Category "Tombé pour la France"
I don't protest that often so I'm trying to make some noise about it...
Last September 4th, the Human Rights League launched a protest that many organisations took part of, against the "scapegoat politics" led by the government. These policies have by the way been heavily criticised around the world.
I hadn't found anybody to come with me so I want alone to Place de la République, without anything, and I started following the march. I saw the president of the Left Party Jean-Luc Mélenchon, the region's socialist president Jean-Paul Huchon, ex-first lady Danielle Mitterrand, green MP Noël Mamère, and so on. SO A-list.
At some point, I found Act-Up and I started walking with them. They even gave me posters and stuff. I could chant stuff such as "A racist State is a murderous State".
We still managed to gather between 77,000 and 100,000 people. It is, however, much less than the 900,000 to 3 million protesters against the retirement reform last Saturday.
The French can't wait for 2012! After three years of Sarkozy, they can't take it anymore. But nobody knows who to give his seat to.
The prevalent theory until March was that he would get re-elected, but it was before the huge defeat his party suffered at the regional elections. Since then, the Left thinks it's got its chances and the Right doubts. The recent Woerth-Bettencourt scandal and then the security measures announced last July (the President decided to oust the Roma and take away the citizenship of French people "of foreign origin" who would try to kill a cop) just made things worse. Yet, it is still very possible that he wins.
And if he doesn't win, someone else from the Right could. Former Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin presents himself as "the anti-Sarkozy", even if it means ignoring his own record regarding Roma. He's the one who made the speech of France's opposition to the Iraq war in 2003. If Sarkozy didn't run this time or fell at the first round of the election, Villepin could easily win against the Left as leader of the humanist Right, as Chirac did in 1995 with what he then called the "social breaking". Fillon as well could be a candidate.
It will be a very difficult one for the Left, who is in bad shape, despite the crisis of neoliberalism.
The legitimacy of the Socialist Party, who is strongly competed by the Greens, inside the Left is getting weaker, even though the regional elections seem to have stopped the votes hemorrhage. Nevertheless, the Greens are about to play a bet by choosing Eva Joly as their candidate. A bet because she's still quite unfamous, she's little of a speaker but she's got a very good CV: she's been an iron independent judge, she fought very hard against corruption and particularly Elf, everybody knows she's a honest and determined person. And after all of the scandals suffered by the main political parties, people will like that a lot. However, I don't think she'll get elected. I think she's absolutely great and I would be proud to have her for President but her political positions are unknown, she's got little experience in politics and then, after seeing her against right-wing commentator Eric Zemmour, I thought she wasn't capable of defending her convictions properly, and this can be very, very bad in a presidential debate.
Besides, the state of the economy is still very unstable, and a new crisis, with a tough plan de rigueur (economic drastic plan), would give wings to the radical Left. After the bank bailout, people started wondering about the economic system. It looks like they already forgot though, but if the crisis came again, despite the efforts we would have had to make, the economic situation would be a disaster, and radical Left Mélenchon could make it make to the second round of the Presidential election, because nobody would like a greek-style story: when socialist Prime Minister Papandreou, also President of the Socialist International, got elected, he realised the previous government hid the real accountacy and had to reveal the true state of greek finances and he got forced by his greedy European mates, as well as the IMF, to execute the most antisocial agenda ever applied in history!
Much will depend on the Socialist Party, its candidate and its program. Right now, it looks like it will either be current IMF director (!) Dominique Strauss-Kahn and Martine Aubry. DSK is given a winner in every poll, despite being at the head of the IMF, proving, to me, that the French don't really want the Left. DSK would also have a major asset: his part at the IMF give him international credibility and the French will be sure, or at least believe, that with him would come back the markets trust. Regarding Martine Aubry, it's quite unclear. She seems a risky choice for the Socialists as the Right has always accused her of damaging the French economy with her 35-hour week law. But indeed, if their rights are too much attacked under Sarkozy, the French may want someone who is attached to social rights. But even more important, is the strategy that the socialist candidate will commit to in the case of another economic meltdown. Greek-style plan or revolutionary plan? Will this question even be mentioned?
The biggest fear actually for 2012 is not the reelection of Sarkozy, it's that the real questions may get avoided: the economic crisis and the political crisis.
Far-right National Front also is going to play an important part, with Marine Le Pen who seems softer than father and current leader Jean-Marie Le Pen who shocked France by making it to the second round of the Presidential election in 2002. She might make a big score and reedit her father's 2002 success. In that case, it is very likely that she will make a better score on the second round than her father who had to compete with Chirac for the Presidency, whoever she will stand against, given the current gloomy political landscape. If Sarkozy faces her, the Left will have a hard time to vote for him. Likewise, if the Left faces her, quite a few right-wing voters might consider voting for her. We may then have to face a political crash.
2012 is going to be a very important year. Many important elections will happen, particularly in the USA, and France will probably have to make tough decisions, but once again, the real questions might not get discussed at all.
The Woerth-Bettencourt affair made the French suspect corruption inside the government and, as the spiral of revelations wouldn't stop, Sarkozy couldn't find any better than blaming immigrants and, just to make sure he's made enough noise, the "French of foreign origin". So, now hundreds of Roma are being deported (even though they're European!), parents whose children miss school could be financially penalised and go to jail, but it is also said that french people of foreign origin would be stripped of the french nationality if they try to kill policemen. I don't see how that would increase security in France. Since then, the UN condemned Nicolas Sarkozy's policies, the international press condemned Nicolas Sarkozy's policies, even the Pope condemned Nicolas Sarkozy's policies!
The masks have fallen. Nicolas Sarkozy is ready to dangerously stir xenophobia in France, and to attack the basic principle of republican equality, just to get re-elected in the next presidential election. It's just revolting and I will be on Saturday September 4, on the Place de la République at 2pm to protest with the Human Rights League.
Sarkozy is still very low in the polls and since the huge defeat of his party last March for the regional elections, it now appears possible to beat him in the 2012 presidential election. Moreover, the economy is not going well and he's about to cut public spending and social rights, but not the "tax shield" (a law he implemented, that prevents very rich people from paying too much taxes). However, people could very well re-elect him if he keeps stirring tensions as he's doing right now. Yes, we found our George W. Bush, our own worst President of the Republic!
I love insults, so when I can put one, even several in a title, I sure do it.
I didn't want to talk about the vapid psychodrama surrounding Nicolas Anelka ans his alleged words towards France's football team coach, Raymond Domenech, but since the President of the Republic commented them, this story has taken an ironic, if not cynical, turn.
First, Sarkozy saying that this kind of insults are "unacceptable" although he himself answered a man "Fuck off you idiot", this is "tasty"!
But the worst thing is that Brice Hortefeux, can be sentenced for words recognized as "racially offensive" and stay in the government, although Nicolas Anelka can't get mad at his coach and gets fired from France's team that, by the way, doesn't depend on the President of the Republic.
And everyone is focusing on this non-event. The crucial retirement reform is already forgotten, the new political movement launched by Sarkozy's rival, Dominique de Villepin, has been totally overshadowed, etc.
The Irish will have voted yes, in the end. The Lisbon Treaty is on its way to enter into force by the end of the year.
Now the question is: who is going to get the job of permanent President of the European Council created by the Treaty? Everything tends to say that this choice has already been made. The first Europresident would then be... suspens... Tony Blair.
Tony Blair. The man who followed George W. Bush into Iraq, who committed to give a pro-european feeling to his country but quickly gave up, whose country has not even accpeted the euro, and so on. To my eyes, it's really the worst choice that could be made, only because it would give the image of a Europe submitted to the United States, although one of its vocations is its independence.
When Tony Blair quit Number 10 to give his seat to Gordon Brown, he was named Middle East Peace Envoy for the Quartet (United Nations, United States, European Union and Russia). This choice was already a big mistake: Who could think that a man who took part to an unjustifiable war could help peace? By the way, you can see the results: Israel attacked Gaza last December and January, and a government opposed to a Palestinian state got elected in Israel. The situation has deteriorated.
But this is not the most ironic thing. Tony would like the EU's top job but something makes him hesitate. What could that be? A conflict with some leaders? The will to change the definition of his job, in order to make Europe stronger? A matter of conscience regarding Iraq??? Well, no, again, Mister Blair surprises us:
Meanwhile, Blair is said by some to have had some reservations about the presidency post, chief among them that he would earn less money than he does now giving speeches and other private work, and that the job would involve a lot of bureaucratic grind. But he would still earn about £250,000 a year with generous EU tax allowances, have a staff of at least 20 and a splendid Brussels residence.
Of course! Blair hesitates because he's offered ONLY £250,000! Well, let him say no to the job! Europe is an ideal. It needs to be carried by people who have a vision for it, not by some guys looking for attention and money!
How can we stop him? I know there's a website and an online petition taht I have already signed, at stopblair.eu. I'm wondering if I can do more, like... sending a letter to the head of State or government? To my MEP? Subscribing to the "No to Blair" Facebook group? Any ideas?
French politicans are talking a lot these days. Anyway, these words, from Green MP and former presidential candidate Noël Mamère, go straight to the point and regard another former presidential candidate, Ségolène Royal, who is from the Socialist Party, a traditional ally for the Greens:
Ségolène Royal, we don't want her!
Fuck, I really missed ségobashing...
At least, Martine Aubry, leader of the shattered Socialist Party in France, a has humour:
I don't shave the morning.
She was referring to a famous quote of incumbent President Nicolas Sarkozy who said, while he was Interior Minister:
I think about the presidential election... and not only when I'm shaving.
(Via
Buzzle.)
Ecology is not only about promoting local products, small cars or the chabichou (name of a local cheese).
Jean-Vincent Placé, deputy national secretary of the Greens, reacting to socialist ex-presidential candidate Ségolène Royal's words against the carbon tax.
There are many French people, including people with long-term diseases, who need to work in order to get better.
Quote by Frédéric Lefebvre, spokesman for President Sarkozy's UMP party, who wants to give "the right" to work to people on sick leave.
For the departure of our Minister of Justice, Mme Rachida Dati...
Especially dedicated to JU.
A bien regarder, j'aime ta position
Les jambes croisées, jupe ou pantalon
Rachida, mon p'tit chat
T'as besoin que d'un seul doigt
Pour m'envoyer en prison
Et me filer 100 coups de bâton
Ca m'donne envie de dominer
C'est tellement bon de tout controller
J'ai comme une soif de pouvoir
J'veux rendre les choses obligatoires
Oh oui oh oui je veux gouverner
Votez pour moi vous serez récompensés
Je vais transformer le pays en charnier
Et vous exploiter pour ensuite vous supprimer
Rachida, femme de loi
Je crois qu'je suis jalouse de toi
Moi aussi je veux etre ministre
Délégation de l'Antéchrist
Ma première loi sera d'obliger
Les gens comme toi a se déshabiller
La deuxième loi en vigueur
De castrer tous les chasseurs
Lyrics by Sexy Sushi
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