Sarko vs. Royal, Don't Read if You Don't Give A Phoque About French Presidential Politics

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A girl told me she submitted a blank vote, as in an empty ballot. What is the point of this? Why not just stay home? Can anyone explain it?

― riche, Monday, 23 April 2007 15:35 (6 years ago) Permalink

Thanks Michael.
yeah i disagree with Le monde being centre-left. It used to be but now Plenel left and both Minc and Colombani officially support Sarkozy.

― brunob, Monday, 23 April 2007 15:37 (6 years ago) Permalink

(btw hi baaderonixx!! how's belgium?)

― riche, Monday, 23 April 2007 15:40 (6 years ago) Permalink

xpost

The deference thing is true. You'd never get a French version of Jeremy Paxman, that's for sure.

On the other hand, there is also a tradition of investigative journalism particularly with satirical magazines like Charlie Hebdo and Le Canard Enchainé, which regularly break political stories and uncover political scandals.

<i>Le Monde is about as center-left as the New York Times, i.e. not really</i>

Well, maybe it's no longer centre-left, but it's not exactly right wing either. I guess we'll soon see who it comes out for.

― underpants of the gods, Monday, 23 April 2007 15:41 (6 years ago) Permalink

I'm not sure you could really identify an editorial line in Le Monde, but it sure does seem to have an agenda (most of the time, helping those in power to stay there, cf. Balladur in 1995). The fact that Minc is pretty explicit in his support of Sarko, combined with Colombani's recent editorial, would seem to confirm this.

― baaderonixx, Monday, 23 April 2007 15:50 (6 years ago) Permalink

Only one percent of Muslims voted for Sarko.

― Michael White, Monday, 23 April 2007 17:42 (6 years ago) Permalink

who did Muslims vote for?

-- curious and non-francophone

― gff, Monday, 23 April 2007 18:07 (6 years ago) Permalink

64% for Ségolène Royal. 19% for François Bayrou. 8% for Besancenot.

― Michael White, Monday, 23 April 2007 18:26 (6 years ago) Permalink

islamarxism in effect!! or maybe don't call people trash if you want their support.

i had a crazy half-idea that sarko's frank assholism had actually earned him some respect among immigrants but this was probably some right wing fantasy i read somewhere

― gff, Monday, 23 April 2007 18:31 (6 years ago) Permalink

When you 'get tough' on crime in poor neighborhoods, you'll always get a certain amount of sympathy from the people who most feel victimized by what the French euphemistically call 'insecurity', but he's been not so much firm as just mean about it and alientated a lot more people than he had to.

― Michael White, Monday, 23 April 2007 18:45 (6 years ago) Permalink

It also shouldn't be forgotten that Sarkozy in effect brokered the creation of the French Muslim Council (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/2593623.stm, and according to The Economist at least, is in favour of affirmitive action for immigrants. I think until the final round we'll see him to trying to mend some bridges now that Le Pen is out of the way.

― aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa, Monday, 23 April 2007 19:19 (6 years ago) Permalink

Sarko has come out for affirmative action in a republic which is famously color-blind and now that he basically has the FN voters in his pocket, he undoubtedly will try to seduce some UDF voters. Bayrou is going to announce his choice on Wednesday, apparently.

― Michael White, Monday, 23 April 2007 19:24 (6 years ago) Permalink

in a republic which is famously color-blind

I really can't tell whether you're being sarcastic with that or not. This is a country where 11% of the electorate voted for a outright racist.

― aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa, Monday, 23 April 2007 20:12 (6 years ago) Permalink

I didn't say country, I said republic.

The first article of the present constitution reads, "La France est une République indivisible, laïque, démocratique et sociale. Elle assure l'égalité devant la loi de tous les citoyens sans distinction d'origine, de race ou de religion." (France is an indivisble, secular, democratic and social republic. It assures the equality before the law of all citizens without distinction of their origin, race or religion.) This has been held to mean that, unlike the U.S., which has tracked people based on their stated race, the French Republic will not do this. Very high minded, perhaps, but it also means that no affirmative action based on race or religion or national origin has been tried.

― Michael White, Monday, 23 April 2007 20:30 (6 years ago) Permalink

Looks like 53% for Sarko with a record 86% of voters going to the polls.

― Michael White, Sunday, 6 May 2007 18:20 (6 years ago) Permalink

Royal has conceded

― stet, Sunday, 6 May 2007 18:49 (6 years ago) Permalink

how is she conceding so early? shouldn't this stuff last until 5am or summat?

― Gukbe, Sunday, 6 May 2007 19:41 (6 years ago) Permalink

pwned

― gershy, Sunday, 6 May 2007 20:09 (6 years ago) Permalink

people are horrible

― RJG, Sunday, 6 May 2007 22:07 (6 years ago) Permalink

Racaille!

― jim, Sunday, 6 May 2007 22:09 (6 years ago) Permalink

i think stevem, should be told, about this thread.

― That one guy that quit, Sunday, 6 May 2007 22:43 (6 years ago) Permalink

people are kicking off in the streets.

― stet, Sunday, 6 May 2007 22:47 (6 years ago) Permalink

so gershy farms cocks? i'll file that away

― Tracer Hand, Sunday, 6 May 2007 23:59 (6 years ago) Permalink

― Tracer Hand, Monday, 7 May 2007 00:03 (6 years ago) Permalink

sigh. what a day.

― Frogman Henry, Monday, 7 May 2007 00:09 (6 years ago) Permalink

Everything you mention is trivial.

Late, but can I just mention that advocating Quebec separatism wasn't trivial to everyone? I might have rooted for SR all the way otherwise. (I'm sure she's crushed.)

I haven't studied NS' platform in depth but is there anything there that would be further right than a middle-of-the-road Canadian Liberal (let alone a run-of-the-mill Democrat?)

― Sundar, Monday, 7 May 2007 00:34 (6 years ago) Permalink

“He is more concrete, more precise than the left,” said Mohamed Hamidi, editor in chief of Bondy Blog, a fledgling online magazine focused on France’s working-class suburbs. “But he is ready for confrontation.”

“If Sarkozy wins, I’m sure there’ll be trouble the night of the elections,” said Mr. Hamidi, the Bondy Blog editor. “With Ségo, things will be calm for five years.”

quoted from a NYT article
In French Bid, Immigrant’s Son Battles Reputation as Anti-Immigrant
By CRAIG S. SMITH
Published: May 5, 2007

― youn, Monday, 7 May 2007 01:11 (6 years ago) Permalink

reminds me of Michael Howerd.

― Frogman Henry, Monday, 7 May 2007 03:09 (6 years ago) Permalink

Something of la nuit.

― Ned Raggett, Monday, 7 May 2007 03:49 (6 years ago) Permalink

Sundar you're right but she didn't "declare her support for Quebec sovereignty". The newspapers, ready to land on her head like a grand piano, spun what she said into that.

― Tracer Hand, Monday, 7 May 2007 14:13 (6 years ago) Permalink

Journalist: "Quelles sont vos affinités avec la souveraineté du Québec?"

Royal: "Elles sont conformes aux valeurs qui nous sont communes, c'est-à-dire la souveraineté et la liberté du Québec. Je pense que le rayonnement du Québec et la place qu'il occupe dans le coeur des Français vont dans ce sens".

I don't think there are too many different ways of interpreting that. She most certainly did "declare her support for Quebec sovereignty".

― underpants of the gods, Monday, 7 May 2007 14:31 (6 years ago) Permalink

Well it's hardly "Vive le Quebec libre", which is what De Gaulle said!

― Tracer Hand, Monday, 7 May 2007 14:40 (6 years ago) Permalink

sundar I have the same question as you, I mean, is "right wing" sarko actually any further to the right than hillary clinton, joe biden, chris dodd?

― daria-g, Monday, 7 May 2007 14:41 (6 years ago) Permalink

Well it's hardly "Vive le Quebec libre", which is what De Gaulle said!

Well it's not as punchy as that, but it amounts to much the same thing. It was a very silly thing to have said, when she could so easily have batted the question into the long grass. It's as if Hillary Clinton had come to the UK and started talking about the sovereignty and liberty of Scotland or Wales.

is "right wing" sarko actually any further to the right than hillary clinton, joe biden, chris dodd?

It's very hard to make comparisons. Despite his bluster, I don't think Sarkozy will turn out to be much of a neo-liberal free marketeer. His instincts are protectionist, for a start. He'll be more of an archaic, authoritarian, police-state right-winger, cutting tax for his rich buddies but otherwise keeping a firm hand on the till of the state.

― underpants of the gods, Monday, 7 May 2007 14:49 (6 years ago) Permalink

aka "Let the big dogs eat"

― Tracer Hand, Monday, 7 May 2007 15:06 (6 years ago) Permalink

― baaderonixx, Monday, 7 May 2007 15:07 (6 years ago) Permalink

i had dinner with a vacationing frenchwoman last night. she rolled her eyes when i asked about sarkozy and said about royal, "i could never vote for someone who dresses like that." so much for my eagerly-anticipated discussion of french politics, then.

― lauren, Monday, 7 May 2007 15:25 (6 years ago) Permalink

How was she dressed?

― baaderonixx, Monday, 7 May 2007 15:35 (6 years ago) Permalink

It's as if Hillary Clinton had come to the UK and started talking about the sovereignty and liberty of Scotland or Wales.

It's not though. French politicians have always weighed in about Quebec. I agree she should have just kept schtum. Nothing substantive she could have said would have been taken well.

― Tracer Hand, Monday, 7 May 2007 15:54 (6 years ago) Permalink

the dinner guest? she was dressed very well.

― lauren, Monday, 7 May 2007 15:59 (6 years ago) Permalink

royal not exactly the sharpest dresser is she?

― daria-g, Monday, 7 May 2007 16:20 (6 years ago) Permalink

She looked pretty cool during the debate, I thought.

― baaderonixx, Monday, 7 May 2007 16:26 (6 years ago) Permalink

you start out giving your hat, then you give your coat, then your shirt, then your skin and finally your soul

― RJG, Monday, 7 May 2007 16:37 (6 years ago) Permalink

More rioting this evening, according to Le Figaro.

― Cathy, Monday, 7 May 2007 21:09 (6 years ago) Permalink

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6Cu9187tCY

― Ned Trifle II, Monday, 7 May 2007 22:55 (6 years ago) Permalink

Nicholas and Tony, sitting in a tree, k.i.s.s.i.n.g...

― Ned Trifle II, Monday, 7 May 2007 22:57 (6 years ago) Permalink

ohlala, blair's accent is unbearable, i mean, he clearly has worked on it, but it's so anglophone.. hahaha

― daria-g, Monday, 7 May 2007 22:59 (6 years ago) Permalink

I think I might be proud of them for rioting. I'd have to read more about it though.

― Casuistry, Tuesday, 8 May 2007 04:47 (6 years ago) Permalink

ohlala, blair's accent is unbearable, i mean, he clearly has worked on it, but it's so anglophone.. hahaha

Possibly, but at least Blair speaks French. Sarkozy doesn't speak English. Which seems quite bizarre, in this day and age.

― underpants of the gods, Tuesday, 8 May 2007 09:07 (6 years ago) Permalink

Did Chirac speak English?

― Tom D., Tuesday, 8 May 2007 09:08 (6 years ago) Permalink

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