but peoples vote for a name, don't they?

Otherwise, I would like you to tell me why you say it?

Then, are they alone to do runoff polls for these cities?!?

I know, I should get more interest to polls, these are our future way to express the choice of the people more than the personal vote of the "dying citizen status". I think we less and less go to "The citizens" and more and more to "The people". With personal choices dying and becoming mass choices. Romans had a word to design it, they called it "vox populi" (translation: "voice of the people")...

I really take care to vote but as I consider that polls become more and more important than the vote, I also really take care to answer when I'm polled. Until now I've been 4 times, 2 by national poll institutes and 2 by local things.

Because of the PLM law. The way local elections are in those cities, citywide raw vote totals are useless (about as useless as "nationwide" polls CSA did once in the local elections). What counts in PLM is the vote by arrondissement/secteur; to win you need to have a majority of sectors (Paris has 20, Lyon 9, Marseille 8). In 1983, Gaston Defferre actually lost the raw votes but won a majority of sectors. The same thing could happen again now in Marseille, considering the race is up in the air. Therefore, citywide raw votes aren't of much use. Some sources don't even report citywide vote totals.

TNS-Sofres also did one runoff poll for Marseille a short while ago and some other pollster named OpinionWay did too. Better pollsters like IFOP or Ipsos don't waste their time on such polls.

CSA also did a nationwide poll for the locals; which confirms that they suck.

Concerning the fact that these cities have several sectors that's an interesting aspect I didn't take in count. But, my way can still work, peoples can decide to vote for the mayor of their sector which supports the big mayor of the city they want, surely the most important one of both, don't they?

Concerning your last sentence, I totally agree, nationwide polls for locals are to me totally stupid too.

Of course they can, and that's maybe what a lot of voters that don't understand the complex local election-PLM law do. People don't directly vote for the mayor either, they vote for a party list led by a particular person (which becomes mayor if his list wins); the mayor is elected by councillors after the election. So, this party list can include politicians of different views (especially among the UMP, which included centrists, conservatives, centre-leftists [aka Gauche Moderne], liberals, Christian democrats, nationalists etc.); but I assume most people don't know much about that.

However, my point stands, and I hope you agree, city-wide runoff polling in PLM is ridiculous and a waste of money.

Don't forget that the runoff depends on the sector. For example, in southern Marseille (solid UMP) the runoffs are mostly UMP-PS; while in Marseille-8 and some other Marseille sectors (the Communist sector) the FN/MNR do well (and before 2007, extremely well) and made the runoff UMP-PS-FN. The same thing could happen again and changes the race there a lot. The FN was not in a runoff in Paris in 2001 (and 1995 IIRC) and was in the runoff in Lyon in 2001; and with the Lyon FN now a joke, they won't be in any runoff.

Well, the points you describe me, I have to acknowledge I have a weak knowledge in the working of locals for cities with sectors, seems to be accurate and to effectively make that it's not really accurate to make runoff polls for these cities. My way just work if most of peoples who vote in these cities don't know this working, as i didn't.

You remember the video I've put in this topic? I said that to me it is a serious risk for the future of politics. Well, if ever you or someone else can currently watch French political debates, I advise you to look for example how Rachida Dati (Minister of Justice) debates, to me it goes clearly in the bad sens of the politics I worry about.

Then, concerning the first local results, left continues on stupid debates trying to affirm that was a national election and that first results were a big defeat for UMP (PS 47% UMP 45%). Hey, please politicians! Words have a sens! I you politicians don't show the example, who will do it?

I love how the left spins this into a `pink wave`and a rout for the right a la 1977. Idiots.

Jean Arthuis, Senator and President of Mayenne, has left the MoDem. They're left with one department (Morbihan). I wonder how many weeks they'll keep that one.

What is idiot is your reaction. Try to remember what is the job of a spin.

Ah yes, Francois Bayrou has called a press conference tomorrow at 16:00hrs for a "important announcement".

Maybe he'll create a new party? :p

Nothing special, just complaining about Sarkozy and the right; and saying he'll talk to members about party strategy.

François Bayrou...

He has some good will, good values, but he is losing his-self, in poor things. It's not your epoch Francky! Franky Baba, that's the way I nickname him.

In this way I have also John Franky Coco for Jean-François Copé, Seeg Roy for Ségolène Royal, Nico Sark is Nicolas Sarkozy and maybe others I don't remember now... Hmm, yes, as sing Ramstein: "We're all living in Americaaa, America, Americaaa...".

To continue on French politics, I think Nicolas Sarkozy as found his future adversary in the person of Jean-François Copé, to me, his future opponent for the French Right. Speaking about him, JFC, I have to say that he is a better and better speaker, he was wonderful in debates of post-municipals.

I'm curious to know if that's him who asked or not for being chief of deputies at the National Assembly. It's seems that's his strategy is taking the right deputies making it a strong force, in the way to make problems to Sarkozy and to impose him as a new chief. Well on a more or less long term. Sarkozy who said that he wanted to give deputies more force in his constitutional reforms. He may didn't expect it could play against him...

Anybody is better than Patrick Devedjian for the UMP. I hate him.

Oh and.

Aime Cesaire, former PPM mayor of Fort-de-France and great poet has died.

http://www.lemonde.fr/carnet/article/2008/04/17/le-poete-aime-cesaire-est-mort_1035299_3382.html

RIP, he was a great man.

I don't really know the man, I can't say, salutation to him.


You haven't watched French TV after municipals.

Sorry, but, John Franky Coco has became really superior than P Dev (that's how I nickname him), even if this one is enough strong, you should try to look about it...

Did you even read what I said? I said that anybody can be better for the UMP than Devedjian; that includes Cope.

I always quite like Cope in fact. In fact, the two major group leaders and good. Ayrault and Cope are both excellent.

Tssss, nothing equals our Ségogole. Definitely nothing.

Please don't ruin my historic week without hearing her voice.

Sarkozy falls to 36% popularity, with 72% unhappy. The worse popularity after one year since 1958.

Fillon down 6% to 52%.

Le Pen has once again called the gaz chambers in World War II a "detail".

He was almost dead - politically and medically.

Now we are talking about him, so he can be really proud : he has reached hi goal.

Obviously. His party is almost a joke party, it's selling out his HQ; so he needs to make Nazi comments to give him attention.

His daughter condemned the comments IIRC, though.

Want to buy car???

Buy Le Pen's own car on EBay.

http://cgi.ebay.fr/EXCLUSIF-Peugeot-605-blindee-de-Jean-Marie-Le-Pen-SV-3-0_W0QQitemZ120255193497QQihZ002QQcategoryZ119748QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

One year of Nicolas Sarkozy. He was elected a year ago today.

Royal made a comment along the lines she wouldn't have been such a bling-bling. Remind me now, who divorced on the night of the general election?

Ségo is cute in that I-can't-believe-this-person-was-a-serious-contender-for-president sort of way.

Hum, I really don't want to defend Royal, but if I remember correctly, she didn't want to annonce her divorce the evening of the legislative election. The interview was spread without her approval.

Ah, and Delanoë is basically candidate for being the next socialist party first secretary.

Perhaps I'll actually vote PS in 2012 for the last time of my life...

I like Delanoë, he's sane, he doesn't just whine, he says that the PS needs to propose alternatives; instead of complaining like that other one.

The National Assembly has passed 113-10 a popular initiative referendum law, proposed by the NC. Voters may now propose a referendum with the support of 1/5th of MPs and Senators and 1/10th of voters.

They also passed a law imposing a two-consecutive term limit on the President.

Notes on party popularity, TNS-Sofres, April 2008

PCF: Negative 54%, Positive 27%
MoDem: Negative 46%, Positive 35%
UMP: Negative 54%, Positive 33%
PS: Positive 45%, Negative 42%
NC: Negative 46%, Positive 17%
FN: Negative 84%, Positive 7%
Greenies: Positive 46%, Negative 39%

Les Verts: the most popular party in France!

I'm quite surprised at their popularity level, it must be new, since the last time I checked every party was in the negatives.

I just had the most delicious French meal:

1) pureed vegetable soup
2) eggs mayonaisse with Parma ham (salad)
3) Duck breasts in sauce of tropical fruits, with carrots and potato
4) cream custard with liquor
5) Amaretto

Oh and a glass of house red wine with the dinner. 
Total bill: 460 baht or around $14.

A little cartoon...

()

Sorry for the misunderstanding.

An element to go in the sens of what I say concerning the fact that Cope is to me surely the next big opponent to Sarkozy at right, the fact he said a few days ago he wasn't opposite to improve the TV tax, when Sarkozy said he was totally opposite to this.

Then, Ayrault. I don't know him as mayor of Nantes but as leader of PS I just can't bear him. I think he should remember that doing politics is something serious and which concerns the life of peoples, that's not just tactics and words and tactics of words, and I say this also for a very big part of the PS, and first of all to the one who represents it the more to me, François Hollande.

Mouhahahahahaah

I love the cartoon!!!

So true!

Where did you find it?

Now that Sarkozy and Fillon have been in office for over a year:


Presidential approval ratings

Mitterrand was elected in May 1981 with 52% of the vote. In June 1981, his approval rating was 74%. One year later, in June 1982, it was 63% (–11%). In May 1988, when Mitterrand ran for re-election, it was 57%.

Mitterrand was re-elected in May 1988 with 54% of the vote. In June 1988, his approval rating was 63%. One year later, in June 1989, it was 62% (–1%). In May 1995, when Mitterrand retired, it was 34%.

Chirac was elected in May 1995 with 53% of the vote. In June 1995, his approval rating was 64%. One year later, in June 1996, it was 47% (–6%). In May 2002, when Chirac ran for re-election, it was 52%.

Chirac was re-elected in May 2002 with 82% of the vote (last polls had him tied with Jospin, who finished 4% behind Chirac in the first round). In June 2002, his approval rating was 50%. One year later, in June 2003, it was 49% (–1%). In May 2007, when Chirac retired it was 30%.

Sarkozy was elected in May 2007 with 53% of the vote. In June 2007, his approval rating was 62%. One year later, in June 2008, it is 38% (–24%).


Prime minister approval ratings

Mitterrand appointed Mauroy in May 1981. In June 1981, his approval rating was 71%. One year later, in June 1982, it was 55% (–16%). In July 1984, when Mauroy resigned, it was 25%.

Mitterrand appointed Fabius in July 1984. In September 1984, his approval rating was 53%. One year later, in September 1985, it was 47% (–6%). In March 1986, when the right took control of the National Assembly, it was 44%.

Mitterrand appointed Chirac in March 1986. In April 1986, his approval rating was 57%. One year later, in April 1987, it was 44% (–13%). In May 1988, when the left took control of the National Assembly, it was 48%.

Mitterrand appointed Rocard in May 1988. In June 1988, his approval rating was 66%. One year later, in June 1989, it was 65% (–1%). In May 1991, when Rocard resigned, it was 50%.

Mitterrand appointed Cresson in May 1991. In June 1991, her approval rating was 49%. Less than a year later, in April 1992, when Cresson resigned, it was 22% (–27%).

Mitterrand appointed Bérégovoy in April 1992. In May 1992, his approval rating was 54%. Less than a year later, in March 1993, when the right took control of the National Assembly, it was 39% (–15%).

Mitterrand appointed Balladur in March 1993. In April 1993, his approval rating was 73%. One year later, in April 1994, it was 53% (–20%). In May 1995, when Balladur resigned, it was 47%.

Chirac appointed Juppé in May 1995. In June 1995, his approval rating was 65%. One year later, in June 1996, it was 38% (–27%). In May 1997, when the left took control of the National Assembly, it was 28%.

Chirac appointed Jospin in June 1997. In July 1997, his approval rating was 66%. One year later, in June 1998, it was 62% (–4%). In May 2002, when Jospin resigned and the right took control of the National Assembly, it was 40%.

Chirac appointed Raffarin in May 2002. In June 2002, his approval rating was 60%. One year later, in June 2003, it was 45% (–15%). In April 2005, when Raffarin resigned, it was 22%.

Chirac appointed Villepin in May 2005. In June 2005, his approval rating was 39%. One year later, in June 2006, it was 17% (–22%). In April 2007, when Villepin resigned, it was 30%.

Sarkozy appointed Fillon in May 2007. In June 2007, his approval rating was 58%. One year later, in June 2007, it is 45% (–13%).

---

Sarkozy lost twenty-four points in his first year in office, more than twice as much as any other president ever recorded. Fillon, on the other hand, had been successful so far at distancing himself from the unpopular president.

Data are from Homme-Politique (http://www.homme-politique.com/popularite.php). The approval ratings are from TNS-SOFRES (average of various polling institutes).

No real surprises anywhere.

It seems like the quiet style of Fillon seems more popular than the bling-bling hyper-style of the dwarf.

Interesting data, btw (I recommend using the TNS-Sofres website itself, though, their interactive graphs are much better).

It looks like Chirac is going to boycott (http://www.lemonde.fr/politique/article/2008/06/21/jacques-chirac-devrait-boycotter-les-ceremonies-du-14-juillet_1061396_823448.html) the Bastille Day celebration in Paris after Sarkozy invited Bashar al-Assad.

Chirac is a very good friend of the Hariri family, and has lived in one of their apartments since leaving office.

Guillaume Peltier, formerly the second-in-command in the MPF (de Villiers' joke party) a rising star within the party (he also 'replaced' Donnedieu de Vabres as leader of the right in Tours in March, with Donnedieu de Vabres retiring), and surely the person who would be given the top position on the MPF list in the Massif Central-Centre EU constituency; has joined the UMP. He was close to Hortefeux, Minister of Immigration, and he probably realized that a fruitful future political careers is better achieved within a major party than a local joke party.

This is bad news for de Villiers. Peltier could've have potentially gotten the MPF out of a total-joke status. But now the party is condemned to sink into joke status even more. :) Under Hortefeux's wing, he can potentially be a UMP rising star, and a serious contender for deputy, Mayor, maybe MEP in Tours. (Jean Royer's second coming :P)

Fun fact: This is his fourth party. He was in the FN, MNR, MPF, and now UMP. He'll probably be centrist next and a Communist in ten years  ;D

Congress has adopted the institutional reform law very narrowly, by one vote of majority in fact. The final vote was 539 for vs. 357 against.

Breakdown:

Assembly

UMP 310 in favour, 6 against (Goulard [Mayor of Vannes who hates Sarkozy and loves Bayrou], other irrelevancies), 1 abstaining
Socialist, PRG, MRC 194 against, 6 in favour (a few overseas leftie MPs, most PRG MPs, Jack Lang [the only PS vote in favour])
GDR (Commies + Greenies) 24 against, none in favour
NC 23 in favour (including Ille-et-Vilaine MP Thierry Benoit :), who quit the MoDem to join the New Centre :)), 1 abstaining (Philippe Folliot, former RPF deputy)
NI, MoDem, DLR 6 against (3 MoDem MPs, 2 MPF MPs, Nicolas Dupont-Aignan), 1 in favour (DLR MP from the Nord)

Senate

UMP 158 in favour, 1 against (unknown Senator from Maine-et-Loire)
PS 95 against
UC-UDF 24 in favour, 2 against (MoDems), 4 abstaining
Communist and Republican 23 against
RDSE 11 in favour, 4 against (3 PRGs and a lolz MPF :D lolz idiot), 2 abstaining
NI 2 against (2 MPF), 2 in favour (2 CNIP-DVD), 1 abstaining (1 DVD), 1 lazy/sleeping/missed the bus (lolz)

I'll write a little analysis of what this reform entails if anyone is interested. Right now I'm celebrating the defeat of Arnaud Montebourg (who was the leader of his clan for this. He likes to yell and complain a lot, so they chose him, since his position included a lot of yelling and whining) :( who swore that no Socialist would vote against.

lolz PS lolz. All Socialists are pissed at Jack Lang and the PRG for voting in favour. Ayrault said that Lang auto-excluded himself from the SRC group. Royal, who never misses an opportunity to complain, quoted Mitterrand. In addition, talks will soon be held between Hollande and Baylet, the leader of the PRG. A majority of PRG deputies and Senators voted in favour, including Baylet. Knowing how the Socialists automatically hate anybody who goes against their party line, the PRG might quit the SRC group.

Left-Radicals, eh? :) I like them now.

What next? Referendum?

PRG? Left-radicals?!?

No, just Baylet followers.

Baylet?

Just an opportunist.

Attitude of PS on this constitutional affair?

Ridiculous, stupid, small.

This constitutional affair?

I would like that we wonder on serious things when we make a congress to change the constitution.

A referendum?

Mouhahaha... No

Next referendum?

Surely Turkey, if there are no big changes in this country which would lead it to stop its adhesion to EU.

I'm sure the 12 PRG members elected to nationwide office will be pleased.

France has a lot of political parties with names that trace from the era when you had to have "Left", "Radical", "Revolutionary" or something else similar in your name to be elected. The PRG is definitely centrist, and probably my favorite French party.

I see you've effectively abolished the 35-hour week.

And who did a protestation when the decision became official?

Executives!

Well, that's normal with 45 to 60 hours a week, that's maybe them who ned it more. Because for such jobs for example this 35h a week where changed in free-days to choose. And so when they felt a burnout coming they could take one or some free-days. I liked this conception of the 35 hours a week. Anyway, it is done now...

Oh, yes, I know perfectly well about the history of the Radicals. I don't think they're radical or leftist, thanks to sinistrisme. But they were the only party on the left to support the reforms. The PCF let me down.

Uhm. Let's see what's new in Bro-C'hall.

Sarkozy seems to be gaining in popularity. Ipsos puts him at 44 and Fillon at 52. Him being less bling-bling, and a bit calmer plays a large role.

Le Pen has decided not to run again in 2012 and open the road to his succession.

Besancenot is gaining in momentum and strength. The LCR membership was boosted quite a bit, probably in view of the creation of his NPA soon. I heard about a poll in France that had Besancenot with around 10% in a presidential poll. He still remains one of the top 10 most popular politicians (far ahead of Sarkozy and Royal) and one of the top 10 best opponents to Sarkozy.

Le Pen not running? The world is coming to an end.

Why hasn't the LCR been able to capitalize on Besancenot's popularity with at least one MNA?

Firstly, the LCR has absolutely no (absolutely none) ground constituency organization and GOTV effort. The LCR has no party machine on the ground. Also, Besancenot is like Le Pen in that he gets votes from voters that don't vote for the party in a general/EU/local election.

Secondly, even if it did break 15% in one constituency (which is very unlikely) and somehow got into the runoff, a plurality/majority of voters would not vote for a Trot. Just as they wouldn't vote for a fascist. And like with the FN, many of the first round voters wouldn't come out and vote for an LCR candidate that has no chance in the runoff.

Are the various DVG and DVD MNAs members of tiny parties or independents?

local party dissidents, a few are local parties that are elected with no PS/UMP opposition.

I'll make a detailed list tomorrow.

Please do.

That, and the far left is much more divided than the far right. If the LCR, the LO, the PT, and the Bové supporters (and maybe the PCF) formed a common party, the anti-capitalist left would be much stronger.

Besancenot, Buffet, Laguiller, Bové, and Schivardi won a combined nine percent of the vote last year, not far behind Le Pen. With Le Pen retiring, you can expect the FN's vote share to lower in 2012. The MoDem isn't very successful either. A common far left party would be a force to be reckoned with.

Even a Trot party composed mostly of the LCR would be quite important. The LO and the POI are two irrelevant joke parties, and with Laguiller gone from presidential politics, expect the LO to go away from the national scene.

But the NPA won't be different from the LCR in regards to the legislative scene, since it will continue to have no constituency organization and base.

Here we go.

DVG (All elected with PS opposition unless stated otherwise)
Marcel Rogemont, Ille-et-Vilaine 3: PS dissident
Guy Chambefort, Allier 1: PS dissident
Martine Pinville, Charente 4: PS dissident
Jacques Desallangre, Aisne 2: Independent MRC/Commie
Rene Dosiere, Aisne 1: PS dissident
Jean-Pierre Brard, Seine-Saint-Denis 7: Minor party (CAP- bunch of Commies). PS qualified for runoff, but dropped out. Elected unopposed in runoff.
Simon Renucci, Corse-du-Sud 1: Minor party (CSD). No PS opposition
Jeanny Marc-Mathiasin, Guadeloupe 3: Minor party (GUSR)
Chantal Berthelot, Guyane 2: Minor party (PSG). No PS opposition

DVD
Guenhael Huet, Manche 2: UMP dissident. Elected in runoff with official UMP.
Joel Sarlot, Vendee 5: Independent Villierist/MPF. No UMP opposition
Francois-Xavier Villain, Nord 18: Minor party (DLR). No UMP opposition
Lionel Tardy, Haute-Savoie 2: Independent. Defeated NC incumbent.
Eric Straumann, Haut-Rhin 1: UMP dissident. Elected in runoff with official UMP.
Nicolas Dupont-Aignan, Essonne 8: Minor party (DLR). No UMP opposition

Isn't DLR part of the UMP?

It used to be an associate party.

Now it's totally separate.

Ah, I see.

http://www.lemonde.fr/politique/article/2008/09/15/segolene-royal-revoit-sa-strategie-au-sein-du-ps_1095569_823448.html

After polls showed her performing poorly against Bertrand Delanoë, Ségolène Royal has announced that she may drop out (http://www.lemonde.fr/politique/article/2008/09/15/segolene-royal-revoit-sa-strategie-au-sein-du-ps_1095569_823448.html) of the race to become First Secretary of the PS (the election is on November 6).

Hmm. About time.

She may drop out if her motion does poorly. She's not dropping out now.

Of course, I'd be sad if she dropped out. She amuses me.

Of course, she can't drop out right now. She needs to have a discussion with the social partners first (that's participative democracy, you know). :P

Ah, yes. Participative democracy.

She even changed the regional logo of Poitou to include that.

()

Funnily, the Poitou-Charentes Regional Assembly is certainly not participative democracy as long as she is President.

The deadline for registering a motion is September 23. Ségolène Royal and her allies have agreed on a motion; if Royal does not lead it, Gérard Collomb will. (Interesting...)

Martine Aubry will be leading her own motion; when asked whether she would put her campaign "in the freezer" like Royal asked, she answered, "At a time when we must, to the contrary, give warmth to our people and to the party, I am not sure that the freezer would be the best solution," and that Royal "is simultaneously a non-candidate and a candidate. It doesn't make any sense anymore, or, rather, it makes too much sense." (Royal is definitely correct in saying that it's too early to be campaigning for 2012. Wasn't she the one who wanted the PS to select its 2012 nominee immediately after the election last year?)

Bertrand Delanoë is also leading a motion. He is, of course, the frontrunner. He has the support of François Hollande (Royal claims she would have liked for him to stay above the fray), and Jean-Marc Ayrault has endorsed him as well.

I regret supporting Collomb in March now.


For anyone who doesn't know, Aubry hates Royal with a passion.


Alain Rousset (Aquitaine) and Jean-Yves le Drian (Bretagne), two Royalists in 2007, have also endorsed Delanoë.

Pierre Moscovici and François Rebsamen have endorsed Delanoë; Julien Dray backs Royal, and Pierre Mauroy backs Aubry (as well as Fabius, if I understand correctly).

So there are six motions: Royal's (actually led by Collomb), Delanoë's, and Aubry's, as well three minor ones. The only declared candidates for first secretary are Delanoë and Benoît Hamon (a deputy to the European Parliament, who leads one of the minor far-left motions).

UMP Senate primary results:
Gérard Larcher – 78 votes (51.3%)
Jean-Pierre Raffarin – 56 votes (36.8%)
Philippe Marini – 17 votes (11.2%)
Abstention – 1 (0.7%)

Larcher won on the first round with one vote more than needed for a majority. He will be the next President of the Senate.

Unemployment in August took a big boost, up 2.2%.

It's at the highest it's been since 1993.

Rumors are spreading that, because of the recession, Sarkozy will form a new government, including former prime ministers Juppé, Villepin, and Rocard.

Oh dear. Not these 'rumours' again.

The Assembly has adopted the European/French version of the economic stimulus/bailout pack thingee.

Breakdown:

Assembly

UMP 190 in favour, 1 non-voting (Accoyer)
Socialist, PRG, MRC 102 abstaining, 7 in favour (one PS Hamon follower, 4 PRG, 1 Socialist from Wallis-et-Futuna, 1 GUSR), 3 against (Taubira, 2 very left-wing deputies from the Nord)
GDR (Commies + Greenies) 20 against, 4 abstaining (all 4 Greenies)
NC 23 in favour
NI, MoDem, DLR 4 in favour (2 MoDem, 2 MPF)

353 voting, 247 valid votes, majority of 124. 224 in favour, 23 against.

The Senate will vote tomorrow.

And the PS takes the Fabien Roy approach.

()

(this might have needed a new thread, but meh)

A movie dealing with the problems in the Paris suburbs is halted by problems in the Paris suburbs.  link (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1077490/Filming-John-Travolta-movie-Paris-housing-estate-halted-rioting-youths-threaten-crew-torch-cars.html)

I feel bad for the people that live in these places, ya just know it's a small percentage of them that are asshats torching cars every night.  Are there still hundreds of cars a night burned in the suburbs?  I knew this was a big deal a few years ago, I had no idea it was still this bad.

The new major thing for today is the scandal caused by a bunch of "French" citizens supporting the Tunisian soccer team in yesterday's France-Tunisia game and them booing La Marseillaise.

All parties are very pissed. Mark this day. The PS agreeing with the UMP.

The government says they're going to take measures.

La France, tu l'aime ou tu la quitte, as the Viscount would say.

They will suspend any games in which someone booes the Marsellaise.

IMHO,simply ridicolous.

I thought than that was forbidden by the FIFA?

I don't know if the PCF actually took a stance on this.

Greenies of all stripes held a rally today before the EU elections next June. It included Daniel Cohn-Bendit, who decided to choose France over Germany; Jose Bove; Antoine Waechter, the centrist-leaning greenie and leader of the MEI; Cecile Duflot, the Greenies leader; and a few others including a few close to Nicolas Hulot.

They apparently want a "Europe-Ecologie" list for the next European elections over a quadrillion jokes all claiming to be Greenies.

Also, the death of Sister Emmanuelle (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sister_Emmanuelle), a great humanitarian. RIP.

More votes!

Vote on the Grenelle environmental legislation (in its entirety)

Breakdown:

Assembly

UMP 304 in favour, 1 non-voting (Accoyer)
Socialist, PRG, MRC 193 in favour, 3 abstaining (2 PRG, 1 nuclear energy lobbyist, a Socialist)
GDR (Commies + Greenies) 17 abstaining (3 Greenies, the rest are Commies), 4 against (all four orthodox Commmies), 1 in favour (François de Rugy, Green MNA for Nantes)
NC 23 in favour
NI, MoDem, DLR 5 in favour, 1 abstaining (Jean Lasalle)

551 voting, 530 valid votes, majority of 266. 526 in favour, 4 against.

Vote on the RSA (active solidarities revenue), a government fund for fighting poverty proposed by Martin Hirsch, a former leftie now in government.

Assembly

UMP 279 in favour, 1 against (conservative UMP MNA that likes the death penalty), 11 abstaining, 1 non-voting (Accoyer)
Socialist, PRG, MRC 177 abstaining, 3 in favour (2 PRG, 1 Aubry-Socialist), 3 against (2 PRG, 1 socialist)
GDR (Commies + Greenies) 16 against, 4 abstaining (1 PCR, 1 Martinican nat, 2 Greenies)
NC 21 in favour, 1 abstaining (Lagarde)
NI, MoDem, DLR 3 in favour (2 MPF, 1 DLR), 4 abstaining (Bayrou and his cronies, the annoying guy from Essonne who knows who he is).

The PS should join the Liberal Party of Canada in forming the Abstention Party.

I'll assume they did.

Abstaining again? The PS should elect Fabien Roy their leader.

The big story now is the Wolfowitz-eqsue scandal (http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/10/22/business/22imf.php) involving IMF President Dominique Strauss-Kahn, PS.




The Socialists are, for the most part, defending him.





(The French media typically doesn't report on politicians' sex scandals.)



Ségolène Royal, on the other hand, is clearly trying to eliminate him as a potential rival for 2012.




The French government is backing DSK. Sarkozy pushed for him to lead the IMF (in part because he was the biggest obstacle to re-election in 2012), and it would be yet another international setback for him if his appointee were forced to resign.





And, for Arnaud Montebourg, it's crystal clear that the United States, Russia, and Egypt are conspiring against Strauss-Kahn. Let's give him the last word…

I don't see how a French politician having a mistress is at all newsworthy.

Just that this one has an international post and is in the US.


Though they'd all be happy if this destroyed his chances for a 2012 run.


lol

France currently holds the European Union's six-month rotating presidency, which it is supposed to pass on to the Czech Republic on January 1. However, it seems that Sarkozy is pushing to extend France's presidency for at least another year (rather than pass it on to the Czech Republic, which would then pass it on to Sweden on July 1) due to crises such as the conflict between Russia and Georgia, the Irish referendum on the Treaty of Lisbon, and the recession.

Sarkozy wants to push the Czech Republic and Sweden aside because he believes that the presidency should be held by a member of the Eurozone, and he has also pointed out that the Czech president and prime minister are eurosceptics.

At the very least, Sarkozy wants France to remain president over economic affairs, as is customary when a non-Eurozone member holds the general presidency (Belgium in lieu of Sweden in 2001, and Greece in lieu of Denmark in 2002). I don't recall this happening with Britain in 2005 or Slovenia in 2008. In any event, Belgium came after Sweden, and Greece came after Denmark, so shouldn't the presidency go directly to Spain? ???

Sarkozy has proposed a dual French-British leadership of the EU's council of financial ministers because of London's role as the financial capital of Europe. It seems that he wants to push aside Jean-Claude Juncker, Luxembourg's prime minister and minister of finance.

As of Wednesday, Merkel had not commented. Obviously, she is not expected to approve.

http://www.lemonde.fr/archives/article/2008/10/22/nicolas-sarkozy-veut-diriger-la-zone-euro-jusqu-en-2010_1109655_0.html

Awful person. I hate his authoritative side, bur he is better than Royal, the crazy person who tries anything to destroy her opponent and who see complots everywhere.

You should forgive her. She's crazy, indeed.

Is the NPA supposed to absorb the far-left parties?

Besancenot hopes so. But as it stands now, it realistically won't and the party will just be the LCR under a new name.

---

BTW, GREAT NEWS!

The MoI gnomes have decided to keep the departmental number on the new license plates!

The owner will be free to choose the departmental number he wishes, though. The freedom haters wanted to remove the numbers from license plates. >:(

35!

Surprised the bureaucrats allowed "Breizh" to be on there. It was already quite a fight to get the Gwenn ha du on there over a stupid bureaucratic regional logo (though the current one is much more symbolic and miles better than the old one).

Some states here do that. California doesn't. :(

Sarko Voodoo dolls, anyone...

French media goes a bit crazy on it.

Debates and debates and debates, now it goes on "more of that it is a caricature and a bit an insult for the Voodoo religion".

Well, as in France everybody has his opinion on it, I'll give mine. I think it's nothing more than a portable "jeu de massacre" (that's the game which consisted in launching tomatoes or else in the picture of a known figure in older times, don't know if it still exists...).

Here, instead of tomatoes you put the needles on caricatured famous things that did Sarkozy written on his doll (or Royal, because she's the other one to have a doll). And this caricatured jeux de massacre is adapted to an other caricatured thing of our epoch which is enough attractive for westerners and which is a Voodoo doll.

Some interesting things according to me:

First, it is a "jeux de massacre" it's not like a mocking drawing, there is an interaction, you act on it, you put the needles.

Second, it is a portable one, means it is a one that you can have under your hand at any time, it's not like the ancient jeux de massacre which were played only in the fest of city or of the village, so you can use when you want, as much as you want.

Third, and last one, the fact that the Voodoo doll is chosen shows that the caricature of this thing is on in our epoch. And the fact that this kind of thing is on in West in our epoch tends to confirm the fact that irrational and spirits things are on here by caricatured ways.

Well, personally, before I to see that this doll made so much debates I didn't really pay attention to it, but yes, I think this event tells us 2 or 3 interesting things on our epoch...

That said, I think that most of people who buy it (and it's a great selling success), buy it just to laugh with their friends without asking themselves so much questions, but if they don't, it can be interesting that some others do it for them...

News from FNland. Marine Le Pen, MEP representing the Ile-de-France EU constituency, has carpetbagged to the North-West constituency (Nord, Picardie etc) to be the top candidate on the 2009 FN list and where she stands a better chance of winning re-election (she wouldn't stand a chance running again in Paris). However, this has pissed off her rival and one of the two current FN MEPs for North-West, Carl Lang, who was the top candidate there in 2004. He is now running a dissident FN list (while technically staying a FN member) against the official FN list, which will be led by Marine Le Pen.

Remember, a list needs 5% of the votes in a constituency to be eligible for a seat.

Yay! Hopefully, they will divide their vote and they will not be elected.

Will Le Pen be Jean-Marie's successor?

Possibly. IIRC, she remains by far the most popular of all potential contenders (Gollnisch, Lang). I don't know if Louis Aliot will run or not. Probably not since he's close to Marine.

---

Ah, found something else from FNland. Carl Lang is trying to get Jean-Claude Martinez to run against Louis Aliot in the South-West.

Eurostat announced yesterday that the Eurozone was in a recession for the first time in its history; its GDP declined by 0.2% during the third trimester. On the other hand, Christine Lagarde and François Fillon announced that France was technically not in a recession, because its GDP had increased by 0.14% during the third trimester (it fell by 0.5% in both the UK and Germany). Fillon did warn that a recession was likely for 2009.

Think of it like a competition to hold your breath. Everyone is going to have to start breathing and loose the game, but some will gasp for air before others.

The UMP deputy for Moselle-9 has committed suicide after killing a woman.

When's the by-election?

There is no by-election.

Why not?

Suppleants take over when a deputy dies. This has already happened a few times in the 13th legislature.

Then what are by-elections for?

Resignations, invalid original elections.

Sort of an odd law. What's the reasoning?

I don't know but if I can try:

I guess it is because a resignation or an invalid original election engage the whole team for political meanings. The death of a deputy is a personal thing, without political implications.

Trade union "professional" elections (technically, prud'homale elections) were held in France yesterday. Turnout was 24.76.

Result for the "Collège des Salariés" (workers), where the major trade unions run (the employers college has little known unions)

CGT 33.76 (+1.43). General Confederation of Labour. Second-largest trade union in terms of members, and historically the PCF trade union, although the two are separate since the '90's. Its leader has long hair and looks like he hasn't taken a shower in years.
CFDT 21.67 (-3.56). French Democratic Confederation of Labour. Biggest trade union in terms of members, and historically closer to the PSU and later PS.
FO 15.68 (-2.6). Force Ouvrière. Founded in 1948 by CGT members opposed to the close alliance with the PCF. Sceptical about the Common Programme and PCF ministers in the Mauroy government. Independent trade union, really. I call it Farce Ouvrière (Worker's Farce).
CFTC 8.64 (-1.01). French Confederation of Christian Workers. Very old trade union, from which the CFDT split in 1964. Historically influential in metallurgy.
CFE-CGC 8.17 (+1.16). French Confederation of Management - General Confederation of Executives. The trade union of cadres (management/executives).
UNSA 6.17 (+1.18). Union nationale des syndicats autonomes. New trade union founded in '93.
Solidaires 3.78 (+2.27). Left-wing, anti-globalization trade union.
Others 1.4 (+0.21)

Maybe I'll make a map.

Patrick Devedjian will resign as general secretary of the UMP and as MNA to serve as minister for the economic recovery (http://tempsreel.nouvelobs.com/speciales/la_crise_financiere/). Brice Hortefeux appears to be the favorite to replace him as general secretary.

Yade, who was under consideration to replace Jouyet as secretary of state for European affairs, turned down Sarkozy's requests that she run in the upcoming EU elections. The Elysée says (http://www.lemonde.fr/politique/article/2008/12/09/nicolas-sarkozy-exclut-de-nommer-rama-yade-aux-affaires-europeennes_1128694_823448.html) that "she doesn't have any political sense."

Today, on International Human Rights Day, Kouchner said (http://www.ouest-france.fr/actu/actuDet_-Creer-un-secretariat-d-Etat-etait-une-erreur-selon-Kouchner_39382-767537_actu.Htm) that it was a mistake for him to ask for the creation of the office of secretary of state for human rights:


Yade's answer:


For what it's worth, Copé defends (http://www.ouest-france.fr/ofdernmin_-Cope-prend-la-defense-de-Rama-Yade_-767684--BKN_actu.Htm) Yade:

Talks of a mini cabinet shuffle, according to Roger Karoutchi, in 3-4 days. Xavier Bertrand would leave the government to focus on his job as UMP leader, and Brice Hortefeux would replace him in Labour. Eric Besson, the former Socialist, would leave his Secretary of State for prospective portfolio to replace Hortefeux in Immigration and National Identity.

And Bruno Retailleau, MPF Senator from Vendée would take Besson's spot in prospective (mainly, a post dealing with interwebs, technology, telly, downloading and so forth).

I don't like France. (Just its President and First Lady)

Any chance you'll ever contribute something on this forum?

Results of the so-called "mini-shuffle"

As expected, Hortefeux takes Bertrand's Social Affairs/Labour portfolio, and Besson takes Immigration/National Identity (his focus is, apparently, on changing the ministry's negative image). Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet moves from Secretary of State for Ecology etc. (under Borloo) to take Besson's job as (get ready for this) Secretary of State for Economic Prospective, Evaluation of Public Policies, and Development of the Digital Economy.

Christine Boutin, Minister of Housing and the City loses the "City" part, which goes to Hortefeux. Fadela Amara, Secretary of State for Urban Policies, is now under Hortefeux.

According to Fillon, Retailleau, who was indeed favourite for Economic Prospective was dropped because the Viscount got pissed. According to Fillon, the Viscount was the author of a scène de ménage (roughly, household feud). And apparently Retailleau is not happy that he wasn't chosen.

Everybody's favourite French politician is making headlines again!

The de Villiers family rape scandal is making some news again. A few years ago, Laurent, one of the Viscount's sons, accused his brother, Guillaume, of raping him. In June 2007, Laurent said Guillaume had asked for forgiveness, but in November 2007 he said that his family told him to lie. The Viscount is denouncing a conspiracy, but the rest of the family is strongly behind Guillaume. Laurent accuses them of treason etc.

In more upbeat news, the UMP is apparently considering changing its name. Just a rumour, of course. There was a similar one in 2004, where they wanted to change the name to The Republicans (roflmao).

La Marseillaise sang at Assemblée National by PS deputies.

Do they have a manual to get ridiculous and pathetic or what? I don't know if they have one or not but they manage it very well...

Before our democracy was boring, now it drives pathetic...

I wonderhow big will be demonstrations on the 29th...

The thought of people like Arnaud Montebourg singing scares me.

Anyone have a video of when they sang La Marseillaise? I'd love to hear it.

The Assembly has passed the parliamentary procedural reform, the very controversial one which was the cause of the PS becoming a choir last week. They boycotted the vote.

Breakdown:

Assembly

UMP 283 in favour, 1 abstaining (Jacques Myard, eurosceptic and pro-death penalty guy), 1 non-voting (Accoyer)
Socialist, PRG, MRC 9 against (all PRG)
GDR (Commies + Greenies) 21 against
NC 18 in favour
NI, MoDem, DLR 7 against (MoDem, MPF, DLR, 1-ex UMP Gaullist)

339 voting, 338 valid votes, majority of 170. 301 in favour, 37 against.

The Senate will also vote.

The Assembly also rejected a NCM proposed by the PS, supported by Bayrou. The SRC, GDR groups voted against and so did the MoDem. It received 231 votes, it needed 289 to pass.

The FN infighting also continued today, with two FN regional councillors in IDF, Martine Lehideux and Martial Bild leaving the FN group in the regional council. It is presided by Marine Le Pen, whom they had asked to leave the presidency of the group since she wasn't running in IDF for the European elections, and she refused. Bild and Lehideux also said that 3 to 4 other top FN figures in IDF, Myriam Baeckeroot, Michel Bayvet, and Michel de Rostolan would leave. Jean-François Touzé could also leave. Bild led the FN list in Paris for last years local elections, and has also decided to leave the party itself entirely. Yay for FN divisions! :)

The PS has adopted a special logo for their version of the plan de relance (economic recovery plan). How so very ugly.

()

Personally, I don't find it ugly. They did really worse. Their current logo party is worse for example. Bad and so old, to me.

Well, a big thing happened last Thursday. The "general strike". The "demonstrations of unhappy ones".

Well, first, something funny. Lot of people who take public transports to go at work expected a black very hard day, and news used to relay that angry opinions a lot. Here the media noise, was that people were unhappy because in fact there had not been so much problems in it. Trains, metro and bus were here! Or at least far more than expected, and so people complained about the fact they got up more early when in fact they didn't need to. I don't know if thats the result of the minimum service of Sarkozy or if it's a low number of strikers.

Second, something interesting. The union named "SUD" takes more and more place in media, and so in public opinion. SUD is a bit the equivalent of Besancenot for unions. They are never happy and they propose nothng really possible. They go the more they can in strike to protest against almost everything. That's at least the image they give. So, it seems that as Besancenot develop his popularity, SUD does the same thing through unions. Precision, Besancenot's party and SUD are not tied, they just have the same kind of speech.

Then, an other interesting thing. The whole France was in demonstration and there wasn't an only motive for it, and there wasn't really a goal. This day has been just used by people to say they were unhappy. Unhappy of this for some ones, of this for some other ones, of this for other other ones, etc, or unhappy of the whole thing, but unhappy. I heard that a lot arround me and in the media.

Well, here's the climate here. People are fed up of the "whole". The only common thing that come in lot of mouths is maybe "they gave lot of money for banks, and what for us??".

So, here we are. If we had a credible opposition it could profite to it, but PS is just down, we don't feel the slightest dynamic thing from there.

Well, tomorrow, meeting of unions to organize the following.

Result of all of this? To me, in the end, or a coup, or euh, nothing spectacular but some people still more unhappy, despaired, believing less and less in politics, trying to find new ways to live. What can give interesting new things but also bad dark ones, because when people are despaired and angry, they use to not be very clever. Anyway, until the economical situation goes better, a more and more divided, fragile and nervous society...

A coup?? Mouhahaha, no! Besancenot would dream on it, and more and more these days, but no. There's not the slightest political move to permit a unification which would give some force to make something like that. That said, radical speeches are more and more in the trends...

Well, no coup, so...

The PG's founding convention finished today in the Val-de-Marne. They talked a lot about their wet dream, le front de gauche (left-wing front). Apparently, there were some delegates from the PCF and the NPA.

A newsclip showed the cliche lefties singing L'Internationale with their raised fists. Looked cool, but also hilarious, considering it's 2008! But then, the French left is still stuck in the days of the Soviet Union and they still have to sing L'Internationale. Didn't the PS itself still sing it until 2006 or 2007?

Hmm, I personally don't really remember, but maybe yes. Until 2006 or 2007? Hey, it could suit with the time where Segolene Royal made them discover La Marseillaise.

Segolene Royal, a Nationalist! Mouhahhaha. The worst being that some, I think it was Jean-Christophe Cambadélis, so not a slight figure of PS, went until saying something like that: "She claims for socialism and for the nation, so some national-socialism, haven't we already hear that?" (refering to nazis of course). Poor socialists, they spend most of their time to lose themselves in poor words.

Currently, it seems that the best opponent to Sarkozy will be the one who will find the best word to qualify him "ego-president", "omni-president", "monarch", etc. Ayrault, Emmanuelli, especially Montebourg, Hollande, they all participate to that so important brainstorming...

France Inter, news of 1pm:

The oil consumption of France decreased by 2.8% in 2008.

It's a busy time on the left in France, with yet another founding congress. This time, the Revolutionary Communist League (LCR), Besancenot's political machine, died today. The New Anticapitalist Party (NPA) replaces it. The NPA won't be a Trot party (officially), and it will not be a member of the Trot Fourth Internationale.

The NPA is just a temporary name, and we should know the new name by Saturday! :) (It's sad that I'm all happy about a new name for a Trot party).

Already, the NPA is off to a good start, claiming 9,000 members, a lot more than the LCR had. It is also at around 10% in polls for the June EU elections.

---

Also, the midget was on TV tonight.

In other news, the drug addict (Segogo Royal) wants to organize another Fête de la fraternité, where she acts like a retard/druggie in public with her fans.

Don't laugh on her. She's forth. That's our first national televangelist.

Interestingly, I've been on both websites, the one of the Segolène Royal's movement "Désirs d'avenir (http://desirsdavenir.org/)", and the one of the PS (http://www.parti-socialiste.fr/).

By Segolène Royal, on forums, we find fans who seem to see her as a kind of Messiah, sounds they just wait for her words in order to do what she says, the fact that she's in photo everywhere on it go in that sens.

And, on the PS site... no forums! And not the slightest invitation for the one to express himself. Good for one of the 2 biggest political party of France. They just have a system of comments on their articles, which is currently closed. Plus, the site is messy and the pinky ambiance is awful.

Hell, they really follow a manual to be bad...

(even UMP give more place for debates than them on its site (http://www.u-m-p.org/site/index.php)...)

Speaking about the 2nd "Fête de la Fraternité", seems this year it will take a new dimension, Segolène Royal wanna make it a "Social Forum" with all kind of stands for debates, sounds they really wanna make a big thing. That can be serious.

Somehow I'm not surprised that her fan base is as mentally unstable as she is.


The PS site is one of the worst political party site I've seen. I'm not that surprised though, that a party lacking unity, structure and always fighting over words has a crap site. Another interesting thing, I've never been able to find a link to a political platform on the PS website. Proof that they don't have one.


The UMP and the Elysee's websites have been a lot more modern and clean since Sarkozy took over. They seem to have entered the age of internet.


I can't wait.

The delegates voted 316-270 to keep the name NPA rather than adopt the name PAR (Revolutionary Anticapitalist Party).

Tinpot name.

Segolene Royal wants to be in charge of the DOM-TOMs in the PS, in the wake of the massive strikes in Martinique and Guadeloupe.

Her reason: She lived three years in Martinique. 1960-1963, or from age 7 to 10. Now, that's some real experience!

NPA was also the abbreviation of a talk-show on "young", urban, liberal (in the US meaning) and quite leftie TV channel Canal +:
"Nulle Part Ailleurs" (= not anywhere else)....

Even among our revolutionaries, marketing isn't far away....

I'm not sure they thought about it. Anyway, that's the second time I hear it, I'm 25 and I personally didn't think about it.

Talking about this name. "Nouveau parti anti-capitaliste". Anti-name. No future. The more they could is making grow the current mess and anger of people.

I'm personally waiting to see what will give the second general strike day, March 19th, if Besancenot makes a good media come back and if Sarkozy doesn't succeed in managing the anger of people, it could be important. A lot want make grow the radical anger, and the PS is just down, Sarkozy's behavior will be very important.


No, no, that's not her reason, and you probably knows that the reason is surely before in your post (underlined).

Once again, if the govt doesn't well manage the thing, risk of spread of those massive strikes to home country are real, and some would certainly love it.

NPA affirms more than ever that really would like a new May 1968, with more self-assurance than they did before.

No. She actually boasted her 3 years in Martinique as a reason she should get it.

Yeah, but we both know that's just the official reason. Right?

That said, she dared claiming it for the reason you quoted!

(Luckily it has not a big media noise, otherwise, I wonder how people in French Antilles would appreciate it, those who are in genuine problems).

She wants a job. Poitou-Charentes must be too boring.

Not exactly related to French politics, but still interesting...

Singer-songwriter Charles Aznavour has accepted to serve as Armenian ambassador to Switzerland (http://www.lemonde.fr/web/depeches/0,14-0,39-38445366@7-37,0.html). Aznavour was born in France in 1924 to Armenian parents. He strongly identified with Armenia, and obtained Armenian citizenship two months ago.

Euh... Cool. In Switzerland?? Sounds a prestigious retirement pension. I hope he suits to the job and that this is not just this and for the media.

Hehehe. Maybe. I think she likes to be at Poitou-Charentes, it makes her being close of the "down France", the "France which works and suffers", this "traditional lovely France". Poitou-Charentes is a perfect place for her for this.

Antilles? Well, she might also have felt that they are maybe more receptive to her televangelist side.

Speaking about Antilles. Reunion (not in Antilles but an other DOM) decided of a day of general strike on March 5th. Guadeloupe radicalized the movement and continue the strike with Martinique. They call to general strike on all territories of France, home-country included.

Frankly, if the govt doesn't well manage the thing, it could spread because in home-country and DOM-TOM they all have a common strong claim: increasing of salaries.

Yves Jego, who doesn't really seem to be the right man at the right place, said force could intervene if the movement was more radical, which of course appealed a radical reaction of the leader of the protest, Elie Domota, all of this with the old passions of the former colonial background of these areas. This plus the anger in the home-country, the govt will have to be really smart in negotiations, in DOM-TOMs and in those of the 18th of February.

Final map of the regional logos: (http://www.ouest-france.fr/actu/actuDet_-La-carte-des-logos-des-nouvelles-plaques-d-immatriculation_39382-827003_actu.Htm)

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Apparently there was some resistance to putting the gwenn ha du on the Breton licence plates.

Which Breton-haters were opposed to the Gwenn ha du on our license plates?

Anyways.

It's good to see that Bretagne is, along with Corse, the only region not to use the awful regional logos (however, they're better than the older ones, which were truly awful). It is also excellent news that Breton license plates will not only be free of the logo, but will also be bilingual French-Breton. I'm surprised that went through.

Here are the schemas for the new license plates by region (http://www.interieur.gouv.fr/sections/a_votre_service/vos_demarches/nouvelle-immatriculation/plaques-numeros#visuels).

The Balladur Commission on institutional reforms has published its report today.

Firstly, it calls for 15 regions in metro France instead of the current 22. Unite the Normandies (good, very good); merge Rhône-Alpes and Auvergne; Franche-Comté and Bourgogne; divide Poitou-Charentes and Picardie between various regions, and "redistrict" Ile-de-France. As if French regions weren't awful already.

However, no department-region mergers, but they want the creation of a "territorial councillor". They also want to create mass confusion for cantonal voting, to imitate the municipal system, by keeping the current two-round system in rural cantons, but list PR in urban areas, which probably means destroying inner city cantons.

Metropolitan areas would have even greater powers, taking some departmental powers.

Controversially, the creation of a Grand Paris, or Greater Paris, similar to the GLA in London. Greater Paris would merge the 75, 92, 93, and 94 departments into one department/commune. It would be administered by a 135 member council, whose members would be elected in the same way that the current Council of Paris is elected (arrondissements).

If adopted, it would enter into force by 2014, so after the 2010 regional elections. The terms of the regional legislatures elected in 2010 could potentially be shortened to 4 years instead of 6 years.

The new map.

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A mixed bag. Firstly, one excellent thing: the "Pays de la Loire" atrocity disappears and Loire-Atlantique rightfully rejoins its real historical region, Breizh. Also nice to see, the reunified Normandie.

Some not so good stuff. The extended Champagne, the Auvergne-Limousin merger.

And truly awful stuff. The new Alsace-Lorraine, which kills our dear Elsass! The awful new Ile-de-France. The disappearance of Picardie, the Poitou-Aquitaine atrocity, the huge Val de Loire thing, and the Nord-Picardie region.

A word from the xenophobic drunkard, Jacques Auxiette had this to say about the tragic disappearance of Loire-Atlantique and his trash can region is saying that it's "modern-day annexation, almost colonization".

This guy is a joke.

Well, nothing is done yet. That's just the result of the commission. Now the govt will have to deal with the reality of the ground.

Yes, some stuff seem awful, like that huge Poitou-Aquitaine. I like Limousin-Auvergne, that's homogeneous, they could call it "Massif Central".

I find the new Ile-de-France more logical. Val de Loire too. Concerning this map, IIRC, I heard on France Info that Aisne were going to be in Champagne unlike on the map. Concerning Alsace-Lorraine, if the project is confirmed, I would be curious to see the score of "separatists" at the next regional elections. Concerning Bretagne, I note there would be 2 big cities Rennes and Nantes, which one to lead?

I also like the new status of the 8 biggest cities outside of Paris, and also the status of Great Paris.

One problem, I heard still on France Info that they decided to keep the scale of the "département" and the "conseils généraux". So we keep that level of decision which might be too much, especially for costs.

That is understandable. He would loses his power in his region, Poitou-Aquitaine.

Let's all cry for a drunk Bretonphobe. Oh noes. One less incompetent leftie.


Regional legislatures will apparently vote on this. I think.


I think there would be an important current in a new Alsace-Lorraine region calling for a purely Alsatian region, similar to the current 44=BZH current in Brittany currently. The general councils of the Alsatian departments would probably support separation, just like the Loire-Atlantique council supports reunification.

The Rennes-Nantes thing will be a source of debate. Some people are proposing doing it like in the Canaries, which has two capitals Santa Cruz de Tenerife and Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.


The new status for large urban centres sounds good, yes.

Overall, a pretty horrible map (especially the Poitou-Aquitaine, Val de Loire, and Alsace-Lorraine regions). The only good that could come from this would be a very interesting regional election between Ségolène Royal, François Bayrou, and Philippe de Villiers (hmm... could the Poitou-Aquitaine region be a swipe at Royal?), but, if I understand it correctly, there wouldn't be any regional elections. (The regional council would instead be made up of all the general council members of the region.)


Nantes, I would hope. ;) Note that the rivalry between Nantes and Rennes was the reason for creation the Pays de la Loire region in the first place.

It will also be interesting to see what the capitals of Normandie (another region that was divided because of a rivalry between its two major cities) and Alsace-Lorraine would be.


If that's the case, then there will definitely be changes to the proposal. Quite a few regions would vote against it (Pays de la Loire, Poitou-Charentes, and Alsace, to name a few.)

No, I think. There'd be regional elections in 2014 for these new atrocities. But I think general councils would get a spot in the regional legislatures.


Yes, sadly. The Vichyist Pays de la Loire councillors will vote against a rightful reunification.

On a side note, I should be posting my proposals for regional reform soon.

The French Regions Associations, led by Alain Rousset (the PS president of Aquitaine), launched a new website SauvonsLesRegions.fr (http://www.sauvonslesregions.fr/).

In unrelated news, Le Monde has a page up tracking Sarkozy's approval ratings in eastern France (http://www.lemonde.fr/politique/infographie/2009/02/26/nicolas-sarkozy-une-popularite-a-geographie-variable_1160989_823448.html): Nord-Pas-de-Calais, the "Grand Est" (Picardie, Champagne-Ardenne, Bourgogne), the Interior East (Lorraine, Alsace, Franche-Comté), and the Mediterranean (Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, Languedoc-Roussillon).

Please stop it. It's a terrifying vision to all my fellow Angevins to be merge with the Centre which is nothing more than a desert...

People of Tours, Orléans, Blois, Chartres, Bourges, etc, would certainly love the statement. Frankly, Pays de la Loire was as a desert as Centre, look Mayenne, Sarthe, Maine-et-Loire, Vendée!

Anyway, outside of Paris, Lyon and Marseille's areas, France is not a dense country as much for the repartition of population as for the repartition of the economical activities.

What is Vendée if not a flat desert?

The kingdom of Philippe de Villiers. His army is based at Puy-du-Fou.

And the Fou is Philippe de Villiers.

Flat? You probably don't know the Mont des Alouettes which rises to about 240 m IIRC...

Excuse me if I'm not impressed by the Vendéen summits.

Olivier Besancenot part of the 50 people who would be "the most influential in shaping the world debate", according to the Financial Times.

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/7f6f08da-0d7d-11de-8914-0000779fd2ac.html?nclick_check=1 (http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/7f6f08da-0d7d-11de-8914-0000779fd2ac.html?nclick_check=1)

We don't have a thread for the regionals, but the UMP held its primary today. The results are available on the party website (http://www.u-m-p.org/site/index.php/ump/s_informer/communiques/candidats_aux_primaires_pour_les_regionales_de_2010_les_resultats).

Turnout in brackets.


Basse Normandie [57.04%]: Lambert 54.59%, , Améline 45.41%

Bourgogne [46.50%]: Suguenot 57.50%, Anciaux 42.50%

Centre [45.81%]: Novelli 72.60%, Lepeltier 27.40%

Ile-de-France [48.08%]: Pécresse 59.87%, Karoutchi 40.13%

Languedoc Roussillon [53.25%]: Couderc 35.43%, Castex 32.95%, Jeanjean 21.54%, Rivenq 10.08%

Midi-Pyrénées [45.50%]: Barèges 54.63%, Trémège 45.37%

Nord-Pas-de-Calais [36.92%]: Lazaro 77.55%, Pick 22.45%

Rhône-Alpes [32.65%]: Grossetête 46.92%, Carle 28.28%, Blanc 24.81%

Aquitaine: Darcos unopposed

Bretagne: Le Guen unopposed

Champagne-Ardenne: Warsmann unopposed

Franche-Comté: Joyandet unopposed

Haute Normandie: Le Maire unopposed

Limousin: Archer unopposed

Lorraine: Hénart unopposed

Pays de la Loire: Bachelot unopposed

Picardie: Cayeux unopposed

Poitou-Charentes: De Richemont unopposed


No results available for Auvergne, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, or the overseas regions.

There has been talk in Bretagne against Le Guen, with some proposing the candidacy of the former prefect Bernadette Malgorn (which BRTD would probably hate very, very, very much). But the local UMP has united behind Le Guen (a Villepeniste).

By reading on Wikipedia, BRTD would be right to hate this thing, who pretend to be a person.

You're right, we can't say anything else that she is really ugly...

What is more, she would lose big against Le Drian.
Le Guen will also lose but, at least, he won't be seen as a "Parisien" dropped there by Sarkozy.

I'm not sure many UMP members are aware to vote for a Villepiniste. They are "légitimistes" and so they vote for the only candidate available. And they don't want to see an outsider like Bernadette.

Auvergne and PACA are "postponed" in September.

In fact, it was to wait to be sure Hortefeux (Auvergne, and Work and Social Minister) is still alive after big mottos of this spring...
And to wait for any candidate other than Hubert Falco (Toulon's mayor and secrétaire d'Etat in Fillon's government), whom Sarkozy is trying to convince to fight against the socialist Vauzelle.
Falco would be the best candidate for the UMP in PACA: he is really very well elected in Var department. He is moderate. He has a southern pronounciation...

But it will be very difficult.

The UMP may regain Champagne, maybe Lorraine and Franche-Comté.
Even in Basse-Normandie (Lambert is very uninspiring) and Pays-de-la-Loire, normally 2 rightist regions, the UMP is not sure at all to win.

Even if I've said some weaknesses of Valérie Pécresse, I'm very glad for her.
She is smart and she is smart...

Valérie 2017 !

Malgorn would be destroyed if she ran for anything since she's massively unpopular and she's not a traditional politician. She's an administrator. She has never run in an election, and has never needed too. She's never held elected office (I think.).

While I'm personally not hot on having a Villepeniste as candidate, I think a Villepeniste UMP candidate in Bretagne works better and has more electoral potential than a Sarkozyste UMP candidate.

Malgorn would be destroyed if she ran for anything since she's massively unpopular and she's not a traditional politician. She's an administrator. She has never run in an election, and has never needed too. She's never held elected office (I think.).

While I'm personally not hot on having a Villepeniste as candidate, I think a Villepeniste UMP candidate in Bretagne works better and has more electoral potential than a Sarkozyste UMP candidate.


On the plus side, it would be very hard for the UMP to go lower than in 2004, so there's basically only potential to go up. Up how much depends on a lot of factors, but as it stands now it's not looking like it will go up exponentially.

Lambert is an awful candidate. He's a dirty scumbag. Look at his recent carpetbagging from a urban marginal canton to a rural safe canton in the Orne. Roselyne Bachelot isn't that great either. I'm far from convinced that being a cabinet minister helps you here.

- You're right on Bachelot.

- As for a villepiniste or a sarkozyste UMP in Brittany, I'm not sure voters would be aware of this difference... to say the least !!

For a long time, I was a supporter of a big party of the right in France:
UDF (er, no... let's write UDFs), RPR,
but not extreme right (of course !), or even hard right (MPF).

But in fact, French voters don't like this and our 2-rounds electoral systems mean that it's more efficient to have 2 parties to gather more voters in the 1st round.

And Brittany is the best evidence of this: the UMP alone can't represent all the right, especially the centre right and many voters prefer the MoDem, despite its sectarian side, or even the moderate socialists (former "social catholics" or "deuxième gauche" around Rocard and Le Pensec).

- The most surprising result in these primary results is that Novelli trounced Lepeltier, who is a better politician, with efficient local networks and with a moderate image which can be good in hard times for the right. And Novelli is a real "libéral" in the French meaning, i.e. a free-trade, free-market, small-governement "fondie".

And, now, if the PS worried a bit for the Centre region, it is now completely at ease...
Novelli will be trounced by any socialist candidate (most probably Michel Sapin, a moderate former Rocard supporter, now Hollande supporter, with a Teddy Bear image).
Even Lambert is a better choice thant Novelli...

You're right. I'm overestimating how much voters actually know about the role of these candidates in party factions.


Breton MoDem voters and Breton lefties are historically close, since many came from the JAC (Christian Agricultural Youth) in the past. MoDem voters in Bretagne also break quite largely for the left.


Thank you!

The ambiance in France nowadays:

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The slogan say something like: "Piss off bloody jerk" and is directed toward to Sarkozy. That's what Sarkozy said to a guy about one year ago, what has been filmed while he wasn't aware about it. The video is famous in France.

The "Parti de Gauche" made a sticker of it and it seems it has been massively spread during the last big protest.

Not that I assume that slogan, I don't like that kind of vulgarity, but I tend to think it well sums up the ambiance in the country.

If we continue with bad economical news, if Sarkozy doesn't come back from G20 with good news, and if Besancenot knows how to benefit of that context, well, things could drive serious.

A poll which is not very fresh, I heard last Thursday, but which is interesting, it's from BVA poll institute:

Question: Who do you trust to lead you in this time of crisis?

Answers:

Sarkozy 38%
Besancenot 35%

For the record, Besancenot is an actual hard-lefty.

A Trot.

Montebourg has released the first part of his report on how to reform the PS (http://tempsreel.nouvelobs.com/actualites/politique/20090330.OBS1333/arnaud_montebourg_lance_le_debat_sur_des_primaires_ouve.html). His main points include the establishment of American-style open primaries (also used in Greece and Italy) and starting the preparation of the presidential race four years before the election.

In other words, hold the presidential primary right now while Royal is still politically relevant (as Royal suggested immediately after her defeat), and let the MoDem militants vote while you're are it.

Although it would be nice if France had a much simpler partisan registration system.

Be careful, Montebourg doesn't support Royal any longer. In fact, I think he supports mainly himself...
So, an open primary (i.e. where any French voter can vote, provided they give a few euros) isn't a way to guarantee that Royal is chosen.

In fact, many hard-leftists would also vote, not only MoDem voters and, I think, far more, than MoDem voters.
Because really motivated MoDem voters aren't very numerous; because centre-right voters who still vote for Bayrou won't bother to pay to vote for Royal or DSK rather than for Aubry.
And center-loft voters of MoDem aren't enough to compensate for PG, PCF, MRC, NPA, LO, Bovéists, Greens, etc activists who will not vote for Royal.

It may seem weird but Royal would be more at ease with a closed primary.
Remember she made 50% last autumn, with 75-80% of the establishment against her (Paris and Ile-de-France, Nord, Pas-de-Calais, Seine-Maritime, Gironde, Brittany,...).


I don't understand ?
You are French and 18 years old, you can vote.
You a re just required to be registered in your city, by bringing one single evidence of your residence.
Not very complicated....

And inside political parties, you vote when you are a member. Quite simple and clear.

An interesting (though predictable) study by IFOP for the Catholic newspaper La Croix concerning the political preferences of those unemployed.

In terms of partisan affiliation, compared to those of the employed

PS 25.9% (-1.5%)
UMP 18.7% (-3%)
Greenies 12.7% (+1.3%)
MoDem 9.5% (-2.4%)
FN 9.1% (+1.8%)
Trots 8.9% (+2.3%)
PCF 5% (+1.5%)
MPF 0.6% (-1%)
Others/Indies/Don't give a crap 9.4% (+0.8%)

Sarkozy approval: 32% (-35% since May 2007) - 39% among those employed (-27%)

Political proximity evolutions of those unemployed (these differ from the above stats.)

2009: Far-left 13.6% (+6.3% since 2008) and FN 5.7% (-4.3%). The far-left becomes larger than the FN for the first time since these stats started in 1999. Lowest FN level, and for the first time since 2000, the FN is higher with those employed (6.5%) than the unemployed.

The PS is losing support, with its rating among those unemployed at an all-time low, 21% (-6% since 2008). Among those employed, its rating is 25.6%, down from 28.1% in 2008. Also an all-time low, lower than 1999-2002 when the PS was in government.

The National Assembly rejected 21-15 the Hadopi project, which would crack down on illegal downloading on the interwebs. The plan included email warnings first and later cutting your internet connection outright (while still making you pay for your "connection"). The PS managed to get more deputies out there, in addition to Dupont-Aignan and Jean Dionis du Séjour (NC) also voting against.

Great news for democracy!

The fact that the bill was rejected is great news, but I wouldn't say that only 36 of 577 MNAs showing up to vote, especially on a bill as hyped as this one, is exactly great news for democracy. This was a fluke. It's worth noting that this is only the fourth time a bill that passed through a joint committee is defeated in the final vote, after 1966, 1973, and 1983.

Copé announced that there would be a re-vote on April 28, and I doubt the UMP leadership will let this happen again. But they can't reintroduce the final version; they will have to vote on the bill as it stood as of the last amendment approved by the National Assembly (which means that those who lose their Internet connection don't need to pay for it).

Ipsos ratings

Sarko'

Unfavourable 55% (-3)
Favourable 43% (+6)

Favourables by party: Left 18%, PS 14%, MoDem 39%, UMP 83%

Fillon

Favourable 47% (+3)
Unfavourable 46% (-2)

Favourables by party: Left 25%, PS 23%, MoDem 56%, UMP 82%

Top pols.

1 Rama Yade (UMP) 59/22 (+1)
2 DSK (PS) 59/26 (+11)
3 Tintin from Paris (PS) 59/28 (+3)
4 Kouchner (DVD) 58/32 (+4)
5 Borloo (Radical) 55/29 (+2)
6 Fadela Amara (DVD) 53/20 (+3)
7 Martine Aubry (PS) 52/38 (+6)
8 MAM (UMP) 49/36 (+5)
9 Jack Lang (PS) 47/37 (-1)
10 Bayrou (MoDem) 46/42 (nc)

Others: Besancenot 13th (43/46), Cohn-Bendit 16th (37/33), Drug Addict 20th (32/62), Marine Le Pen 29th (15/77), JMLP 30th (11/85).

When 10 deputies have to hide behind some drapes and to ... TADAM...! Suddenly come from behind them in order to be more than the right deputies, I wonder how much of a great news for democracy it is...

The working of our parliament in general, not only this event, its rules, its place, is a shame for our democracy, and its last lifting is a joke.

I was obviously being sarcastic.

In homage to Maurice Druon who died today:

Ami entends-tu... (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sUZWlf_vuKg)

It's not the best version of this song but this one has English lyrics. It's the most famous song of the Résistance. Maurice Druon, through other things, wrote this song with Joseph Kessel.

Sad news :(

Le chant des partisans is the best song in the world.

Ifop ratings

Sarko'

Disapprove 57% (-1)
Approve 43% (+1)

Fillon

Approve 52% (+2)
Disapprove 48% (-2)

Would the opposition do a better job?

No 67% (nc)
Yes 33% (nc)

According to Le Monde.fr, Chirac is the top-rated politician with 74% favourables (+3). Rama Yade is second with 69% (-2) and Kouchner is tied with her (69%, +2). Delanoë is fourth, 68%.

It's easy for Chirac to be seen as a great president now we can see what is Sarkozy as president.

Plus, "c'était mieux avant..." (for translation, in France the sentence is used to express the fact that the situation was always better in the past).

Marine Le Pen stated on LCI that instead of sequestrating their bosses and their executives, people should sequestrate their deputies.

Cool, thank you Marine, we needed this to improve things. I tend to think that kind of statements from FN are not that significant but well, it's better without, and it goes in current trends of violence.

Plus, in "Les Echos" a poll said that 55% of people think that these sequestrations are "justified". When the preceding poll on the question just said that 45% of people "understood" that sequestrations. The most recent poll is from BVA.

Gah.

Anyways, polls are never perfect, especially not these where the pollsters can toy around with the question a lot. People should stop citing them as proof for life on earth.

I agree !

Poignant, prenant, as we say in French.

No matter the relevance of differences between such 2 polls, outside of what they can say, what is important is also the fact that what they say is aired and can have an influence.

OpinionWay has released a poll for the presidential election (lol). They really want to be a joke pollster, don't they. I think it's an interwebs poll, too lol.

Sarkozy 30%
Royal 21%
Bayrou 20%
Besancenot 9%
Le Pen 7%
de Villiers 4%
Voynet 3%
Buffet 2%
Laguiller 2%
Bove 1%
Nihous 0.5%
Schivardi 0.5%

Full crap poll: http://www.lefigaro.fr/assets/pdf/politoscope-2mai.pdf

Swine flu seems to worry right-wingers more: 83% talked about it, while 76% of lefties talked about it ;D

The problem with OpinionWay is that they really seem to be a Sarkozist pollster. The fact they are here with Le Figaro and LCI goes in that sens. What do you mean by interwebs? Polls where anybody can vote, like they do on 20h on France2 each week?

Personally, a poll that would interest me before the eventual candidates' results, is:

Would you like some presidential elections being held soon?

And, their poll tends to be particularly stupid in the sens that they deliberatively choose Royal for PS, something way not sure.

That said, considering it could be a Sarkozist poll, it's interesting to note that the left wins... I put Bayrou on the left, obviously.

OpinionWay's problem is not that they're a "Sarkozyste" pollster, since their results don't show huge differences with reliable pollsters, but mostly since they're a crap pollster who polls useless stuff. And that they poll on the interwebs, and not in the traditional people-on-the-street or telephone polls.

I mean, they could poll the EU elections or something instead of doing "what are you talking about nowadays?" and presidential election polling that is flawed to begin with.

Maybe that's to distract attention from European elections. I don't know. Anyway, no matter who they are, sarkozist or not, I didn't really learn something interesting with that poll.

That said, when we read their methodology they sound serious, and not less fallible than those who do that by phone. I've already been polled by phone, and by one of those you like (was Ipsos or Ifop), and I could have lied the hell what I wanted concerning my identity.

Why would they want to distract attention from the EU elections?


You can certainly lie on the interwebs too, you know. Internetz polls are always worse than phone polls. Look at Zogby Interactive.

I said that in the sens it would be better for the sarkozist poll they are to distract people attention from this elections, because results might not be good. But maybe that's a stupid supposition, and I frankly don't really care about their purpose and if are actually or not sarkozist. The main point is that I find their poll is not interesting.


Yes, yes, we can lie on both, that's why I don't see the inferiority of interwebs poll, I've tried some for consumptions surveys, just to see how it happens, well, frankly the only difference is that you don't give your identity and answers by voice but by typing.

The shame would be they use polls like the 20h on France2 uses each week, or a lot of other websites do, because here they don't ask identity. On the other hand these other kind of poll are less rigorous but they have the advantage to earn far more votes than normal polls.

Les Info's ranking of MP's activity in the Assembly, from least active to most active.

http://www.philippe-folliot.com/images/PDF/activitesdeputes.pdf

Yes, yes, I know that, and be sure Phillipe Folliot didn't forget to signal us he was in the most active in his newsletter!

That said, and as he said in this same newsletter too, this classification is just a kind of image, it doesn't take in count all the aspects of the deputation, on "C dans l'air" on France5, you might know, they made a report on the guy who was the last but one of this classification, and the guy clearly shew he made important things for his job of deputy.

Personally, that is one of the big problem of this assembly to me, I would like full time job deputy, and it suits with my other claim which would be a proportional assembly.

I would prefer that what we have as national assembly became our senate, with a bit of more power than the current senate, and that the national assembly was fully proportional, and keeping the presidential elections.

Damn, after having watching the classification, I seem him 538th, hell, that's not what he told us in the newsletter IIRC. I've to find this back.

I've effectively found it back, and he effectively tells us he is 39th on that same list from "lesinfos.com". Damn.

The ranking is actually from least active to most active. 538th means 40th most active. 577th means 1st most active. And 1 is least active.

I've been too fast. Thanks.

That said, weird way of classification.

Yes. I personally find it a bit ridiculous how Chirac is overestimated. They just forgot that he was a liar and a corrupt, though Sarkozy is even worse...

Ow, he wasn't only that. Plus that was more symptomatic of an epoch in which both sides were involved, you might know PS had its lot of corrupt.

Chirac was kinda awful at home, but concerning foreign policy, he was one of the best if not the best of his time.

Plus, it seems to be a guy of quality. And comparing personalities, values, I prefer Chirac way than Sarkozy.

That's sure. But I refuse to appreciate Chirac ( who had certainly a lot of qualities ) only because he is a fantastic politician compared with Sarko.

All Presidents since 1981 have been epic fails, with some redeeming qualities.

Mitterrand was not a Saint, but he was certainly a great President.

You mustn't be very old...
He was a great politician, sure. Not a great president.

He had clearly the size for the chair, and he passed strong things.

Had Mitterrand cheated in every election, had he did a French watergate, I would still admire him for having been the only french politician who had the courage to abolish death penalty.
But, furthermore, he perfectly incarned the "force tranquille" he promised : able to lead great social reforms, but also resolutely pro-American and pro-European, he was a very cultivated man, and intelligent in every sense of the word.

He was also a crook.

Which French politician isn't a crook?

Giscard (whom I don't like for other reasons) led far greater "social" reforms.
Mitterrand, as Giscard and Chirac, was unable to trim health and pensions costs. He recruited many civil servants (I'm one of them...) who are a heavy financial burden now.
As Giscard, he broke down the education system, by dropping emulation and republican elitism.
He practiced the old "Françafrique" policy (as every president).
He had many corrupted friends (Pelat, Grossouvre, who committed suicide inside the walls of Elysée palace).
He supported (with John Major) Serbian regime, which was a real shame on France and UK.

Mitterrand of course had good points: "décentralisation" (devolution of some powers to local councils), a pro-American foreign policy during the Cold War and in the Gulf, a decisive boost of Euroepan integration (with Kohl and Delors).
But they are far overweighted by bad points.

The most you reproach to Mitterand is part of French political traditions, then you didn't like the most he did doesn't mean it was bad, you just didn't like it. For you the glass is more empty than full, for others it's the opposite.

A swindling, but not a crook.



Sorry, I stupidly meant "social" in the french sense of the term, that's "economically progressive". I spoke about 39 hours/week, 5th payd vacantions week, lower retirement age, etc...

()

I don't often post about sports, but today's final for the Coupe de France opposed two Breton teams. Roazhon (Rennes) and Gwengamp (Guingamp, a city of 8000 people in western Cotes-d'Armor). Rennes won in 1965 and 1971, Guingamp lost in the 1997 final to Nice.

Guingamp defeated Rennes 2-1. Very surprising since Rennes is by far stronger than Guingamp, and Guingamp has a reputation to lose every match it plays.

Anyways, Bretagne won both ways.

Breizh atao!

Well, the Assembly adopted the Hadopi internet fascism law yesterday, after the humiliation in the last week or so.

Assembly

UMP 284 in favour, 6 against (Goulard, the official party rebel and Sarkozy-hater; Denis Jacquat; Franck Marlin, anti-NATO; Lionel Tardy, DVD; Christian Vanneste, the homophobe CNI; Michel Zumkeller, liberal), 17 abstaining (Jean-Paul Anciaux; Yves Bur; Olivier Carré; René Couanau, my MP :); Henri Cuq, villepiniste; Lucien Degauchy, quasi-villepiniste; Yannick Favennec, libertarian; François-Michel Gonnot; Jean-Pierre Grand, villepiniste; Christophe Guilloteau; Pierre Lang; Jacques Le Guen, Breton villepiniste; Lionnel Luca, pro-death penalty slavery-lover; Patrice Martin-Lalande; Jean-Frédéric Poisson, FRS/Christian right; Georges Tron, villepiniste; Marie-Jo Zimmermann, villepiniste), 1 non-voting (Accoyer)
Socialist, PRG, MRC 190 against, 1 in favour (Jack Lang, who probably votes with the government more often than Goulard, lolz), 6 abstaining (Montebourg; Jean Michel; 4 Left Rads)
GDR (Commies + Greenies) 24 against
NC 11 in favour, 6 against (Abelin, Dionis du Séjour, Folliot, Lagarde, Préel, Rochebloine), 5 abstaining (Thierry Benoit, de Courson, Hillmeyer, Le Moal, Leteurtre)
NI, MoDem, DLR 7 against (3 MoDem, 2 MPF, 2 DLR)

557 voting, 529 valid votes, majority of 265. 296 in favour, 233 against.

The European Parliament will vote on a similar measure, Amendment 138, but there is some debate over whether the amendment applies to the Hadopi Law. According to Viviane Reding the CSV European commissioner from Luxembourg for new technologies, it does not.

Very disappointing. But in fact, there is most worse laws ( LRU, HSPT ) against which we need to fight.

I consider it as a bad law, but we can't really say that's fascist.

Personally I root for "License globale", which seems to be, by far, the most interesting regulation we could have here, it could develop a totally new economic model for creation, that could be pretty interesting.

Yes, that's a great idea that government just predend to ignore.

Julien Coupat is free!

PANIC OMG THE TERRORISTSZ IS FREE OMG PANIC

You're making some lipdub with Michelle Alliot Marie words? Lipdub is trendy nowadays...

A poll on regional attitudes in Bretagne.

Attachment to Bretagne
Very much attached 65.2%
Relatively attached 29.1%
Attached 94.3%
Relatively unattached 4.4%
Not at all attached 1.1%
Unattached 5.5%

...France
Very much attached 49%
Relatively attached 42.1%
Attached 91.1%
Relatively unattached 6%
Not at all attached 2.8%
Unattached 8.8%

...Europe
Very much attached 28.5%
Relatively attached 38.5%
Attached 67%
Relatively unattached 25.3%
Not at all attached 8.7%
Unattached 34%

Self-description
Breton only 1.5%
More Breton than French 22.5%
French=Breton 50%
More French than Breton 15.4%
French only 9.3%
Others 0.8%

Institutional future (Region, CR)
Region/CR is useless 1.4%
Region/CR should have less power 1.6%
Region/CR has sufficient powers 31.1%
Region/CR should have more devolved powers 51.9%
Region/CR should become an independent nation 4.6%
NSP 9.4%

http://www.agencebretagnepresse.com/pdfs/15280_2.pdf

Good results.

Yeah, I'm only worried by relatively low european attachment, though it isn't very surprising.

Bayrou, you won't get my vote.

I'm not speaking about European elections, since I'm 16. Obviously I'm speaking about the only election who really counts for Bayrou : the 2012 presidential. I'm disappointed, terribly disappointed by his pathetic attacks against Cohn-Bendit. Cohn-Bendit is a great candidate, strongly socially liberal, but also intelligent, moderate and deeply european. He is leading a great and passionating campaign and his good performance in poll don't astonish me. If Monsieur Bayrou wants to be ahead of him, the only thing he has to do is doing a better campaign ( I don't know, for example, speaking about Europe instead of Sarkozy ? ). But no, he chose to attack in the stupidest and ugliest way he could : conspiracy theory and mud-digging personal attacks. I feel really stupid to have believed it could be honest : once again, Hashemite and co were right.

As I said in the thread on the campaign. I think that's Bayrou has for the first time clearly been in some bad populism during this debate. And I blame it for so. But, to me, compared to other ones, he's still the best for presidentials. The guy clearly made some bad, ugly, mistakes here but frankly Cohn Bendit is far to be a model concerning the fairness of debates, and his campaign that invites people to dance on the ruins of the world is nothing but a shame when it comes to a political proposition.

Frankly, personally, that's the French political class in its whole that I would blame personally.

Heard a political debate yesterday on France Inter. To be honest, I have to say that the one I prefered was Mélenchon. I don't parrticularly agree with his political positions, I'm a strong supporter of European Constitution, but it doesn't change that he was really great yesterday. Jean-François Kahn didn't convince me when he defended Bayrou. The most noteworthy was the horrible confusion, with everybody speaking at the same moment during all the debate.

I've said that Bayrou is an egomaniac hypocrite who has no program. While I'm far from being a support of Cohn-Bendit (part of it has to do with my obsession with Georges Marchais) and the Greenies (who aren't in a position to call anybody hypocrites), Bayrou's behaviour was unsurprisingly disgusting. Not only did he have retarded and flawed conspiracies, but his personal attacks was really disgusting. I may have my own ideas on Cohn-Bendit's little stories and the old thing, but I would never use them in an election. As de Gaulle said, je ne pratique pas la politique des couilles molles, which is what Bayrou did.

Of course, the only party I could vote for without taking a shower afterwards is Strollad Breizh. I blame the whole political class for making this discussion about Sarko instead of Europe. Instead of having debates on policy at a time where a strong Europe and a strong France is needed, we have Bayrou calling Cohn-Bendit a pedophile and Cohn-Bendit calling his worthless (I admit, I clapped. The first time I've heard somebody with guts say the truth).

An interessant article about what we discussed about some time ago, Sarkozy's attitude on secularism. See Marianne #634 page 37-39. Always interesting...
By the was, you can also follow the many articles of Charlie Hebdo, particularly those of Agathe André, Caroline Fourest and Fiammetta Venner. Bad news for secularism...

Well, personally I won't go in this again, I said all what I had to say in the other thread.

But the bumping of this thread makes me thinking to speak about an other topic.

I just took the train today, a regional one, a "ter", between Castres and Toulouse. We're about 9h56 am, the thing is on time, not much people, a beautiful day is coming. Just fine, I go in the train. And what do I see in it? Well, on all the sits, at least all those of my wagon, there was a very nice flier of several pages which incited to you to invest your money in "nexity", the big real estate stuff. Well, I didn't know that the tax of citizens with which is paid the national railroad company was also here to serve the private interests of that company, or that's just a part of the "plan de relance" (our stimulus bill)?? I didn't think to ask the controller how these fliers came on here, if it was the railroad company who did it, or if it was a guy paid by nexity to do that from their own initiative.

Well, anyways, I have been a bit surprised...

I hope it's the second option...

Please just note that these 3 are the climax of absolute laïcism... They are arch-"laïcardes" !

Would you say "bad news for values" just with articles from Valeurs Actuelles and Figaro-Magazine by François d'Orcival, Henry de Lesquen and Philippe de Villiers  ?

Unlikely, to say the least. So, take a more balanced viewpoint on the subject.

Sorry, could you explain me better what "laïcard" exactly means ? I didn't have the impression they were against the practice of religion in the private domain. So they are just secularists.

They write books on the INSIDE of religious organizations (I don't talk about sects, be careful), especially Catholic church, just in order to criticize and make trouble. The "inside", not the public life.
That's "laïcard".

The PRG is a secularist party, for example. Not a "laïcard" one.
Fourest is a "laïcarde", Venner also.

They might be "laïcard" as you say, they might critize some religious organizations but they do it in the perspective of defending their opinion, their point of view on such or such domain. I don't see in what this point of view would be less legitimate than an other one.

Read again from the beginning.
Antonio wrote "bad news...".
I just wanted to say that articles by Fourest and Venner are NOT news, they are opinions and they are biased opinions.
An article by François d'Orcival on values is NOT news, it's a point of view.

And our discussion has taken another path, on the word "laïcard".
Fourest and Venner are not traditional secularists as the PRG, they are more than that: they fight religion even in the private sphere. So, their articles are all the more biased.

Yes, of course, they are biased, they are as biased as some Catholic points of view on such or such things, everyone is biased, in that sens there is no problem with their point of view, it is just different than yours.

After that, Antonio feared for secularism and you pointed out that he didn't have to fear for secularism following the biased views of the cited people, because they are what you call some "laïcards". So, let's say they are rather interested in defending what you would call "laïcardisme", once again, their point of view is just different than yours but is legitimate to exist. Something you may not contest, maybe you just wanted to make a difference between our traditional secularism, and something you would call "laïcardisme".

Le roi a parlé...

Today in Versailles Castle... The President is now able to speak before the parliament, without any possibility of reply. What a republican symbol !

Wow... :o

Hear this ! :D Online Sarko-bashing on France Inter... :P

Frédéric Mitterrand is rumoured to become Minister of Culture tommorrow, replacing the snob Albanel (who reminds me of the snob lady in Les Visiteurs). Mitterrand is the crook's gay nephew who used to do stupid shows for TV5 and is now director of the Villa Medicis in Rome.

Fred supported Jacquouille in 1995, but was an early supporter of the MRG.

Journalists are still fascinated by ministerial reshuffes under Sarkozy: many, many rumours, many, many names dropped (to mess the left or the MoDem) even if they are completely impossible (but Frédéric Mitterrand will be minister), many, many incompetent guys but useful in the medias....

Sigh....

Juppé, reviens !

Yes, it was on Québecois radio this morning.

Of course, the media has released 600 names. Serge Letchimy, the PPM Mayor of Fort-de-France; Bernard Accoyer etc...

Depressing...

Yay, cabinet shuffle

Shuffled minister

Michèle Alliot-Marie is now Minister of State, Minister of Justice
Brice Hortefeux is now Minister of the Interior
Xavier Darcos gets Labour
Bruno Le Maire gets Food, Fisheries and Agriculture
Luc Chatel adds Education on top of being spokesperson

New ministers

Frédéric Mitterrand (Ind) gets Culture and Communications
Michel Mercier (MoDem) gets Rurality and Territorial Development
Christian Estrosi gets Industry
Henri de Raincourt gets Parliamentary Relations

Secretaries of State:

Jean-Marie Bockel (GM) is Secretary of State for Justice
Rama Yade gets Sports. Human Rights joke is abolished.
Valérie Létard (NC) gets Sustainable Development
Hubert Falco gets Veterans
Pierre Lellouche gets European Affairs
Nora Berra MEP gets Seniors
Marie-Luce Penchard gets Overseas
Benoist Apparu gets Housing

Barnier, Dati are MEPs. Christine Albanel, Christine Boutin, Yves Jégo, Bernard Laporte, André Santini (NC) and Roger Karoutchi are out.

Nora Berra is the daughter of an Algerian soldier. Marie-Luce Penchard is actually from the DOM-TOMs and is black, so she certainly isn't a bad choice. Good idea to get somebody who actually knows the place aside from the Guadeloupe ClubMed in the job.

Nice to see Apparu (young UMP MP from Marne), Chatel, Le Maire promoted.

Awful to see the joke of Frédéric Mitterrand (why not Roger Hanin, minister of security ?),
and the return of stupid and vulgar Estrosi.

And be prepared to have some diplomatic troubles inside the EU with Lellouche as European affairs secretary of state !!!
All the more after the technocratic, German-speaking, efficient, clear Le Maire...

Hard to see that Morano is still Family secretary of state, she who declared she would be glad to carry the children of her own daughter...

Hard to see that Wauquiez isn't promoted.

Hard to see that titles of ministries are more and more lunatic...

Are you sure ?

She's the daughter of Lucette Michaux-Chevry...
Remember this "nice" old crap, specialized in undiplomatic words, pork and killing of political friends ?

Where goes Xavier Bertrand ?

He's been Secretary General of the UMP for the past few months, meaning he left government.


Anyways, I'm of the opinion that a local is somehow better than a metropolitan like Jégo (who was incompetent).

For Mitterrand, I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. The only thing I know of him is the time he was a TV5, where he was decent if not boring.

Ow, ow, ow...

Here I disagree. First on Jégo. At the beginning of the conflict in Guadeloupe, I've been also thinking, what the hell this guy does here?? But events shew that in fact it was Fillon ( so, Sarkozy??) who totally messed up all the points there, and that Jégo just understood very well and very fast what was happening there, and he quickly gave the right solutions, the solutions that the govt finally approved after a big general strike that just give more strength to the movement of protests in the country (what a good management sirs Fillon and Sarko...) and some solutions which from the point of view of all the experts where the only one available and were legitimate. Jégo has been great there and people of Antilles liked him for his competences in this affair, we had with him a good guy for dealing with the social movements and who could have even given some force to the govt because of the psychological adavantage he had now the people of Antilles respected him... What a shame he is fired, was he too popular and thus unpleasant to Sarkozy?? Anyway, his firing is nothing but stupid.

And concerning Mitterand, Fredo, I'll agree with fab here. To me that guy in the govt is maybe a bigger mistake than Rachida Dati. The guy is mainly someone who love the provocation and who have a certain contempt for the popular culture, outside of the fact that I don't like this kind of things, at an epoch where the govt has to do nothing but to play low profile toward popular movement and culture, it is nothing but an error, to have him in the govt. Plus the guy has some references in the realm of the culture but he doesn't seem at all to be done for politics, if ever politics is still considered has being something serious. Anyways, on the both board, it's a mistake for me.

Concerning the rest of the new govt. Well, Chatel at Education Nationale? Isn't that a playground for the school and student unions?? Then, Darcos, he is a good guy for who I have enough consideration, but that same unions of school and students have put him a washing machine, he seems clearly burned, and he is asked to do what?? To deal with all the unions of the country now?? Hell! So good choices...

Then, well, other than that, I'm not sure that Hortefeux that would lead the same policy as the one of Sarkozy at ministry of interior is a good choice, not sure at all, a kind of policy of quotas and that give a big part to repression that I anyways disapprove.

Other than that, Alliot Marie at justice is better than Rachida Dati, for sure, but for me it's not a wonderful choice for this minister too. Ultimately I think Jospin would be a great minister of Justice, he has in the same time the rigidity of principles and some fair compassion, but well, Jospin minister in a Sarkozy's govt, we should be back to reality...

Other than that Rama Yade at sports and youth is very good I think. Seems also we still need a minister of indignation with Wauquiez... Then, Lemaire seems a good choice for one side of the agriculture realm, Brussels, but for the other side, speaking with workers of the agriculture I'm not sure such a technocrat is a good point, especially in our period. Then, well, we've sharkies like Apparu coming, why not, we'll see, I think that guy would have been a good spokesman of the govt and that Chatel worn out for this, he would have given some good energy.

Well, good luck to this govt, may it does good things, autumn could be hot.

Yep, the chain of real events inside the government isn't clear yet, but it may be Sarkozy's cabinet (so... Marie-Luce Penchard, among others !), on the content, and Fillon, on the method, that have messed it up, not Jégo himself.
Jégo did what he can with, first, no instructions from Paris, then instructions already out-of-fashion due to strikes and fightings. He was on location, on the frontline, and nobody helped him or trusted him to take the decisions on its own.

If Sarkozy uses and drops every young UMP, there will be nobody left in 2013 (after a 2012 defeat) or 2017 to succeed him.... except "unsarkozystes" like Copé, Pécresse or Baroin.
And, as Pécresse may lose next year in Ile-de-France and as Copé will be gunned all the time, the right isn't in a good prospect...

Martine Billard, a Green MP for Paris from the ecosocialist wing of the Greenies, has left the Greens to join the PG. She criticizes the party's shift towards the centre under DC-B and apparently the PG is also a ecologist party now.

Interestingly, a number of ecosocialists from the Greenies seem to be on the verge of following suit. We could see some important members of the Green left moving to the PG and the Greenies re-orienting towards the centre as a result under DC-B's leadership.

Interesting trend... will that hurt or favor the Greens ?

Funny (http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=captaincaveman&hl=fr&hl=fr&q=trou+du+cul+du+web).

Difficult to translate for English speakers...

Hacking or would some Google developers be trying humor?

Ségolène Royal received, like other big French politicians before her a matter of time ago, a letter that threaten her of death, with a big bullet in it. Would she be that Machiavellian??

Sarko suffered a 'minor' seizure Sunday while jogging in Versailles. He spent the night under observation at the Val-de-Grace military hospital and left the hospital this morning up and walking. They assured us it's a inoffensive seizure which can happen to people under intense physical pressure (aka, running or jogging) and/or stress (aka, working).

While its medical effects are minor, most medias are interested in whether this will change his 'hyperpresident' style.

Some on the looney left seem to be certain that this was a media fabrication to boost his approval rating.

Haha. Who and what did you hear exactly about this?

Newspaper comments [not LeFigaro.fr] (often overrun by the PG and Communist idiots).

I remember in the Euros the PG hacks were "we'll win 30% of the vote". As I say, they all live in 1946.

Some secretaries of state may well be added to the 39 member-list of Fillon-government.

Maybe Lefebvre (Sarkozyst loyalist).
Maybe Leroy (Nouveau Centre).
Maybe Giacobbi (PRG deputy from Corsica).
Maybe Tron (Villepin follower).

This list is striking, when you've lived the Mitterrand years.

Don't you think Sarkozy's governments look more and more like Miterrand's ones,
with over 40 members (up to 46 under Mitterrand I think),
with some useless and weird portfolios,
with all the minorities represented inside the majority (PSU, MRG, Verts, PCF,...),
with all the wings of the main party represented ("les courants du PS", "les sensibilités de l'UMP"), but with a clear grip of the President's wing,
with some men of "ouverture" (former members of the opposition),
with some men and women of "civil society",
with many members here only because of what they are, not because of what they can do...

Chirac and Giscard's governments (including Jospin's one, even with "gauche plurielle"), were a bit more of one colour, more "political", less diverse.

Well, concerning the list:

Seems Lefebvre is no more sure since this week-end.
I would be surprised Tron accepts. Through, you never know.

Sarkozy, campaign 2007: I'll have a tiny team, 15 ministers maximum. We have now to finish with overcrowded governments...

Then, what I'll say on this govt won't be very original. The time where ministers had a real power is out with Sarkozy, definitely, seems the guys are really here just for medias, communication, real ideas and decisions coming from Elysée. Even if Mitterand was very directive I think he had still some strong ministers, who carried something in term of ideas, oppositely to Sarkozy.

Lefebvre in government is to give that idiot a job after Santini returned to his seat. As a loyalist and attack dog, he needed some kind of thank you.

Leroy is a younger centrist to take over Santini's old job, Public Function, since Santini was getting a bit old and corrupt.

Giacobbi is a good choice politically. He could have been one of the PRG's likely candidates in 2010 for the regionals in Corse (where the UMP won in 2004 only because the PRG was divided between Giacobbi and Zuccarelli, two rivals and also Renucci and a Communist) and he's (or his family name is - Giacobbi have held office in Haute-Corse since 1898) a big name in Corse.


Aha, he said ministers. He still has 15-16ish ministers, but IIRC, he never talked about secretaries of state! Mitterrand cabinets had a lot more Ministers (plus a lot of secretaries of state).

Héhé. Yes, yes. ;D. That's why I added the second sentence he also said, the exact word he said in French was "pléthorique" IIRC, secretaries of state fall in this formula.

My point was that Sarkozy is influenced by Mitterrand's behaviour. The Giscard's comparison is a dubious one.

Surprises, even for your own side,
putting the debate on a different sibject when you are deadlocked (remember 1984 and a constitutional debate to get out of the school question),
acting outside when the French debate is politically dangerous,
governments to please wings, local barons, etc

Of course, he's more in charge, he talks far more than Mitterrand. But I think Attali has had some influence on the young Sarkozy, more than Chirac.
BTW, Chirac has himself been influenced by Mitterrand after 1986...

Yes, Mitterand impressed a lot, so influenced a lot.

Though I tend to think that the management you describe could fit with more or less all presidents, that are some classical political tactics, maybe practiced with more or less intuition and more or less success.

Other than that, yes, Sarkozy is the totally opposite of Mitterand. One was calm, stayed in the background and wanted to give some weight to his words when the other one is excited, wants to be inside the action, wants to do 100 things at the time and think that the words he pronounces are like some acts. One was from the book, the other one is from the TV. I'm curious to see the one who will be from the net.

Villiers has just agreed to join a contact committee between parties of the presidential majority.

After his bad results in European elections, he's forced to rally the big party of the right.
It was the same after 1995 presidential election: he was indebted and then began his dependance on the RPR and on Pasqua especially. Pasqua even tried to swallow all the MPF in the RPF.

Maybe a small secretary of state for the MPF soon... When I say that it's a Mitterrand-like government...
(Bruno Retailleau, deputy of Vendée, was already about to enter the government in January, but Sarkozy stopped him at the last moment.)

Horrible... :( I thought getting rid of Boutin meant finally stopping the social regression...

Who the hell cares? The MPF is irrelevant and always will be. It's not some Villiers hack who will influence government policy in the State Secretariat for Sewer Systems and Dog Catchers.

I know, but that make me feel very uncomfortable to see these people considered as "normal politicians" and people you can work with, and not as the crazy reactionnaries they are.

I would be very surprised it happens. The government is here for the image and De Villiers would be the hell of a wrong image. Plus for being in this government, you have to be liked by Sarkozy and to accept to be more or less a puppet of him, two other conditions that make the entry of De Villiers in the govt very unlikely.


Boutin is reactionary but not crazy she just tries to apply her Christian views by political means (when the hell Christians will get that Christianity and politics are incompatible?...). You can disagree with her, what I do on such or such topics, you can dislike her behavior, what I do too, you can also think that to apply Christian principles the best and more logical way is out of politics, what I do too. But you can't say she's crazy. For Villiers...hmm...that's like Bush, such guys are funny as long as we don't give them something that has to see with some power...

I spoke about Villiers then. You're right, Boutin is not crazy, just ridiculously old-fashionned... :D

It would also require that Besse and Souchet start voting with the government more often that not. Though knowing those doorknobs, it's likely when their job depends on it.


Villiers is a joke. But so what, if he has his convictions and ideals, however retarded they may be? Isn't he in the right to have political ideas of his own, or does everybody need to be ideologically 'sane' and homogeneous according to your book of political thoughts? No.

I respect many political positions and am ready to debate on economic and social issues, until people doesn't start to want us to get back into the Middle Age, hating anyone that refuses the "moral values", destroying individual freedom and starting crusades against the Evil Muslims. Sorry, but I'm not supposed to respect this sort of political views.

I never asked you to agree with them, but atleast to recognize that some people hold these views, however demented they may be. Not everybody can fit into sane political ideologically, so let's not try to make it so.