SR

[Gardian]

There was a short piece about Marie-Segolene Royal at the tail-end of tonight's BBC1 10 o'clock News.

Apparently, she's 53 and they showed a 5 sec clip of her when she was working with Mitterand, probably 10 yrs or more ago. Looked pretty dour then.  Prompted me to dig out Saturday's Midi-Libre which showed her doing some kind of politicking down here last week. 

Bit different now!   Face-lift, or what?!!! 

MCP du Gard

 

[The Riff-Raff Element]

Why does anyone care what she looks like? Can she do the job?

I think her attempt to secure the nomination will be scuppered by the

more traditional wing of her party (ie, the male bit) and the obsession

the media seem to have with how she looks and what she wears is doing

everyting to help ensure that they succeed. What I find more depressing

is that female commentators seem to be as happy to colude in this as

males....

[yorky]

Probably not. This is a woman, and of the socialist persuasion to boot. Perhaps Sarko is the better choice after all he has made a few little squeaks about modernisation.

Yorky

[Miki]

Not so sure Jon, the more I see and read about her chances to lead the Socialists, the more I think she may just be their choice. She has close on 50% support, so as it stands at the moment, she is almost there but................

Yorky, she is of a different party to Sarkozy and I think Jon is saying

that she may not get the position within the socialists to challenge

anyway. Whether she will beat Sarkozy is another matter. The election

here will be quite an interesting time, for sure !

Much more fun than the Blair, Brown and you can call me Dave stuff ! And more "local"  as well..................[;-)]

[SaligoBay]

I was going to ask you all.   Who's your money on for next president?

NOT who you would vote for!

I think mine's on Sarko.  If he wins it will be for purely superficial reasons, but isn't that what politics is about?  Got to look good and all that.   Thatcher knew it, Blair knew it, Ségo is learning it.

Sarko is a consummate professional.  What you see is a man of action, he's everywhere, he's busy, finger on the pulse, gives the impression that he's actually doing something.   You don't have to be an avid follower of the news to feel that you have been Sarko'd. 

Ségo, OTOH, gets talked about a lot, but I don't see her out there getting her hands dirty.   I don't want to hear vague, meaningless things like "action sociale", I don't want or need to know that she has 5 children, I'd like to know (without major research) what she is actually going to do.  I haven't been Ségo'd yet.

I warned you it was superficial!  [:)]   But that's the level of most people's politics, really.  Yes, even in France! 

Here are the candidates http://www.lapresidentielle.info/candidats/?candidats   Georges Fernandez is the obvious choice, don't you think?   

[Will]

I never realised there were so many potential candidates - I knew there were a lot, but SB's list shows 72 actual and possible candidates. I agree, I thnk it has to be Sarko. Not because I have any desire for him to win, but I can't really imagine any of the others being finally elected. I suppose one good thing about him is that he might take some of the far right support from the last election, so we could see a more realistic contest. I can't imagine he will get a lot of backing in our commune (a lot of whom were FN last time), but then with only about 50 voters he won't be too bothered.

[The Riff-Raff Element]

[quote user="Miki"]Not so sure Jon, the more I see and read about her chances to lead the Socialists, the more I think she may just be their choice. She has close on 50% support, so as it stands at the moment, she is almost there but................

Yorky, she is of a different party to Sarkozy and I think Jon is saying

that she may not get the position within the socialists to challenge

anyway. Whether she will beat Sarkozy is another matter. The election

here will be quite an interesting time, for sure !

Much more fun than the Blair, Brown and you can call me Dave stuff ! And more "local"  as well..................[;-)]

[/quote]

If the PS have an ounce of sense, they will put her forward, I agree.

But there are a lot of bruised male egos in the PS at the moment due to

her rapid rise, and we know how silly things can in those circs.

She is the only candidate in my view who has a prayer against Sarko (always assuming he

gets the nomination). If it comes to a straight fight between Sarko and

Royal I think it will be close, but as things stand I think the winner

will be the Hungarian. Mind you, I've been wrong before . Kinnock in

'92 for example. I was living in Holland at the time and watched on

Dutch TV. Laugh? They almost wet themselves. I had to go into work the

next day and defend British sanity. A tough task at the best of times,

but in the face of such compelling evidence to the contrary.....

[Alexis]

Jospin did Ségo a power of good the other day when he implied women weren't as good as men...

Wonderfull.

Then we had the dirty tricks with the papers publishing that her brother had blown up The Rainbow Warrior.  I can't be doing with her.  She ought to get herself married and be like us common lot.  Sinner!

I think Sarky is more use in the street so to speak.  What good does a President do? Apart from Jacques, of course, who is a wonderfull man.  Sarky would be better toughening the laws and sorting out the delinquents.

Apart from that, I couldn't care less.

[SC]

"I think the winner will be the Hungarian"

18 months or so ago I read that the French wouldn't elect a foreigner as president. For a few days I asked all the locals that I came across what they thought of him, and almost to a man/woman their first words were "he's not French".

Steve

[SaligoBay]

His name may be Nicolas Paul Stéphane Sárközy de Nagy-Bócsa, but he was born in Paris, and he is French.

I don't know anyone who likes him, but they dislike him because of his policies, not his ancestry.

[Miki]

Well been online to see what my Bookie will offer and it is Even money Sarkozy and 2-1 Mme Royale but what do they know [;-)]

The money is pouring in for Hilary Clinton, to not only lead the

Democrats but to also go on to win the next Presidential election.

Around 7/4 being best price.

So at the moment, I think I may just have a little flutter on the two Ladies to lead their respective countries [:)]

[Nick Trollope]

[quote user="yorky"]

Probably not. This is a woman,

[/quote]

'nuff said....

[Nick Trollope]

[quote user="Miki"]Well been online to see what my Bookie will offer and it is Even money Sarkozy and 2-1 Mme Royale but what do they know [;-)]

The money is pouring in for Hilary Clinton, to not only lead the Democrats but to also go on to win the next Presidential election. Around 7/4 being best price.

So at the moment, I think I may just have a little flutter on the two Ladies to lead their respective countries [:)]

[/quote]

Which are about the same odds on you getting arrested the next time you set foot on US soil, for placing the bet on line.

 

 

[Miki]

Are you sure about the good ole U.S of A ? I had 2 winners online on

Breeders day last year, will that make it worse, mind you I had 3

losers as well !! [:)] If they think I am getting a plane all the

way over there to put on a wee bet, they gotta be joking !

Funny really, they can bomb the crap out of countries but place a bet online and.............

I read the other week that it is supposed to be illegal in France, as

the state (in the guise of the PMU) has a monopoly on that type of

betting, strange rules abound I reckon.................[:(]

[Alexis]

It is illigal in France.  There was a big hu-ha earlier this week.  (Can you tell I didn't really take any notice?)

Ségoléne Royale was not born in France.  Was it the Gambia or Cameroon?  Anyway, she was there earlier this week.  Another story I didn't listen to...

I'm hopeless.

[The Riff-Raff Element]

Giscard was born in Germany (Koblentz) and that never stopped him. Léon

Blum was Jewish and still got elected. Patrice MacMahon was Irish in

the same way that Sarko is Hungarian. A whiff of "foreign" is not

always a bar to to the highest office in France, it would seem.

[SC]

[quote user="SaligoBay"]

His name may be Nicolas Paul Stéphane Sárközy de Nagy-Bócsa, but he was born in Paris, and he is French.

I don't know anyone who likes him, but they dislike him because of his policies, not his ancestry.

[/quote]

I didn't say they disliked him (because he was seen as foreign), I was repeating what I had read and found that my French aquaintances had the same view. I sounded them out because I thought that the writer who was British, was peceptive regarding ordinary French peoples' train of thought, that they often start with the pejoritive peculiarity when describing someone. Likewise, I think that SR is seen as completely French regardless of being born in Senegal. Perhaps it's the parents that set the scene, or more than likely, the father.

Personally, I hope he or someone from his party gets in, the socialists here scare me silly.

Steve

[SaligoBay]

[quote user="Sc"] the socialists here scare me silly. [/quote]

Why's that, Steve?

 

[Miki]

Yes, I am rather curious about that as well. I have been ruled

by a few governements here, of either ilk and to be honest, unless I

really look hard.... I can't see the join (who said that

........?.....[:)] )  I do think we get better scandals with the

Republicans though, or in Sarkoy's case the UMP (Republican !!) [:D]

[The Riff-Raff Element]

[quote user="Miki"] I do think we get better scandals with the

Republicans though, or in Sarkoy's case the UMP (Republican !!) [:D]

[/quote]

Generally, yes, though Mitterand's surprise daughter was quite a goodie.

From the standpoint of my day-to-day life, I agree that it really does

not not matter too much who is in charge here. Change in France is slow

and steady, so neither of them (Royal and Sarko) are going to set the

world on fire. We just have to hope that whoever gets the poisoned

chalice is halfway competent. Objectively, they both look OK on that

score.

[Miki]

Ah but Jon,

Sarkozy is very bolshy indeed in the way he says that France will be

taken forward regardless of what people believe is right or wrong.

I  definitely agree it needs something done but the way he

intimates he will force through changes to benefit France's

commerce,  along with jobs is reminiscent  of many leaders

before.....[;-)] and that's without his severe propositions to counter violence

!!

[SaligoBay]

Oh Miki, you've done it now.   The thought of being severely propositioned by Sarko has spoiled my whole day.   I feel all sort of trembly.

[The Riff-Raff Element]

[quote user="Miki"]Ah but Jon,

Sarkozy is very bolshy indeed in the way he says that France will be

taken forward regardless of what people believe is right or wrong.

I  definitely agree it needs something done but the way he

intimates he will force through changes to benefit France's

commerce,  along with jobs is reminiscent  of many leaders

before.....[;-)] and that's without his severe propositions to counter violence

!!

[/quote]

He's still young and enthusiastic. He'll learn. [:D]

He talks a tough talk, but at the end of it...as Interior Minister, he

could have instructed police involved in the riots last year to return

fire when they were shot at. That's what John Wayne would have done

(and, and I am sorry to make such a sweeping generalisation but it is

hard to imagine otherwise, most American politicos would too -

"lawlessness must be countered with a firm hand to protect the vital

interests of international capital - oooppps - the wellbeing of the law

abiding citizen" and no-one would have batted an eyelid over there).

But (wisely) he didn't.

He can jump up and down a judges' reticence to hand down sentences of

twenty years hard labour on dry bread and water to anyone caught in possession of a petrol

bomb, but I think that is just a bit of staging to keep the Foaming Right

onboard. No politician has successfully countered the unwritten Right to

Riot that is so important to the French way of life.

So, deep down  I think that he understands the rules. If he

doesn't, it will be interesting to watch what the populace do him.

Of course, I can only pretend to understand the stinking cesspit that is the political mind, so I am probably yards wide of the mark.

[Miki]

[quote user="SaligoBay"]Oh Miki, you've done it now.   The

thought of being severely propositioned by Sarko has spoiled my whole

day.   I feel all sort of trembly.[/quote]

If I get the same proposition from Mme Royal, I shall go all a tremble

meself....I simply cannot get that bikini out of my

mind.............sad but true [:)]  Anyone else trembling about l'un

or l'autre ? [;-)]

[Miki]

[quote]

Of course, I can only pretend to understand the stinking cesspit that is the political mind, so I am probably yards wide of the mark.

[/quote]

A mere few millimetres at most Jon [;-)]

Mais merci dieu, there are some with good in their hearts, sadly they

are normally the new entrants ('97 Blaires Babes for instance) and as

time goes on, the mature politicians put them "wise" and thus the cycle

perpetuates....................

I am looking forward to the political posturing and the "I'm the bestern for la Belle France" speeches, I just love to sit and boo the TV, it upsets the cat terribly......................