NormanH Posted April 9, 2012 Author Share Posted April 9, 2012 http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/french-election-blog-2012/2012/apr/08/body-language-french-election-candidates Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard51 Posted April 9, 2012 Share Posted April 9, 2012 [quote user="Cerise"] Here in the SW there has always been a largish NF following but the endemic racism seems to be getting worse and worse. Yesterday in my stint at the library I sat through and anti-immigrant rant by several of the good ladies of our village and when I tried to protest was given to understand that it was the likes of me and my wishy washy anglo saxon ideas that was causing the country to fall apart. I was informed that the majority of immigrants were such that they could NEVER be assimilated. The violence and unpleasantness of it by a bunch of middle aged middle class elderly ladies really took me aback![/quote]I've recently heard similar, Cerise - viz why don't the immigrants (in this case Brits) sod off back to the UK and buy a house in Wales instead. That they are all here to avoid NHS waiting lists, they push up house prices, trade only with English, don't learn the language, don't pay taxes but are a drain on the French, don't mix other than a "'Bonjour' and a stupid grin'".... It was pretty vitriolic stuff. The swing to the extreme right across Western Europe is pretty worrying - and I think France is no exception - particularly as the economic climate worsens and people look for scape goats....Mrs R51 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Debra Posted April 11, 2012 Share Posted April 11, 2012 The attitude is reflected in the college my children go to too. They have been getting 'rosbifs go home to your filthy country of poo' (latter word being the polite version) comments in the playground, along with comments about the British not paying taxes - the sort of stuff they must have overheard their parents saying. Doesn't exactly make us feel at home and I must admit I've contemplated following their instructions and reverting my current home to a holiday home if I can't sell it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pachapapa Posted April 11, 2012 Share Posted April 11, 2012 [quote user="Debra"]The attitude is reflected in the college my children go to too. They have been getting 'rosbifs go home to your filthy country of poo' (latter word being the polite version) comments in the playground, along with comments about the British not paying taxes - the sort of stuff they must have overheard their parents saying. Doesn't exactly make us feel at home and I must admit I've contemplated following their instructions and reverting my current home to a holiday home if I can't sell it.[/quote]Makes sense, marine is top of the pops amongst younger voters, just following a bit of peer leadership.http://www.lemonde.fr/election-presidentielle-2012/article/2012/04/09/marine-le-pen-pourrait-arriver-en-tete-chez-les-jeunes_1682543_1471069.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NormanH Posted April 11, 2012 Author Share Posted April 11, 2012 There is extreme volatility in those results, and the two candidates with the most 'dramatic' and least nuanced presentations (possibly because they don't expect to have to put their manifestos into action) are the ones predictably who appeal to the young Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woolybanana Posted April 11, 2012 Share Posted April 11, 2012 Yes, Norman, you are right, I think. The young seem to be looking for simplistic answers to complex questions and seem to fall for the demagogues or should I say big gobs?By the way, have you noticed how Hollande has copied the gestures of Mitterand as well as the linguistic tricks? Pity he can't be his own man. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NormanH Posted April 11, 2012 Author Share Posted April 11, 2012 The last thing France needs is another Mitterand, or another de Gaulle for that matter.Although not on his side of the fence politically I had hoped the Sarkozy might make inroads into the endemic problem of French bureaucracy but he has just gone for feathering the nests of his close friends.There has to be a balance between 'souhaitable' and 'réaliste'.Unfortunately neither of the main candidates seem able to tick both of those boxes..[:(] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mint Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 [quote user="Debra"]The attitude is reflected in the college my children go to too. They have been getting 'rosbifs go home to your filthy country of poo' (latter word being the polite version) comments in the playground, along with comments about the British not paying taxes - the sort of stuff they must have overheard their parents saying. Doesn't exactly make us feel at home and I must admit I've contemplated following their instructions and reverting my current home to a holiday home if I can't sell it.[/quote]If Sarko gets his way, he will hold a referendum on immigration and the question will be put in such a way that the result will be totally predictable and there will be no need to guess the "potential impact on British residents" as posed by the title of this thread. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mint Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 Sorry, double post. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gardian Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 Just a question, which although hardly at the top of anybody's list of important issues, was raised by my neighbour the other day. (Forgive me btw if this has been covered in any of the manifesto threads above.)He said to me that Hollande has said that "foreigners would be allowed to vote in mayoral elections". I told him that this was nothing new - we could and have done so already. We're excluded from all other elections.He gave me that 'you-may-right-but-I-don't-think-so-but-then-again-even-though-you're-anglais-you're-not-always-as-daft-as-I-thought-you-should-be' look.Did my neighbour misunderstand and that the proposal is to allow residents but non-citizens to vote in all elections? As a French taxpayer, it sounds reasonable to me. Wouldn't a French national living and working in the UK and registered on the Electoral Roll have a vote in any national or local election in the UK? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NormanH Posted April 13, 2012 Author Share Posted April 13, 2012 You forget that 'les étrangers' means people such as North Africans and other non-Europeans to a certain sort of casually racist French person.At the moment Members of EU countries have reciprocal vote in each other's elections (which means that we can vote in elections for which there is an equivalent in the UK, apart from National ones, but not for those such as regional or cantonal which don't exist in Britain).On the other hand all the non-Europeans that you see around have no vote at all unless they have taken French nationality, even though they might well work, pay local taxes, côtisations etc.The proposal is allow these 'foreigners' a vote in local elections. It wouldn't change anything for EU nationals, but could be seen as fair to these taxpayers. On the other hand the FN is up in arms, warning of an Islamic catastrophe if this measure were to be passed. This might be what your neighbour was thinking of.I imagine that the voting restrictions might also apply to North Americans and Commonwealth residents. If Lori is still reading and posting here she could tell us what the situation about voting in local elections is for Americans. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NormanH Posted April 14, 2012 Author Share Posted April 14, 2012 Friday's Le Figaro carried an article about the Tax implications of the manifestos of Hollande and Sarkozy:http://elections.lefigaro.fr/presidentielle-2012/2012/04/12/01039-20120412ARTFIG00740-impots-ce-qui-nous-attend.phpA highly critical (as you would expect from this source) article in the Economist:http://www.economist.com/node/21552219 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gardian Posted April 14, 2012 Share Posted April 14, 2012 [quote user="NormanH"]The proposal is allow these 'foreigners' a vote in local elections. It wouldn't change anything for EU nationals, but could be seen as fair to these taxpayers. On the other hand the FN is up in arms, warning of an Islamic catastrophe if this measure were to be passed. This might be what your neighbour was thinking of.[/quote]Norman ...........Almost certainly what Michel was referring to. We're 'Anglais', but not quite as foreign as some others. The 'others' cover just about everybody else, including non-EU's, Belges, Hollandais & Parisiens!!! I'll put him right tomorrow. He still won't (quite) believe me.[blink] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NormanH Posted April 15, 2012 Author Share Posted April 15, 2012 Certainly not my personal favourite, Nicolas Dupont-Aignan attacks the journalists who are covering the campaign, asking them how much they earn (which of course they refuse to say[:)])http://blogs.rue89.com/yeti-voyageur/2012/04/15/tribune-dupont-aignan-le-candidat-qui-moucha-grave-le-microcosme-ebahi-0 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NormanH Posted April 17, 2012 Author Share Posted April 17, 2012 A bit of light relief: Sarkozy's campaign as a 'rap' http://canalstreet.canalplus.fr/humour/le-boucan-du-jour/le-clip-de-campagne-de-nicolas-sarkozy-en-exclusivite Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pachapapa Posted April 17, 2012 Share Posted April 17, 2012 [quote user="NormanH"]A bit of light relief: Sarkozy's campaign as a 'rap' http://canalstreet.canalplus.fr/humour/le-boucan-du-jour/le-clip-de-campagne-de-nicolas-sarkozy-en-exclusivite[/quote]He'll need more than rap.http://cache.20minutes.fr/img/photos/20mn/2012-04/2012-04-17/article_course-ok.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now