There's nothing wrong with France that a few trips of the tumbrels wouldn't cure.
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| Europe |
| The Slide gathers steam: French Left set to gain in Regional Run-off Vote |
| 2004-03-23 |
| via Financial Times - EFL / Fair Use By Robert Graham in Paris Published: March 23 2004 4:00 | Last Updated: March 23 2004 4:00 The downward spiral steepens... France’s mainstream parties of the left are poised to make significant gains in Sunday’s run-off regional elections after the centre-right’s poor first-round performance. Chriac & Co have certainly given the term centre-right a bad name... A snap survey yesterday conducted by the CSA polling institute showed 46 per cent ready to vote for lists of the left against 38 per cent for the centre right and 16 per cent for the far-right National Front. With the Front ruled out as a second-round ally, the ruling UMP and the government of premier Jean-Pierre Raffarin risk a sharp setback if the poll proves accurate. This would increase the likelihood of President Jacques Chirac appointing a new prime minister. The CSA poll further revealed that 42 per cent of those who voted on Sunday wanted to demonstrate their disaffection with government policy. Perhaps they’re tired of the "Hate America" game and need a new set of rants to cheer themselves up... Nah, I don’t think so either. "As long as you don’t touch my benefits and the blame is placed upon an external bogeyman, we’re game!" The leftwing opposition, headed by the Socialist party, was confident yesterday that it could secure the support of the Communists and Greens in regions where they stood in the first round. Socialist officials said this would help to reform the coalition that successfully governed France under Lionel Jospin from 1997-2002 but which was battered in the presidential and parliamentary elections of 2002. ...more... This is what I love about European politics: To create a government out of 47 factional "parties", everyone must compromise their plans in an effort to build a coalition, often resulting in a confused watered-down ineffective and, quite often, pointless non-plan. So, when nothing is achieved, who can be surprised? But, of course, it is far superior to the US semi-unilateralist form. We have so much to learn from our betters. Can the Sixth Republic be far away? Calling Sabine... are you there? |
| Posted by:.com |
| #11 bare breasted babe charging the enemy while holding the colors in one hand and a service-rifle in the other, that's what I call leadership by example. |
| Posted by: Jarhead 2004-3-23 10:03:34 PM |
| #10 Sabine could do a Playboy spread like that. I'd buy that for a dollar. |
| Posted by: whitecollar redneck 2004-3-23 5:57:01 PM |
| #9 Ah, oui...Delacroix's Liberty leading the people. Love it. France should give it to us! Seen it in the Louvre--magnificent. But the French who say things never change have indeed changed a lot since 1789, except for good men like JFM, Merde in France and the Dissident Frogman! (And Fred, that Reign of Terror really got out of hand...) Sadly, the Islamists adore beheadings as much as the Jacobins did which is why it's only fitting that all that was left of Yassin was his head. |
| Posted by: Jen 2004-3-23 4:54:09 PM |
| #8 There's nothing wrong with France that a few trips of the tumbrels wouldn't cure. |
| Posted by: Fred 2004-3-23 4:37:27 PM |
| #7 Apparently, there were a crowd of such Sabines who watched this: Jewish community center in France attacked and did nothing. In fact, they probably lit their Gaulouises adn Gitanes on the flames! Plus la France change, plus c'est la meme chose! |
| Posted by: Jen 2004-3-23 4:32:33 PM |
| #6 Ptah, I have a mental vision of a bare-breasted Sabine wearing a floppy red hat, shouting "Citoyens! Aux barricades!" while a world-weary fellow in a beret and a black turtleneck, smoking a Gauloise and sipping a Pernod, sneers at her dismissively... |
| Posted by: Fred 2004-3-23 4:24:34 PM |
| #5 Um, I thought 'triangulation' was more like one group ascertaining the 'wants' of other groups and crafting something on its own that appeals to, and captures approval from, significant members of the other groups. |
| Posted by: Pappy 2004-3-23 3:26:05 PM |
| #4 "compromise their plans in an effort to build a coalition, often resulting in a confused watered-down ineffective and, quite often, pointless non-plan" Here we dont call it a coalition, we call it "triangulation". |
| Posted by: Liberalhawk 2004-3-23 2:28:58 PM |
| #3 Sabine's all the French have if they have a chance at salvation. |
| Posted by: Ptah 2004-3-23 12:09:38 PM |
| #2 Cool! Will Do. I find the French political landscape to be riddled with unfathomable "givens" - socially accepted / customary things for which I have insufficient background to place in context. Reading the first review, this is eerily similar to the recent Spanish electoral collapse: "the pro-republican leaders (especially the Socialists) allowed themselves to be meekly stampeded into voting the republican regime out of existence and granted unlimited dictatorial powers to Petain"... Cool runnings - thx! |
| Posted by: .com 2004-3-23 12:07:39 PM |
| #1 .com, if you get the chance, you should read Schirer's The Collapse of the Third Republic. Great insights into the French political mess. |
| Posted by: 11A5S 2004-3-23 11:57:10 AM |