Posted on 05/02/2007 3:47:23 PM PDT by Cincinna
FRENCH CANDIDATES WRANGLE OVER JOB CRISIS IN TELEVISION DEBATE
May 2, 2007 (AFP)
Right winger Nicolas Sarkozy and socialist Segolene Royal held tense exchanges over employment and the 35-hour working week in a televised debate Wednesday seen as crucial for the French presidential campaign.
Seated on either side of a two-metre (six foot) table, disagreements between Sarkozy, who finished first in the opening round, and Royal repeatedly flared into moments of ill-restrained hostility.
Four days before the election, more than half the country's adult population was estimated to be watching the two hour confrontation which was dominated by the economy.
Dressed in a dark suit and tie, Sarkozy repeated his promise to cut the number of public employees -- prompting accusations from Royal that he would endanger health, education and the police.
He said he would ensure full employment in France in five years by "freeing the forces of labour", and said the 35-hour week -- introduced by the last socialist government -- was killing employment. France currently has one of the highest unemployment rates in western Europe.
"She (Royal) still thinks that you have to share out the work like pieces of a cake. Not a single country in the world accepts this logic, which is a monumental mistake," he said.
Royal, wearing a black jacket and white blouse, countered with a promise to create 500,000 youth jobs, funded from existing training and unemployment budgets. She questioned Sarkozy's citation of an economic think-tank that said his programme would benefit the economy more than Royal's.
This prompted Sarkozy to ask: "Why do you treat anyone who is not of your opinion with irony, even with contempt?".
On several occasions, to Sarkozy's proposals, Royal retorted with the remark: "What a pity you didn't do that during your five years in government".
Televised debates have been held between the finalists in every French election since 1974 -- except in 2002 when Jacques Chirac refused to meet far-right leader Jean-Marie Le Pen.
Both the Sarkozy and Royal camps know that their encounter could be crucial in determining the choice of millions of uncommitted voters.
Nearly seven million people chose defeated centrist Francois Bayrou in the first round on April 22, and the second-round campaign has focussed on capturing his electorate.
The debate was watched in screens in cafes and bars across the country -- though there was competition from an important European cup football match.
"Everything she says touches me, it's all true," said David Zeymour, a 43-year-old grocer at a bar in central Paris. "I voted Sarkozy in the first round, but now frankly I've changed my mind. I'm 100-percent behind Segolene. Sarkozy is scary."
"He's staying cool. She's more aggressive, she's trying to block him, but lucky for him he's giving good answers," said Jean-Philippe Girbal, the 35-year-old cafe owner.
The pair have faced each other only once before in a debate. Just before the 1993 legislative elections they had an ill-tempered exchange in a television studio, a clip of which has been circulating on the Internet.
Campaigning for the second round ends on Friday at midnight. On Thursday the two candidates hold their last rallies, Royal in the northern city of Lille and Sarkozy in Montpellier in the south.
The latest opinion poll released by IPSOS on Tuesday gave Sarkozy 53.5 percent of the vote against 46.5 percent for Royal. A total of 87 percent said they had made up their mind.
In the first round, Sarkozy got 31.2 percent of the vote and Royal 25.9 percent. Le Pen got 10.4 percent.
On Tuesday Le Pen urged his 3.8 million voters not to vote for Sarkozy or Royal. Bayrou has not issued an endorsement for either candidate.
Giscard d'Estaing, who took part in two televised debates with Mitterrand in 1974 and 1981, said the head-to-head between Sarkozy and Royal would be the "decisive ... high-point of the campaign".
In the 1974 debate Giscard d'Estaing coined the phrase "You do not have a monopoly on the heart", which was seen as giving him the edge. He went on to win by a very small majority.
FRANCE'S ROYAL ACCUSES SARKOZY OF 'POLITICAL IMMORALITY'
French Socialist Segolene Royal launched a stinging attack on right-winger Nicolas Sarkozy in a crucial presidential debate on Wednesday, accusing him of "political immorality."
Reacting to comments in which Sarkozy called for handicapped children to be guaranteed a place in school, Royal said that he had "reached a pinnacle of political immorality".
Royal accused his governnent of dismantling Socialist education measures on handicapped children, accusing him of exploiting the issue, "with a tear in your eye."
Sarkozy, who remained calm throughout the attack, retorted sharply: "I would never have spoken to you this way" -- to which Royal fired back: "Because I don't lie."
Wrapping up the explosive exchange, Sarkozy said: "I don't question your sincerity, don't question my morality... You lose your temper very easily."
Four days before the election, more than half the country's adult population was estimated to be watching the televised confrontation, seen as crucial to the outcome of the election.
“Very uncalled for and unreasonable comment.”
Maybe you’re right.
Still, is true.
Bump
Sound familiar? Something a little JFnkKish about it, no?
the solution for Royal is to hook up with Bill Clinton and tour the world solving the great problems of the era.
From Boz at French Election 2007:
Debate Debrief
UMP candidate Nicolas Sarkozy and Socialist candidate Segolene Royal debated tonight in their first and final debate before this Sunday’s election runoff. Obviously I cannot summarize a two hour debate right now...I haven’t even watched it. But here’s some quotes for those who didn’t see it.
Sarkozy opened the debate after a random selection. Topics ranged from every domestic problem imaginable to foreign affairs. According to CNN:
Sarkozy often seemed to hold back in the debate, which ran over the scheduled two hours, rarely staring Royal in the eyes and talking instead to the pair of presiding journalists.
As a note, I am leaving sections out of these quotes, and they are not in order.
Royal: “There are democratic forces moving in Turkey which need to be consolidated.”
Sarkozy: “Even if it is a non-religious country, it is in Asia Minor. I will not explain to the French schoolboys that the borders of Europe are with Iraq and Syria. When one makes of Kurdistan a European problem, one will not have advanced things.”
(...)
Sarkozy: “On nuclear power, are you on the side of Mr. Chevènement or on the side of the Greens?”
Royal: “Do you know what is the share of the nuclear power?”
Sarkozy: “We have half of our electricity which is of nuclear origin.”
Royal: “No, 17% only.”
(...)
Royal: “To play with the handicap as you have just done is properly scandalous...One reaches the height of political immorality...It is your government which removed not only the Handiscol plan, which removed the assistance-teachers and who makes that today less than one child out of two who was accomodated five years ago in the school of the Republic are not it today.”
Sarkozy: “There are three times more handicapped children provided education for today than your time, to Madam.”
Royal: “It is not true!”
Sarkozy: “Do not point at me with your finger. To be a president of the Republic, it is necessary to be calm.”
Royal: “When there are injustices, there are healthy angers, there are angers which I will have even when I am a president of the Republic.”
IMO Royal consistently refused to answer the tough questions. She cannot alienate the Greens by saying yes to the Nuclear question, yet she has no alternative solution.
Royal came off like the schoolyard bully, and Sarko like the School principal.
Would you post the link to the English version of the Debate so all those who would like to read it, can read it in English.
"She (Royal) still thinks that you have to share out the work like pieces of a cake. Not a single country in the world accepts this logic, which is a monumental mistake," he said.Productivity (pretty much however it is accomplished) increases wealth and employment. If I were at home, I'd reprise the post about that Royal gaffe on her attitude toward the teacher's union in France.
MORE EXTRACTS FROM THE DEBATE:
ON LOWERING TAXES
SARKOZY:
”We’re the country in Europe with the highest taxes.
“The problem of France is that we’re paying too much tax, that the charges are too high.
“What does that mean? What’s the result of that? It’s not a problem of liberalism. It’s not a problem of ideology. As we are in an open world, if employment is taxed too highly, employment will go. If capital is taxed too highly, capital will go. If there is no more capital, no more work, there is no growth.
“If I am elected president, I want to implement a systematic evaluation of all public policies. You have talked about professional training. You are perfectly right. There are phenomenal productivity gains in this area.”
ROYAL:
“It’s a shame that you haven’t done all that in the past five years. On the evaluation of public policies, it’s the parliament which normally has the means to do that.... For five years, you had all the powers. “There’s a credibility problem, when one could have done certain things over five years and have given a certain place to the opposition in the national assembly. Why didn’t you do it? You are not credible in the conception of the impartial state.
“On tax, my priority will be a cut in taxes on ecology. I want a significant tax reform on all that has a relation to job creation in the environmental domain.”
EMPLOYMENT/35-HOUR WORKING WEEK
SARKOZY: “At root, she is stuck in a Socialist logic of sharing work. There is work time which is to be shared out in a cake and she says nobody will work more than 35 hours, that will force bosses to hire more people.”
“There isn’t a single country, Madame, not a single one, Socialist or not, that has followed the logic of sharing work time, which is a monumental error.”
“The 35 hours have not created jobs and the 35 hours were responsible for something even more serious which is wage restraint, which means our wages are too low. That hurts French people’s purchasing power, and lower purchasing power means less growth.”
ROYAL: “The very precise response on the 35 hour (work week) is that on this subject, as on others, there will be negotiations between social partners, sector by sector.”
“Either they will agree and there will be the 35 hour (week), or they don’t agree and there won’t be a generalization of the 35 hour (week) in the companies concerned.”
HEALTHCARE REFORM
SARKOZY:
“You cannot redistribute (money) between local governments and the state, and you cannot redistribute between the state and health insurance.”
ROYAL:
“Yes I can. If you can’t, how do you want to reach office? I will be able to.”
DEBT
SARKOZY:
“On debt reduction you have suggested no ways to reduce it, which is your absolute right. Relaunching growth is even more interesting. You have suggested no way of relaunching growth.”
“I have one — because you are right, we have to relaunch growth — the problem of France is that there is roughly one percent growth less than in the major democracies and major economies that are making progress in the world.”
“Why? For one reason, Madame Royal, because we work less than the others. How do we get one percentage point more in growth? By respecting work, giving work its value, considering work, giving work its worth.”
ROYAL: “If growth is above 2.5 percent (per year), I fund my presidential pact (election programme) ... and if there is more growth, I pledge that everything that is above 2.5 percent growth will be dedicated to debt repayment.”
CRIME
ROYAL: “In 2002, Mr Sarkozy, you talked about zero tolerance. But today, you can see that the French are very worried about the rise in violence and aggression in French society. The number of violent acts at school has risen by 26 percent.”
“I want to be the president who creates a France where aggression and violence is receding, a France that will win the battle against unemployment and an expensive life, and that will allow to make inequalities decrease.”
SARKOZY: “Am I responsible for a part of the record of the government? Yes, Madame Royal. You spoke of violence. I am responsble. I was interior minister for four years. I found a catastrophic situation which, moreover, went a long way in explaining Madame Royal, the defeat of your friends in the government to which you belonged at the time.
“If in 2002 the French people voted for change, and didn’t even qualify the prime minister that you supported for the second round, there must have been a reason for that. The reason, everyone has understood, was that violence and deliquency had exploded, and it was in those conditions that I was named interior minister.”
Unfortunately this was a Franco-Francais debate...all about domestic issues.
International relations was barely touched upon.
Not even mentioned was relations with the US, the situation in the Middle East, International Islamic terrorism.
Except for Turkey joining the EU. Sarko is against because he is against a Europe with no limits. Tukey is in Asia Minor.
She is for it.
Oh yes, “I have a plan.”
Can a Socialist seriously try to defend such mandates and then claim to have a workaround?
Leftism isn’t a mental illness. It is just codified idiocy.
Can you add the names of any Leftist women executives who are as classy as M. Thatcher?
It is true. The Left is shrill and condescending, because in order to employ their ideology, they have to be arrogant to the point of dismissing all challenges. That’s what totalitarianism is based on.
oh my - Right out of the liberal / Socialist playbook!
Can anyone help with an interpretation?
I swear I have heard this type of statement before...
From reading the excerpts, Sarkozy seemed much more staid and calm wereas Royal was all over the place, and refused to give specifics.
So is nuclear power in France just 17% of the total power generated? That seems to me to be a bit too low a figure.
My friend, what is the unemployment rate in France currently? I should know this.
MORE FROM THE TOCQUEVILLE CONEECTION REPORT ON THE DEBATE:
TEMPERS FRAY IN FRENCH PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE
PARIS, May 2, 2007 (AFP) - Right-winger Nicolas Sarkozy and socialist rival Segolene Royal staged an often bad tempered televised debate Wednesday that could have a crucial effect on France’s presidential vote.
Facing each other across a table, Royal, who trails her rival in opinion polls ahead of Sunday’s runoff vote, launched a volley of attacks on Sarkozy’s record in government and their disagreements repeatedly flared into ill-restrained hostility.
An estimated 20 million viewers were engrossed by the two and half hours of exchanges on the reasons and cures for France’s economic and social problems. But analysts said neither could claim victory.
In the most fiery outburst, Royal charged Sarkozy with “political immorality” after he said that handicapped children should be guaranteed a place in ordinary schools.
“I am scandalised by what I have just heard,” said Royal in outraged tones, accusing Sarkozy’s government of dismantling Socialist Party education measures for the handicapped. “This is the height of political immorality.”
Sarkozy, who remained calm in the attack, retorted with: “I don’t question your sincerity, don’t question my morality ... You lose your temper very easily.”
Earlier Sarkozy repeated a pledge to cut the number of state employees — prompting accusations from Royal that he would endanger public services such as health and education.
Sarkozy said he would ensure full employment in France in five years by “freeing the forces of labour”, and said the 35-hour working week — introduced by the last socialist government — was killing employment.
“She (Royal) still thinks that you have to share out the work like pieces of a cake. Not a single country in the world accepts this logic, which is a monumental mistake,” he said.
Royal countered with a promise to create 500,000 youth jobs, funded from existing training and unemployment budgets. She questioned Sarkozy’s citation of an economic think-tank that said his programme would benefit the economy more than Royal’s.
This prompted Sarkozy to ask: “Why do you treat anyone who is not of your opinion with irony, even with contempt?”.
On several occasions, to Sarkozy’s proposals, Royal retorted with the remark: “What a pity you didn’t do that during your five years in government”.
Asked at the end to comment on each other, Sarkozy said, “I have much respect for her. We have a lot of differences, but I hope here we have given an image of a renewed democracy, at ease with itself. I hold no personal animosity.”
Royal said she would “refrain from personal remarks”, preferring to concentrate on the clash of ideas.
The encounter could be decisive in determining the choice of millions of uncommitted voters on Sunday. Nearly seven million people chose defeated centrist Francois Bayrou in the first round on April 22, and the second-round campaign has focussed on capturing his electorate.
Analysts said neither candidate had scored a decisive victory.
“There were two winners — with perhaps a slight advantage to Sarkozy. Neither fell into the trap prepared by the other. Sarkozy did not lose his temper and Royal did not come across as light-weight or incompetent,” said Christophe Barbier, editor of l’Express magazine.
Former Socialist minister Jack Lang said “Segolene Royal was breathtaking from start to finish. With real panache, she constantly set the agenda. She obviously appeared as the president of France.”
But Jacques Myard, a deputy from Sarkozy’s ruling UMP party, said Royal “was in a state of near-permanent aggressivity. Opposite her, Nicolas Sarkozy was convincing, able to calmly spell out his arguments without sounding like he was reading from a book.”
Campaigning for the second round ends on Friday at midnight. On Thursday the two candidates hold their last rallies, Royal in the northern city of Lille and Sarkozy in Montpellier in the south.
The latest opinion poll released by IPSOS on Tuesday gave Sarkozy 53.5 percent of the vote against 46.5 percent for Royal. A total of 87 percent said they had made up their mind.
In the first round, Sarkozy got 31.2 percent of the vote and Royal 25.9 percent. Le Pen got 10.4 percent.
On Tuesday Le Pen urged his 3.8 million voters not to vote for Sarkozy or Royal. Bayrou has not issued an endorsement for either candidate.
I guess Jack Lang, a former actor turned politician and Socialist lackey either didn’t watch the same debate everyone else did, or else is smoking something funny.
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