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

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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 (sixteen years ago) link

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

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

Royal has conceded

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

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

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

pwned
http://www.france24.com/france24Public/en/special-reports/20061226-New-year-special/f24ReportVideoParagraph/0/thumbnail/20061229_Royal_m.jpg

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

people are horrible

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

Racaille!

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

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

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

people are kicking off in the streets.

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

so gershy farms cocks? i'll file that away

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

http://p2602.canalblog.com/images/t-Affiche_Sarkozy_Votez_LePen.jpg

― Tracer Hand, Monday, 7 May 2007 00:03 (sixteen years ago) link

sigh. what a day.

― Frogman Henry, Monday, 7 May 2007 00:09 (sixteen years ago) link

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 (sixteen years ago) link

“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 (sixteen years ago) link

reminds me of Michael Howerd.

― Frogman Henry, Monday, 7 May 2007 03:09 (sixteen years ago) link

Something of la nuit.

― Ned Raggett, Monday, 7 May 2007 03:49 (sixteen years ago) link

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 (sixteen years ago) link

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 (sixteen years ago) link

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

― Tracer Hand, Monday, 7 May 2007 14:40 (sixteen years ago) link

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 (sixteen years ago) link

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 (sixteen years ago) link

aka "Let the big dogs eat"

― Tracer Hand, Monday, 7 May 2007 15:06 (sixteen years ago) link

― baaderonixx, Monday, 7 May 2007 15:07 (sixteen years ago) link

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 (sixteen years ago) link

How was she dressed?

― baaderonixx, Monday, 7 May 2007 15:35 (sixteen years ago) link

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 (sixteen years ago) link

the dinner guest? she was dressed very well.

― lauren, Monday, 7 May 2007 15:59 (sixteen years ago) link

royal not exactly the sharpest dresser is she?

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

She looked pretty cool during the debate, I thought.

― baaderonixx, Monday, 7 May 2007 16:26 (sixteen years ago) link

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 (sixteen years ago) link

More rioting this evening, according to Le Figaro.

― Cathy, Monday, 7 May 2007 21:09 (sixteen years ago) link

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

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

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

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

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 (sixteen years ago) link

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 (sixteen years ago) link

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 (sixteen years ago) link

Did Chirac speak English?

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

Yes. Not spectacularly well, but good enough to be interviewed on CNN.

― underpants of the gods, Tuesday, 8 May 2007 09:10 (sixteen years ago) link

Cartoon in a Belgian paper today: "celebratory fires after Sarkozy's election"

http://i16.tinypic.com/4p3rywm.jpg

― StanM, Tuesday, 8 May 2007 09:14 (sixteen years ago) link

;_;

― kv_nol, Tuesday, 8 May 2007 09:43 (sixteen years ago) link

French people be riotin'

― baaderonixx, Tuesday, 8 May 2007 10:45 (sixteen years ago) link

politicians should study Sarko's campaign.

how the f*ck a right-wing candidate, after decades of conservative rule, could position himself as the guy who will shake up the status quo - i mean it's a coup of logic. it's amazing.

― Tracer Hand, Tuesday, 8 May 2007 11:09 (sixteen years ago) link

Which US republicans are going to be cribbing his style?

― Ed, Tuesday, 8 May 2007 11:10 (sixteen years ago) link

Because he is presenting himself as a radical (neo-liberal) right-winger and not a conservative right-winger?

― Tom D., Tuesday, 8 May 2007 11:12 (sixteen years ago) link

It has to be said that Chirac/Villepin played the meme as well, presenting themselves as some sort of continuity and upholders of the "French model", leaving Sarkozy to run with "rupture".

― underpants of the gods, Tuesday, 8 May 2007 11:14 (sixteen years ago) link

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/205/489916019_e1cc6e1b99_o.jpg

― Ed, Tuesday, 8 May 2007 14:47 (sixteen years ago) link

how the f*ck a right-wing candidate, after decades of conservative rule, could position himself as the guy who will shake up the status quo - i mean it's a coup of logic. it's amazing.

Blair managed it.

― Dom Passantino, Tuesday, 8 May 2007 14:53 (sixteen years ago) link

Dude! What's with the gurn?

http://i13.tinypic.com/4yiv5f4.jpg http://i10.tinypic.com/67gyfxi.jpg

― StanM, Wednesday, 16 May 2007 11:26 (sixteen years ago) link

This made me feel a bit better.

Sarkozy does look like something out of Asterix and Obelix there. What's wrong with hus teeth one wonders.

― kv_nol, Wednesday, 16 May 2007 12:32 (sixteen years ago) link

"I don't see myself as First Lady - the whole idea bores me "

hilarious! I hope she said it with sunglasses posed on the end of her nose and puffed a cigarette for punctuation. She's a sexy lady

― King Kitty, Wednesday, 16 May 2007 13:59 (sixteen years ago) link

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