French elections

I think the reason we heard more than usual about the French election was the timing of our local elections on Thursday.
Being banned from discussing British politics, the broadcasters filled in the time with far more information about the imminent French election than we would usually have.

Hi It is an illusion to believe Macron is the man of the people and ( I am French ) he is a poppet of Rothschild and the big investments banks...... copying the US approach of Trump, Warren Buffet said he will save 16 billions in taxes next year because of Trump policy ...........
LePen if you take away the more extreme views was right ,,,France need to be safed from the EU ultra liberal views on free mouvement ... If Turkey get what they wish for... free movement in europe ..god help Europe . It is in my opinion time for France to Leave The EU like Britain and look after the French peoples and our way of life... anyone can go to live in France BUT they need to accept our way of life .....

Just got to the reaction of the foreign press on the television news.
From Britain it was the front pages of The Guardian and The Telegraph and Theresa May's congratulatory tweet.

Yes, it would have been horrible.

I sometimes wonder if the nationalists who harp back to WW2, realise what the Allies were fighting.

Ah I see POGS. If the elections in June follow the same pattern there may not be many PS members left to choose from! I am watching the lunchtime news at the moment and they are talking a lot about Bayrou's Democratic party.
Yes Sheilasue. Today is a bank holiday for VE day and there are ceremonies all over France. It would be terrible if it had come after the election of a president from the Front National.

Thank goodness she didn't get in.

Mamie

I suppose I am intimating by saying same old , same old will Macron surround himself by a majority from the Socialist Party he knows very well.

If he does it will look like the Socialist Party wearing a different cloak and would that go down well with his supporters who have lost faith with the Socialist Party.

It will be interesting to watch .

Thanks for that Ww.

I reckon if the Labour Party had come up with a manifesto like that, it would win by a landslide.

What do you mean by "same old same old" POGS? You have said that before and it puzzled me then. It is true that the attempts of the Hollande / Valls régime to open up the labour market foundered, but they did achieve some reform. The CGT union has lost a lot of members and the Parti Socialiste candidate crashed to 6% in the first round of the election so it may be that there is more will in the population for change. I think Macron is much too canny to find his allies in the PS. The moderate group of Bayrou is more likely.

Just found this article which gives the Manifesto of Macron. Some very interesting policies here - looking at it many people will see the equivalent of their Council tax halved or at least greatly reduced!

Link: www.connexionfrance.com/French-news/What-Emmanuel-Macron-is-promising-for-next-five-years?utm_campaign=shareaholic&utm_medium=email_this&utm_source=email

--

Daphnedill
Well there is always Frau Merkel on the sidelines?
Perish the thought.

The Daily Mirror's front page from 5 July 1945 - still so relevant.

It ends with "Remember the issues. They are national not personal. Your own interest, the future of your children, the welfare of the whole country demand that today you do your duty to VOTE".

It will be interesting to see who he chooses to support him.

The Socialist Party under Holland has an approval rating of 4% and whilst Macron did give up his membership of the Socialist Party he did work in their government under both Hollande and Manuel Valls.

Could it be much of the same old, same old with a slightly different twist?

Macrons background of being pro EU, ex Rothschild investment banker makes me think he will one day be President of the European Union Commission. I am going to see if any bookies will take a bet.

Eeewww! What a horrible thought!

Christinefranc
Well for sure he likes the older woman so TM should find him a 'piece of cake'Play her cards right she will have him eating out of her hand.

Farage and his dreadful brexit group attack Macron.

www.theguardian.com/world/2017/may/07/british-brexit-supporters-insult-emmanuel-macron-after-presidential-win

I know that plenty of decent people voted Leave but it has always puzzled me that they were not alarmed about the company they were keeping - Trump, Putin, Marine le Pen. Every decent world leader supported Remain. Was that ever reported in the gutter press?

Macron has already said that he will make it. Easier for people to start a business and to employ people. At the moment the employer has to pay so much in taxes that it puts them off employing anyone.
Sunseeker - the French press are not so interested in the age difference at all - they are more obsessed with the UK's Royal Family etc!

Macron is not right-wing he is centrist. He is not "austerity supporting", he is in favour of opening up business and making it easier for people to start and run businesses of all sizes. There are some areas of the state that need modernising and rationalising, but there is no sense in which the importance of the state in serving the people of France will be diminished. This is a country where the state works for the people, it does not exist to put money into the hands of private companies. There are significant problems of employment, especially in rural areas, the poorer suburbs of big cities and post-industrial areas, but we have a wonderful health service, a very good transport network and good local services.
As we have said before, the French press is not obsessed with the age of his wife.

Another reminder for people with children, grandchildren or friends, who are eligible to vote for the first time:

www.yourvotematters.co.uk/can-i-vote/students

Gaggi I agree but nearly 1 million additional voters have registered to vote for these election, most of them young or youngish so it may not be the foregone conclusion that people are expecting.

It was similar to the US election. A choice between a right wing, austerity supporting candidate or a far right wing, off the wall candidate. France made the better choice but it is still not a good choice.

radicalnan Have you ever objected to the role American first ladies play in supporting their husbands?

France is going to play a bigger part in the EU when the UK's gone and have a vested interest in making it successful, as has the relationship France with Germany for over 60 years. The two countries have been at war with each other for much of the last thousand years, so they really appreciate what peace and co-operation mean. It doesn't mean that either has lost its identity - it just means they've grown up politically.

I was so pleased that "Ode to Joy" rather than "La Marseillaise" was played as Macron walked up to the winning podium.

I was interested to see the French interest in their election, with thousands out on the street. If only we were as politically involved as a nation.

Apparently Madam Macron is going to 'work for free' in the government.......another bloody dynasty, all these hangers on and she does hang on to him, I find it rather creepy. Why is Teresa we don't see much of Mr May and have to suffer them slobbering all over each other.

I am disappointed but not surprised it is him a former banker and someone keen on the EU, people are afraid of real changes and like children are just voting in the least scary options now.

Shamefully I shall be the same as currently we have no real choices, only people who say things differently.

I wonder if Macron will address the issue of Muslims, mainly from the former French colonies in North Africa.

The French are fiercely proud of their "secularity", but in reality it's used as an excuse for sweeping discrimination of people of non-Christian religions under the carpet.

The French claim that there is no discrimination, because it's illegal to record a person's religion in censuses, etc so they have no official figures. Therefore, there are no official integration policies - they're all French, as far as people are concerned.

Unfortunately, there is discrimination against people of North African (and other) heritage in France. Anybody who has ever been to the 'banlieues' (suburbs) around major cities can see that. With the recent terrorist acts in France and banning of the burka, etc, I fear that terrorism and racism is going to get worse, unless it's addressed.

Thank goodness Macron won.