[rmlew]

I hope that the neocon Sun ran a bad story. I defended Le Pen as the salvation of France against the Muslim hordes.
More importantly, Le Pen's possible defection sets back the French nationalists another election cycle or more. Lat election Le Pen got 20% of the vote for president, forcing a run off between himself and Chirac. With the beur violence this fall, he could do far better next time. If the story is correct, Le Pen is surrendering at the moment he should be triumphant.
It seems that Count Philippe de Villiers of the Movement for France (MPF) may be the last supporter of a Christian France and Western Civilization.

[dennisw]

Yeah Le Pen disappoints here. He is near 80 and I think what you have here is him going along with his younger lieutenants.

[Earthdweller]

"It seems that Count Philippe de Villiers of the Movement for France (MPF) may be the last supporter of a Christian France and Western Civilization."

Though Christian, he seems to have that same old narcissistic attitude most find repulsive..

What is it with French Christians?

John Thornhill reports in the Finanicial Times (May 22, 2005) :

At a rally of 5,000 supporters in Paris on Saturday, Philippe de Villiers, the leader of the nationalist Movement for France, said that the adoption of the constitution would strip Europe's nations of their sovereignty and transfer too much power to Brussels. "To have 450m people run by 18 technocrats is a totalitarian idea from the last century," he said.

Mr de Villiers, who has been one of the most energetic No campaigners drawing support from conservative Catholic, Gaullist and sovereigntist traditions, said that France had a "special mission" in the world, thanks to its historical, geographic, and linguistic links, which should never be abandoned.

"It is impossible to imagine Europe without France. But France is also an extra-European power, a world power," he said to wild applause.