The France Thread: oui oui, bonbons and all that bad stuff 🇫🇷

[Liu Kang]

Following the recent Sarkozy and Europe center/left threads, I think it's good to gather all France related news in this thread as it's easier to get all the info in one. @mbewane and others can post French news in here. @FAH1223 , you can merge threads about France here if you feel like it.

So there was a recent poll that put Le Pen almost tied (48/52%) to Macron in a potential second round in 2022

Le Pen has never been that high in a second round poll which would suggest there's a chance for her to win but it's also good to remember that she had a 45/55% poll at some point in 2017 and she ended up losing 33/66%
France's Le Pen, at record high in polls, proposes hijab ban - France 24

I would be more worried if there were repeated polls like this but there is still something called the Republican Front (not in the sense of the US Republican party) in France that means that non far-right politicians/journalists will call to vote against a far-right candidate (or abstain at the very very least) if he/she is in position to win an election. It's still a thing but it becomes more and more fragile as times passes.

The issue right now is that Macron with his center-right/right politics kinda put leftists voters in despair and because they are, they would not necessary do their Republican duty and vote against Le Pen in that hypothetical second round. Plenty would abstain even if it means Le Pen winning which was unfathomable a decade ago. And Le Pen also has strong 20% voter basis from the first round and she might even win the first round if Macron does not get more popular until then.

 

[mbewane]

Following the recent Sarkozy and Europe center/left threads, I think it's good to gather all France related news in this thread as it's easier to get all the info in one. @mbewane and others can post French news in here. @FAH1223 , you can merge threads about France here if you feel like it.

So there was a recent poll that put Le Pen almost tied (48/52%) to Macron in a potential second round in 2022

Le Pen has never been that high in a second round poll which would suggest there's a chance for her to win but it's also good to remember that she had a 45/55% poll at some point in 2017 and she ended up losing 33/66%
France's Le Pen, at record high in polls, proposes hijab ban - France 24

I would be more worried if there were repeated polls like this but there is still something called the Republican Front (not in the sense of the US Republican party) in France that means that non far-right politicians/journalists will call to vote against a far-right candidate (or abstain at the very very least) if he/she is in position to win an election. It's still a thing but it becomes more and more fragile as times passes.

The issue right now is that Macron with his center-right/right politics kinda put leftists voters in despair and because they are, they would not necessary do their Republican duty and vote against Le Pen in that hypothetical second round. Plenty would abstain even if it means Le Pen winning which was unfathomable a decade ago. And Le Pen also has strong 20% voter basis from the first round and she might even win the first round if Macron does not get more popular until then.

Thing is that people have seen how Macron ended up using that "Front Républicain" to basically push the Left to the side and put into place right-wing politics. Same old anti-migrant policies, Islamophobia, talking about "separatism", doing absolutely nothing against police brutality, giving zero fukks about the GJ movement, only lipservice about the environment, upcoming reform of unemployment, the list goes on and on. In this whole #metoo era he has a Minister accused of sexual harassment who's absolutely unbothered. I fail to see any reason for someone on the Left to vote for him other than the fact he's not called Marine Le Pen. Also this would the THIRD time the Left is called to the rescue by the same right-wingers who shyt on them all year long. A lot of anti-racist militants called his bs out back in 2017, and everything they said would happen did. But Left voters will be shamed for not voting for him, once again. And as so far as calling it their "Republican Duty", I would say it would be Macron's duty as President of the Republic to acknowledge who put him in office as an obstacle to the Extreme-Right an act accordingly, instead of waiting 6 months before the election and starting using the good old extreme-right boogeyman to pressure Left wingers to vote for him.

2022 might just be the year that the Left says fukk it, the Right's been fukking up for decades by sliding more and more towards the extreme-right, now deal with it. That's what happens when everyone from mainstream medias to police forces to political parties openly use extreme-right an authoritarian rhetoric. Then they'll be complaining about how "This isn't my France", shaming the Left and all that hypocritical bs if Le Pen does win.

 

[Liu Kang]

Thing is that people have seen how Macron ended up using that "Front Républicain" to basically push the Left to the side and put into place right-wing politics. Same old anti-migrant policies, Islamophobia, talking about "separatism", doing absolutely nothing against police brutality, giving zero fukks about the GJ movement, only lipservice about the environment, upcoming reform of unemployment, the list goes on and on. In this whole #metoo era he has a Minister accused of sexual harassment who's absolutely unbothered. I fail to see any reason for someone on the Left to vote for him other than the fact he's not called Marine Le Pen. Also this would the THIRD time the Left is called to the rescue by the same right-wingers who shyt on them all year long. A lot of anti-racist militants called his bs out back in 2017, and everything they said would happen did. But Left voters will be shamed for not voting for him, once again. And as so far as calling it their "Republican Duty", I would say it would be Macron's duty as President of the Republic to acknowledge who put him in office as an obstacle to the Extreme-Right an act accordingly, instead of waiting 6 months before the election and starting using the good old extreme-right boogeyman to pressure Left wingers to vote for him.

2022 might just be the year that the Left says fukk it, the Right's been fukking up for decades by sliding more and more towards the extreme-right, now deal with it. That's what happens when everyone from mainstream medias to police forces to political parties openly use extreme-right an authoritarian rhetoric. Then they'll be complaining about how "This isn't my France", shaming the Left and all that hypocritical bs if Le Pen does win.

I definitely agree with you on all points.

I do think that Macron is the continuation of Hollande though and he's not really something that happened overnight. I remember voting for my first time for the 2007 election and when I made the party ratios, I thought the right represented something like 65% in the first round (including Bayrou (though he's really center-right if we're being fair) and the far-right) and the two left presidents we ever had in the 5th Republic were social-democrats that would mostly put them as centrists. France somehow always appears as a socialist haven for everyone around the world but on the real, we've always leaned right. Mitterand and Hollande did bring some good progressive policies (mostly Mitterand) to be fair. Though we can also thank Mitterand for legitimizing the FN. Had he not do that to fukk with the right, we might not have this conversation right now.

The issue right now is that Mélenchon and Hidalgo are seem to be the only left leaders (maybe with the Greens too) and they are not even at 10% in the polls. And Mélenchon cannot manage to unite the whole left behind him beause he's seen as too much a leftist (and probably because he's une "grande gueule" ) so I do think the best way for the left to win is to unite behind one (which one would be a huge question though) but as usual the left has trouble uniting because too much political differents. Maybe Hidalgo can come through because of her being a relatively successful Mayor of Paris ? Anyway, the polls right now are dire for the left lol : Liste de sondages sur la prochaine élection présidentielle française
For the first round, Dupont Aignan has a solid 7%, Le Pen has a solid 25% same as Macron and the Republicans are at 13%. So there's already 70% that are NOT(left). The reservoir of votes for the left is very very small ans as you said Macron veering right is a huge problem for leftist voters.

Finally, when it comes to scandals, all of our presidencies have had ones so I'm not surprised :
-Giscard had the Bokhassa diamonds
-Mitterand had a hidden daughter and bombed a Greenpeace boat on NZ soil
-Chirac had all the fukkery when he was mayor of Paris
-Sarkozy, let's not talk about him
-Hollande cheated on his woman while president and had the budget minister that was frauding the FISC (French IRS)

 

[Piff Huxtable]

Without knowing much about French politics, does it still look like Macron will get re-elected by default since the left and right are still fukked up?
We know that Le Pen can't win in a run-off (the right in France isn't as looney as in the US yet)

 

[smitty22]

Je m ‘appellle Le Negs la dodo bird @Regular_P

 

[Liu Kang]

Without knowing much about French politics, does it still look like Macron will get re-elected by default since the left and right are still fukked up?
We know that Le Pen can't win in a run-off (the right in France isn't as looney as in the US yet)

He should be re elected if most leftist voters accept to bite the bullet again and vote against Le Pen in round 2. If they say fukkit, Le Pen definitely has a shot though Macron would still be favorite off the simple fact that he's not Le Pen.

 

[Piff Huxtable]

Je m ‘appellle Le Negs la dodo bird @Regular_P

We could have a thread on transcendental meditation and you would still find a way to throw shots @Regular_P

 

[re'up]

Eyeing Re-election, Macron Walks a Tightrope Above Swirling Crises in France

 

[mbewane]

I definitely agree with you on all points.

I do think that Macron is the continuation of Hollande though and he's not really something that happened overnight. I remember voting for my first time for the 2007 election and when I made the party ratios, I thought the right represented something like 65% in the first round (including Bayrou (though he's really center-right if we're being fair) and the far-right) and the two left presidents we ever had in the 5th Republic were social-democrats that would mostly put them as centrists. France somehow always appears as a socialist haven for everyone around the world but on the real, we've always leaned right. Mitterand and Hollande did bring some good progressive policies (mostly Mitterand) to be fair. Though we can also thank Mitterand for legitimizing the FN. Had he not do that to fukk with the right, we might not have this conversation right now.

The issue right now is that Mélenchon and Hidalgo are seem to be the only left leaders (maybe with the Greens too) and they are not even at 10% in the polls. And Mélenchon cannot manage to unite the whole left behind him beause he's seen as too much a leftist (and probably because he's une "grande gueule" ) so I do think the best way for the left to win is to unite behind one (which one would be a huge question though) but as usual the left has trouble uniting because too much political differents. Maybe Hidalgo can come through because of her being a relatively successful Mayor of Paris ? Anyway, the polls right now are dire for the left lol : Liste de sondages sur la prochaine élection présidentielle française
For the first round, Dupont Aignan has a solid 7%, Le Pen has a solid 25% same as Macron and the Republicans are at 13%. So there's already 70% that are NOT(left). The reservoir of votes for the left is very very small ans as you said Macron veering right is a huge problem for leftist voters.

Finally, when it comes to scandals, all of our presidencies have had ones so I'm not surprised :
-Giscard had the Bokhassa diamonds
-Mitterand had a hidden daughter and bombed a Greenpeace boat on NZ soil
-Chirac had all the fukkery when he was mayor of Paris
-Sarkozy, let's not talk about him
-Hollande cheated on his woman while president and had the budget minister that was frauding the FISC (French IRS)

All facts, and had to highlight the bolded for emphasis. Yeah that's the problem with the Left, always divided, and I fear Hidalgo is seen as the "bobo mayor" so that might actually play against her. I feel she's also quite center, but I wouldn't mind her having a go at it. And you're right, I think Mélenchon's personality might be a problem for a lot of people, even though there too it would be an interesting change.

Totally forgot about Dupont-Aignant lol

Yeah french politics has been littered with fukkery lol, it's just the fact that in this #metoo era one could've thought that they would be more careful about Darmanin. Schiappa was all talk about supporting victims and all that, but that was before lol.

 

[King Static X]

Qui est le plus haut fonctionnaire noir de France? Do you guys know?

 

[NSSVO]

The “French Colonial Tax”: A misleading heuristic for understanding Françafrique

 

[Liu Kang]

Qui est le plus haut fonctionnaire noir de France? Do you guys know?

Would most likely be a minister so Moreno who'se minister of man-woman equality
Here's the current government : Composition du Gouvernement

Highest a black person ever in a government was probably Christiane Taubira who was Justice minister under Hollande which is usually consider a top 3 minister.

Highest a black person ever was in the state was Gaston Monerville who was the Senate president (#2 stateperson after the president) in the 60s.

 

[radio rahiem]

Came across my Twitter feed.

 

[Liu Kang]

Came across my Twitter feed.

Yeah, France is not really known for assuming his past dirt
France used its colonies and overseas territories to do their tests (they also did nuclear tests in the Algerian sahara). The thyphoid cancer hike for Polynesians is similar to how Guadeloupeans and Martinicans have the highest prostate cancer rate in the world because of the chlordecone fukkery.

 

[The axe murderer]

Came across my Twitter feed.

Death to france