French Election

**barbaro** · 07-05-2007, 02:13 AM

BREAKING NEWS
MSNBC News Services
Updated: 11:10 a.m. PT May 6, 2007

PARIS - French voters chose Nicolas Sarkozy as their new president on Sunday, giving the conservative a comfortable margin for victory and a mandate for change, result projections from four polling agencies showed. His Socialist opponent conceded minutes after polls closed.

The agencies said the conservative won 53 percent of the vote amid massive turnout, dashing Socialist Segolene Royal's hopes of being elected France's first woman president. The projections were based on vote counts from representative samples of hundreds of polling stations across the country.
"Universal suffrage has spoken.....

Entire: Nicolas Sarkozy elected French president - Europe - MSNBC.com

Thoughts? Opinions?

Symoblic? Or, not?

Over to you.....

**Mr Earl** · 07-05-2007, 08:14 AM

I watched the coverage live on the BBC, quite good really.
I was impressed with the gracious manner in which Segolene Royal conceded defeat. She could have whipped up a real shitstorm if she'd wanted. (Al Gore supporters take note!)

What was also very interesting were the election tallies from the French absentee voters around the world.
In Canada Royal got a whopping 78%
In Florida a measly 38%

Sarkozy claims to be much more pro-american than Chirac. It will be interesting to see how that plays.

I think it is a symbolic shift in geopolitical views.

No one yet really has the balls to agree with the USA right now but German and French elections have elected much more conservative leaders now.

**Butterfly** · 07-05-2007, 09:00 AM

Well the good news for me is that I personally know the guy so maybe I will be invited to the Elysee Palace when coming for summer

The bad news is I fear the guy doesn't have the skills to be a president, he is known for his temper and some of his ideas are not right.

Despite being a friend of my family, I will have voted against him.

I didn't vote.

**Butterfly** · 07-05-2007, 09:06 AM

Originally Posted by Mr Earl

Sarkozy claims to be much more pro-american than Chirac. It will be interesting to see how that plays.

The current attitude against the US will stand as continuation of a former foreigner policy. Once Bush is gone, I will expect a lot of diplomatic problems to be resolved magically.

**Mr Earl** · 07-05-2007, 09:21 AM

^so now you're a flaming frenchman!!!???

**Butterfly** · 07-05-2007, 09:28 AM

^ actually I think he is a facist, and being from Poland doesn't help. He is going to cause a lot of unrest. He is the GW Bush of France. This should get interesting.

**Wallace** · 07-05-2007, 10:15 AM

Isn't he from Hungary?

**Butterfly** · 07-05-2007, 11:07 AM

^ correct, my bad, always confusing the two.

**Marmite the Dog** · 07-05-2007, 11:10 AM

I think he'll be good for France as it looks like he's going to try and drag them away from their archaic socialist structure, especially with regard to the lazy French workforce.

I would've voted Royal if I had the choice, as I think she would've been crap a la Chirac.

**Butterfly** · 07-05-2007, 11:12 AM

Originally Posted by Marmite the Dog

I think he'll be good for France as it looks like he's going to try and drag them away from their archaic socialist structure, especially with regard to the lazy French workforce.

The French have the highest productivity in the world: they can do in 2 hours, what a sepp or rosbeef would take all day, hence they can enjoy the rest of the day at the cafe

**Marmite the Dog** · 07-05-2007, 11:26 AM

Originally Posted by Butterfly

Originally Posted by Marmite the Dog

I think he'll be good for France as it looks like he's going to try and drag them away from their archaic socialist structure, especially with regard to the lazy French workforce.

The French have the highest productivity in the world: they can do in 2 hours, what a sepp or rosbeef would take all day, hence they can enjoy the rest of the day at the cafe

LoL!!

**lom** · 07-05-2007, 11:50 AM

Originally Posted by Butterfly

The French have the highest productivity in the world: they can do in 2 hours, what a sepp or rosbeef would take all day, hence they can enjoy the rest of the day at the cafe

And, should they be asked to work more than 2 hours, then they will issue a strike paralyzing the country for weeks

**Butterfly** · 07-05-2007, 12:17 PM

Originally Posted by lom

And, should they be asked to work more than 2 hours, then they will issue a strike paralyzing the country for weeks

you got it, real democracy at work

**Butterfly** · 07-05-2007, 12:22 PM

actually the German are second to the French for productivity

We have learn well from our best partner

**Boon Mee** · 07-05-2007, 12:26 PM

^
Old Europe does not produce anymore and hasn't for a long time.
Tell us about the Airbus Industry for example?

**Butterfly** · 07-05-2007, 12:30 PM

Originally Posted by Boon Mee

Tell us about the Airbus Industry for example

if it wasn't for the low dollar, Boeing would be in Chapter 11

**Boon Mee** · 07-05-2007, 12:56 PM

If it wasn't for the failed leftist/progressive/socialist policies of Chriac, Royal would have won but, it appears some modicum of common sense has prevailed in Frogland...for a change.

**Boon Mee** · 07-05-2007, 02:07 PM

And, instead of referring to the French as those cheese-eating surrender monkeys we can pass the olive branch by calling Freedom Fries, Friendship Fries?

**Mr Earl** · 07-05-2007, 02:10 PM

Originally Posted by Butterfly

Originally Posted by Boon Mee

Tell us about the Airbus Industry for example

if it wasn't for the low dollar, Boeing would be in Chapter 11

Warning genius economist hard a work!

So what are you Buttflyer? A French citizen?

**raycarey** · 07-05-2007, 09:08 PM

since the early nineties, boeing has received tens of billions of dollars in subsidies from the US govt.

US-BOEING: EUROPEAN UNION TAKES UNITED STATES TO THE WTO OVER SUBSIDIES GRANTED TO BOEING

**Boon Mee** · 07-05-2007, 09:14 PM

^
And your point?

**Boon Mee** · 07-05-2007, 10:30 PM

Best comment I've seen yet on France's 'lurch to the right':

Michael van der Galien puts it rather succinctly:

Socialism has had its day; socialism has brought moral decline, high unemployment rates, weak, unstable economies, huge governments, regulation in just about every area of one’s life; it has caused something called personal responsibility to disappear; it has brought moral relativism; it has learned us that we cannot be proud of our respective country; it has made large groups of people unnecessarily dependent on the government; it has forced us to accept the failed concept of multiculturalism; it has taught us (I mean Europeans in general with that) that whatever you do, you have to be politically correct; it has created an environment in which one is not allowed to name problems, let alone deal with them; it has taught us that criminals are not to blame for their crimes, society as a whole is and that they, therefore, should be coddled instead of punished… oef, the list goes on and on. Socialism has weakened France, and Europe as a whole; it is time to get rid of it.

Amen to that...

p.s. the link is down at the moment - apologies...

**barbaro** · 07-05-2007, 11:00 PM

^ You don't hear much good economic news from France these days. And there is the problem of the immigrant communities in the burbs.

High unemployment, youth unable to find quality work, if any work. Expensive state entitlement programs.

I'm not expert, but I don't think France has a choice. They have to significantly reduce the welfare state.

One article on the recent protests as the result of the election:

Link: Sarkozy's election victory marred by riots | the Daily Mail

**raycarey** · 08-05-2007, 12:08 AM

Originally Posted by Boon Mee

And your point?

it's not my responsibility to hold your hand so that you can follow the thread...or remind you of what you already posted....but the point is that if boeing didn't receive those tens of billions in US subsidies, it would be out of business....thus relating directly to your comment....

Originally Posted by Boon Mee

Old Europe does not produce anymore and hasn't for a long time. Tell us about the Airbus Industry for example?

i think we need a 'seniors league' for this forum. some of the old timers are having trouble keeping up.

**RDN** · 08-05-2007, 12:38 AM

Originally Posted by Butterfly

^ actually I think he is a facist, and being from Poland doesn't help. He is going to cause a lot of unrest. He is the GW Bush of France. This should get interesting.

Yes, there'll be rioting in the streets, you mark my words.

Oh-oh, already happened.

Thread: French Election

Thread Tools

Display

French Election

Thread Information

Users Browsing this Thread

Posting Permissions