The Presidential campaign is getting distinctly dirty

[NormanH]

After all the DSK business, now someone has started rumours about Martine Aubry, saying that she is alcoholic, suffering from a brain tumour, and that her husband is an 'islamist' because as an avocat he once defended a girl wearing a headscarf.

She is fighting back

http://www.leparisien.fr/election-presidentielle-2012/rumeurs-sur-aubry-visee-la-droite-denonce-une-campagne-de-victimisation-10-07-2011-1527754.php

[woolybanana]

Yes, I noticed that too, Norman. And I am afraid that we cannot lay all the blame in any one quarter as I imagine there are several potential candidates capable of trying to dish dirt.

[Chancer]

I used to get loads of junk E-mails from someone that I suspected was a deranged English guy living in the region that I once met, judging by his distribution list which seemed to go to many concerned with tourism etc in this area I am pretty sure it was him and also the French was very poor despite him (if it was indeed him) working here as an English teacher for a couple of decades.

This person tused o send out mass E_mails saying that his car was for sale, or his old back door etc and all sorts of random crap, I used to ignore them and then I started getting political ones, probably not from him but forwarded and some of them were rather extreme, the one that made me lose my rag contained the accusations that you mentioned before and that her partner was a muslim lover etc.

She may not be my choice of politicians but sending out slurs like that really made me see red, it was over a year ago. I sent back a very strong mail in French and English although I was able to be more insulting in the English version, calling him a half-wit etc and spelling out exactly what I would do if he ever sent me another E_mail, they stopped!

I am going to sound like my late mother now but I saw Martine on the telly recently and I thought, she looks like an alcoholic!!

[idun]

I have never thought that she looked alcoholic, but she looks like, well we have an expression around here, and would probably call her a 'rough pelt', no french chic, at all! And she sounds rough to me too, just the tone of her voice.  She's Delors daughter, so why doesn't she call herself Delors. Aubry is her first husband's name, very odd.

Accusing her of all sorts is not on, not good so early in the campaign.