Posted on 04/22/2007 11:01:22 AM PDT by Philistone
First official results in French first round presidential elections (my translation from the live feed):
Estimation from SOFRES (French pollsters).
Sarkozy: 30% Royal: 25.2 % ------------- Bayrou: 18.3% Le Pen: 11.5%
Plus, the European far-right tends to be racist.
I keep cracking up every time Fox refers to the woman as a
‘Socialist’ and the ‘Hillary Clinton’ of France.
But, yeah, I know what you're getting at. There's that whole "blood and soil" aspect to European conservatism (and the European experience generally) stemming from the more or less tribal origins of most European nations that is foreign to the American experience, we being a nation of immigrants, malcontents, mutts and mutants. [Cue Bill Murray speech from Stripes.]
Bayrou will support Sarkozy. Bayrou is basically a Chirac do-nothing clone who saw an opportunity to pull Socialist supporters away from Royal (Hate Hillery Factor). Those Socialists will return to Royal rather than vote Sarkozy (roughly 5 of Bayrou’s 18% total according to one talking head). The rest will vote Sarkozy or stay home.
Another interesting tidbit: Sarkozy’s total translates into more than 11 million votes. More than ANY candidate has ever gotten in the first round in the history of the 5th Republic. A LOT of people want change.
Of course, being French, that won't prevent them from rioting, striking and generally raising hell when they get it, as they have repeatedly done in the face of the even the most minor attempts at economic liberalization.
I fear things will have to get much worse (and they will) before any real reform is politically possible. But I hope I'm wrong.
(a bit of sarc there, though not as much as there should be)
I agree 100%. It is not going to be pretty.
The French are extremely passive in general (unless they are communist union types). I was in France in ‘95 when the train workers and the truckers went on strike for almost four months. The truckers blocked all roads into and out of Paris and people were walking three hours each way just to get to work. Whenever they were asked on camera whether they resented the strikers, 99% of them said “no, they have the right to strike.”
Something like 50,000 small businesses went bust and hundreds of thousands lost their jobs before the government caved in (to a raise that came out to about $10 a month). The business closures actually help the Socio-Communists because it increases demand for government jobs (and the corresponding required union membership).
We should give up on the Europeans, they are hopeless.
They have given up on themselves, so why should they make laws for the good of future generations, when they are not producing those future generations.
Not really... The Communists simply split into more parties.
True. Sarkozy and Royal are both pro-abortion, pro-homosexuality, pro-same sex marriage. Monster #1 vs. Monster # 2.
Excellent news !? Sarkozy is strongly pro-abortion and pro-homosexuality !
Those parties have always been there, from the CPF to the Trotskyists of Arnette Laguillier to the Syndicalists of Besoncot(sp?). I think the announcer was talking about the total of the far left. I’ll have to see the final numbers for all parties before I can comment further.
It is true that there was a shift to the “safe” vote for Royal this time around because the left didn’t want another run-off with no leftist candidate as in 2002.
Going on strike is the French national pastime. I lived there in the summer of 1977 and the school year 79/80 and there were several strikes during each stay. In fact, the students at my university (Grenoble) went on strike when I was there in 79/80, and the professors went along with them.
An IPSOS poll taken right after this first round indicated that in the final (May 6) round the result will be: Sarkozy 54% and Royal 46%.
Sarkozy who was raised by his grandfather has said that his grandfather told him: “With a name like Sarkozy (Hungarian), you will never get anywhere in French politics. You should consider emigrating to America.” It looks like his grandfather was wrong.
I got question when the students and teachers went on strike what were you doing???
Come think of it couple years ago did French workers went on strike when they try bring back 40 hour work week and cut back on unemployment insurance do you remember that Freepers
I think I remember that
Actually, that's usually pretty good generic advice. 1/2 of all French Biz School grads emigrate to the UK/US/Canada.
They know there is little hope for them in Socialist Occupied France.
Yay! Let’s hear it for Sarko! It’s about time France had enough of the socialist filth they’ve put up with.
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