Thread: France turns right again. A glimmer of hope?

Sako's might be on the way back with a hard right wing party close behind.

The socialists (as usual) could not deliver and they are now at about 20% of the vote.

Former President Nicolas Sarkozy's conservative UMP party and their allies won the first round of French local elections on Sunday, denying Marine Le Pen's far-right National Front (FN) first place.

The result is an unaccustomed setback for Le Pen, who hoped her resurgent anti-immigrant, anti-euro party would emerge in the first round, boosting her goal of being a serious contender in the 2017 presidential election.

According to official partial results that tallied with exit polls, the UMP and its allies together secured around 30 percent of the national vote, ahead of the anti-immigrant, anti-euro FN on around 26, about 0.5 percentage points above its European elections showing last year.

Pre-election polls had the right and hard-right groupings neck and neck.

"The National Front has done 10 points better than it did in the 2011 local elections but its progress has stalled. It seems to have reached a ceiling," said Bernard Sananes, head of the polling organization CSA on BFMTV.

As expected, President Francois Hollande's ruling Socialists came third with around 21 percent of the vote, underlining their unpopularity after failed promises to bring unemployment down from current levels around 10 percent.

Just goes to show how fickle voter are. Why they ever elected that clown Hollande is beyond me......a serious weakness in democracy this whole voting business....

French are proud, they know their way of life is the best. Unfortunately for them, it is not. Many French I know are great and not socialist at all but majority are - well, they elected Hollande. Northern europeans must be preparing to pay for France and Belgium and assorted other nasties when those countries crash and burn. Super Corruption Mario will say what he always says. We will defend europe to the last penny of the last taxpayer.

Originally Posted by koman

. Why they ever elected that clown Hollande is beyond me

Might benefit to join the party - crank up the imperial machine again.

Originally Posted by Exit Strategy

they elected Hollande

If Hollande is a Socialist, then Lenin was a Nazi. He's certainly more of a warmongerer than Lenin was- does he have a small penis?

Exactly what 'glimmer of hope' did turning right give the US people? Futile, losing & expensive wars, the GFC, and declining conditions of living and employment for the average person. If that's 'hope', then WW2 was a boy scouts picnic, and the good guys lost.

Originally Posted by sabang

If Hollande is a Socialist, then Lenin was a Nazi. He's certainly more of a warmongerer than Lenin was

Lenin wasn't a warmonger, Stalin was, as far as I know.

Hollande is typical euro politician, clueless bastard, wages little war in Africa to boost his popularity at home. Silly bugger runs on (this is president of nation that was important once upon a time) back of motorbike either escaping from his mistress or just too hungry for some baguette. Unbelievable. Incidentally, France could only handle this Mali situation with UK and US air support but naturally French took all the credit as they always do.

Glimmer of hope, nope.
The young people in England think this is normal, and they only fight in them is to hate those old fogey,s who think UKIP are cool.

Originally Posted by koman

...
Just goes to show how fickle voter are. Why they ever elected that clown Hollande is beyond me......a serious weakness in democracy this whole voting business....

Just look at the alternatives...


Thank goodness voting is still in fashion, you'll have to wait a bit longer for your fav dictatorship to be on the menu, or time-travel back to 1930s Germany perhaps?

Originally Posted by stroller

Thank goodness voting is still in fashion, you'll have to wait a bit longer for your fav dictatorship to be on the menu, or time-travel back to 1930s Germany perhaps?

Well said, unfortunately some people are not allowed to vote.

Originally Posted by koman

Why they ever elected that clown Hollande is beyond me......

Demand and supply

Strauss Kahn was busy making a fool of himself in New York, so Hollande ran against the little clown

France cannot have another round of Sarkosy

He is a dillettante

watched Robert Peston do a programme on welfare in France.
unbelievable the benefits they can claim for.
must be the best in Europe.
if ole Czarcosy gets in
the french could be in for a big shock.
their riot police are gonna be busy busy.

Originally Posted by stroller

Thank goodness voting is still in fashion, you'll have to wait a bit longer for your fav dictatorship to be on the menu, or time-travel back to 1930s Germany perhaps?

I do believe that Adolph and friends where elected to office by the good people of Germany... Not sure if most of them knew what they were in for either....

Like it or not, the prospect of another Sarko regime seems very likely. Unemployment is very high, debt is out of control, and the poor Frogs are just plain disgruntled.... This is why we keep having elections...

Originally Posted by koman

I do believe that Adolph and friends where elected to office by the good people of Germany...

Wrong.
It's "Adolf", btw.

Like it or not, the prospect of another Sarko regime seems very likely. Unemployment is very high, debt is out of control, and the poor Frogs are just plain disgruntled.... This is why we keep having elections...

So, a "Sarko regime" would now have the answers it didn't have before, and deliver what Hollande couldn't, or would it just be same-same but different?

French local elections: Exit polls suggest conservative win

France's conservative UMP Party and its allies appear to have come first in the final round of departmental elections.

The UMP, led by former President Nicolas Sarkozy, appeared set to secure at least 65 local councils, exit polls suggested, up from 41.

Marine Le Pen's far-right National Front also appeared to have made gains, while the ruling Socialists and their allies may lose about 30 departments.

These elections are seen as a test case ahead of 2017's presidential election.

Paris and Lyon, France's two biggest cities, were excluded from Sunday's election.

The National Front appeared to have won a significant number of seats in Sunday's second round of elections, but did not appear to have gained control of any councils, the exit polls said.

Nonetheless, leader Marine Le Pen hailed a "historic" day for the FN, saying: "I thank all our voters for this magnificent success."

"The goal is near, reaching power and applying our ideas to redress France."

French Prime Minister Manual Valls admitted it was "incontestable" that the Socialist Party had lost ground.

"The French have declared... their anger at a daily life that is too difficult," he said. He vowed to redouble efforts to boost the economy, and said his focus was "jobs, jobs, jobs".

He added that the rise in the National Front's popularity was "a sign of a lasting upheaval of our political landscape and we will all need to draw lessons from it".

'Repudiation to Socialists'

Mr Sarkozy said voters had "massively rejected" the policies of his successor as president, Francois Hollande.

"Never has our political family won so many councils," he told supporters. "The repudiation of those in power is without question."

Mr Hollande has suffered from slumping personal ratings, boosted only briefly by his response to January's terror attacks in Paris.

One presidential adviser told AFP: "Everyone is scared they will be eliminated in the first round in 2017."

Bastions of the Socialists like the Nord department around Lille have swung to the right, as has President Hollande's own fiefdom of the Correze in central France, the BBC's Hugh Schofield in Paris reports.

However, as ever in France's two-round elections, voters from left and right united in round two to keep the National Front from power, our correspondents adds.

Turnout on Sunday was 41.94% at 17:00 (15:00 GMT), three hours before polls closed. Surveys suggested about 50% of those eligible took part in the polls, Le Monde reported.

Voters have been electing representatives in 101 departments, or counties, in the two rounds of the local elections. The departments are charged with issues like schools and welfare.

French local elections: Exit polls suggest conservative win - BBC News

Originally Posted by Exit Strategy

French are proud, they know their way of life is the best. Unfortunately for them, it is not.

It's not? Pray tell why this is so as most non-French would - and do - prfer the French way of life/quality if life to their own.

Why not do a simple check on how many Brits moved to/live in France compared to the other way around

Originally Posted by Exit Strategy

Well said, unfortunately some people are not allowed to vote.

Who are these unfortunate ones?

Originally Posted by stroller

So, a "Sarko regime" would now have the answers it didn't have before, and deliver what Hollande couldn't, or would it just be same-same but different?

Well, yes. Clearly . . . logical, really . . . as long as it is right, it is right . . . according to some