Love Le Pen? Don't worry, you'll see more of him

[Solly]

Why don't you just just pay attention at the most important thing: WHY is Le Pen getting votes?

Because the French are a bunch of nasty racists.

[Az]

Told you so.

[Kropotkin]

I thought that already been done:
* High unemployment
* No trust in the established political elite

Can you think of any more (besides the fact that rural people is a reactionary class). Le Pen gives the typical populist right wing answer; fight crime and blame the immigrants.

Berzerker: Do you know about this guy at all? That some of the parties achievment is such 'small' things no support to rap-music is that the party mostly has control on the local level. As I remembered it, during the last election he wanted France to give up "Liberty, Equality, Fraternity" as the republican mantra and replace it with the old Vichy-regime slogan of "Work, Family, and Fatherland."

The national fronts agenda includes things like:
* You will no longer be citizien by birth unless you have at least one french parent. Only way to citizenship is through naturalisation that includes tests and inquires into the persons morals. The citizenship could later be revoked if the person commits a crime.
* The front wants to add to the french constitution a 'preference national' (national preference) for job-openings, health care, education, housing etc.
* Reinstating the death penalty
* Some shady press-laws that includes that you'd have to pass certain 'tests' in order to call yourself a journalist
* On foreign politics, he was a supporter of Saddam Hussein and enemy of the US and Israel.

Le Pen himself has been convicted on a number of occations for things like holocaust denial (something that's illegal in france but he wants it to be legal), antisemitism and for making jokes about the concentration camps.

That's just a short list.

[Spiffor]

1. I chose the Guardian Article because it is the only English speaking article I found that covers this topic. I was simply too lazy to translate one of the numerous articles that have been written in the French press about this recently.

2. Le Pen is far right. At least, in the French political spectrum, there is no significant party more at the right to him. The only things you American conservatives (despite being notably more to the right than your European counterparts) could agree with are the suspension of abortion, and a radically free-market economy. I don't think you would feel any solidarity with the racism, religious bigotry, antidemocratic bigotry (Le Pen is the one who gathers all the nostalgics of Pétain) that underlie his party.

Since the elections last year, he has tried to give himself the image of a reputable candidate, but every now and then, a slip of the tongue from him or one of the top party members will reveal the deep racism behind him. Just look at what his party tried to do in the city of Orange (one of the few places it ever had direct power): they gave a financial help only to white people to have kids. They stopped helping the Orange culture festival, the only thing that made the city known nationwide, because the culture was deemed degenerate.

Le Pen has made it clear that he intends to concentrate immigrants in camps to expel them. He also strives for removing France out of the EU. And I'm not even talking about his ideas for women: interdiction of abortion, and a "motherly wage" paid by the State so that they remain at home and do the only thing they're good for, raising children

3. I actually don't blame people for voting Le Pen when I see the patheticness of our political class. I am merely warning you that you will take cheap shots at France next spring because of Le Pen's success.
The reasons why people vote for Le Pen are simple:

- The corruption of the political system remains one of the main reasons our politicians aren't trusted. Although the recent State-funded financing of political parties has considerably lowered this corruption, every major party sees a scandal pop up every now and then.
Only Le Pen's party is immuned to that, because it had very little actual power, and because it gets huge private donations from the wealthy among its enthusiasts (many rich people have given their heritage to Le Pen's party, which means to Le Pen himself).

- Our right-wing government has shown that Left and Right can follow different social policies, but it is still widely believed that they are all the same bunch. Besides, both sides completely suck in their way to comply to Europe (if you don't intend to obey free-market policies, don't vote for free-market rules you morons!), and their economic policies are hardly different. As a result, our employement situation is closely bound to the international conjoncture, and it is bad right now.

The Left has lost last time because it couldn't adress the growing feeling of criminality in the population. Many people were tired of the lack of security in France, and the Le Pen vote mirrors that. Since the Right took over, the police minister has been very active in have a security policy close to Le Pen's, i.e "beat the gangster to a bloody pulp, that's always the solution". This redefinition of the police's mission, as well as the media complacency shat up the feeling of criminality (criminality actually lowered during the reign of the Left, and it raised during the reign of the Right, but nobody cares about the actual figures).

However, the Right is making the same mistakes as the Left, but on employement issues. Many companies have been closed, several have been wildly closed (all material being moved overnight) as opposed to the law. The Right can't adress that, and is financially hampered by the already high deficit and lowered taxes. To have its free-market policies be appreciated by the population, the Right always uses a scapegoat to justify them. For some time, teachers were considered in the TV as lazy slobs. Then it was the civil servants. It will soon be the jobless. Of course, the right alienates many of these people, because they simply ignore the deep crises these categories are experiencing. Exactly the way the Left ignored the feeling of criminality, thinking it would vanish by itself thanks to the growth.

[Az]

* On foreign politics, he was a supporter of Saddam Hussein and enemy of the US and Israel.

It's good to know that he's well in tune with the French mainstream.

[Kropotkin]

Well, OK. Got me there!

[Spiffor]

Originally posted by Shi Huangdi
So how much damage could FN do if they controlled Marseillies?

It's a bit more complex than that.

There are many layers of government in France, each with the corresponding election:

- The President is meant to give France's vision and to represent France abroad. He's supposed to have great powers, but not to be busy with daily issues. The president is elected directly by the people on the whole territory.

- The government is elected by the lower House of the Parliament (assemblée nationale). Each member of the Assemblée is elected in a district of ca 100,000 inhab. The government is supposed to manage France's daily issues.

- The regional parliaments have a list-election on the whole territory of the region. Their missions are local development, some culture, financing senior highschools and bonuses for senior-high students, regionwide infrastructure. Since the State is taking fewer engagements than before, Regional Parliaments tend to take more initiatives: for example, the Alsace region is now the one that finances the building of the TGV line between Paris and Strasbourg.

- The Départements have a parliament whose members are elected on tiny districts. They have power regarding transportation maintenance, financing of junior highschool, helps towards the health system.

- The [u]Cities[/i] are the most powerful layer of local government. They are responsible for the daily management of a city, but they also can hire a local police (with limited powers) to complement the National Police, they distribute the form of wefare that goes to the most desperate, they subsidise many cultural happenings, they marry people, etc.

---

Next elections will be about Régions and Départements, so there is little power to take, in comparison with taking cities (or taking the presidency of course).
However, you can expect Le Pen and his goons try to reduce financing of senior-high students that are not of French origin, or that are not white (I guess they'll want a "test" to get some specific financing). It may become particularly bad for students eating at the canteen: for many, the lunch at canteen is the only satisfying meal of the day, and the family can't afford to pay too high for it.
You can expect Le Pen to take the public interest of all-white neighbourhoods in priority (the Région decides of many public works), and to let all-migrant neighbourhoods rot without making public works there.

[Spiffor]

Originally posted by Azazel

* On foreign politics, he was a supporter of Saddam Hussein and enemy of the US and Israel.

It's good to know that he's well in tune with the French mainstream.

We did not support Saddam that much. At least, not openly. Many people refused to associate with Saddam, but the Americans are so clouded with their "you're with us or against us" mentality that they haven't understood that people could both oppose Saddam and the war in Iraq.

[Kropotkin]

There's a lot of things he's not that open about. For obvious reasons.

[Az]

Here, let me help you get the stick out of your ass. It was a joke.

[Kropotkin]

(Le Pen actually visited Saddam Hussein once, but I suppose that was at least partly to rubb some durt in the face of the US.)

[Spiffor]

Originally posted by Kropotkin
There's a lot of things he's not that open about. For obvious reasons.

Yep. Like his ultra free-market policies and the proposed complete privatization of our health and retirement system. Go figure, he avoids to talk too much about it to these voters who'd lose everything if it became a reality

He hasn't mentioned the mason-Jew conspiracy in a while too. It seems he doesn't want to spoil his chances of victory only to please the petainists and reactionary catholics, despite they were the core of its voting basis for a long time.

[Provost Harrison]

Vote for LO of course I know of their British sister party, Workers Fight. And LO/LCR do a cool fete near Paris ever June

[Solly]

and a "motherly wage" paid by the State so that they remain at home and do the only thing they're good for, raising children

That to me sounds an excellent plan. Western nations tend to undervalue parental care of children. Subsidising it will make a difference.

[Spiffor]

Originally posted by Provost Harrison
Vote for LO of course I know of their British sister party, Workers Fight. And LO/LCR do a cool fete near Paris ever June

It sucks compared to the wonderful Fete de l'Humanité (the big popular party organized by the French Communist, but chock-full of non communists who are looking for a great moment)