Europe’s voting for the right just as we're turning left!

👍 Mamie

Though I am not sure about "support on a plate". Still a huge amount of bureaucracy to fight your way through.

I agree with all of that Joseann. I also thing 38 candidates meant a lot of protest votes (there were a lot of candidates with one or two votes in our village and about 16 with no votes). In the second round of the election on 7th July, I think a straight choice will concentrate the mind.

The impression I got from French friends yesterday, Urmstongran, wasn't one of any great surprise at Macron's actions. He is well known for making bold decisions, and this could be a clever one. They do actually respect his judgment.
French people I spoke with seem to be aware that a turn to the far right could be very dangerous, but they are also aware of the injustices towards the poorer, hard working nationals who they see as being overlooked and receiving a raw deal. The SMIC - the minimum wage - featured heavily in conversation because it offers workers no quality of life, especially when they see inactive people (including immigrants) receiving support on a plate.

I did have a little smile though when one friend said Monsieur Macron wants it all done and dusted by 14th July so everyone can let their hair down! Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité!

The reasons why the results are given so quickly in France are several. The polls close at 7 pm. The ballots are immediately verified and counted manually there and then on the spot. A clear estimation is given at 8 pm, and the right winner is announced.
In France, you don't get a ballot paper with all the candidates' names on against which to put your cross. You simply put the one person's name you want to vote for in the envelope.

The press seem to have decided on a narrative before the election of a shift to the right - however not all countries have followed this.

In Finland the left have made dramatic gains

In Sweden the far right "Swedish Democrat" party has dropped from 2nd biggest party to 4th - even the Greens beat them

... and in some countries they are still counting the votes

Joseann
Emmanuel Macron’s gamble will not pay off
ANNE-ELISABETH MOUTET
(writes for The Telegraph - excerpt above).

From the Telegraph:

“ Macron, a technocrat who’d never run for any elected office before he entered the Élysée aged 39, is no Mitterrand, a wily old bird with encyclopaedic knowledge of the French grassroots and a sense of timing and triangulation defying Euclidean geometry.

No wonder that Renaissance’s foot soldiers, who during their time in Parliament were treated like low-ranking employees by their mercurial boss, are furious and, for the first time in their political lives, have started criticising their boss, too late. Nobody in France, in fact, is happy today, except Marine Le Pen, looking like one of her dozen Bengal cats that got the cream, and waiting smilingly for her next job in a couple of years.”

Joseann for you -

“It was the historian and thoughtful biographer of many Third, Fourth and Fifth Republic politicians, Maxime Tandonnet, who put it best: “I don’t believe the theory where Emmanuel Macron gifts the PM job to the National Rally three weeks from now, intending them to crash and burn. His massive hubris simply wouldn’t have it. I think we’re witnessing an authentic shipwreck: total disconnection caused by wilful narcissistic blindness. He is still convinced he can win.”

It will be interesting to hear what your friends over there are thinking about this.

Thanks for your reply Hiraeth.
Bickering but no consensus = frustration and annoyance I suppose.

If we were still in the EU we’d have some sort of control over this swing to the far right wouldn’t we? As it is we have no say in it even though it will affect us.

Wyllow3

Will countries continue to not just work on, but strengthen collaboration on catching people smugglers, or just push migrants onto the next country?

Will they still support NATO and Ukraine?

If you read Le Pens views you can see just how much doubt ? on these issues.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_positions_of_Marine_Le_Pen

We signed a deal with the eu agency, Frontex in February.
There’s a lot of good stuff happening between us and the eu.

Hi UrmstongranObviously Migration plays a major role in peoples fears and the bickering in the coalition causes dissatisfaction .

Apology accepted Wyllow3 😁

Sorry if it came across wrong, Urms it was a good question for Hiraeth

I am very concerned. for Ukraine as well as other matters I've raised, for many of the far right parties don't support them, or even NATO, as we have and continue to do.

You misunderstand me again Wyllow3.
I was asking Hiraeth in what way was the German political coalition a disappointment.
She had brought it up you see.
I didn’t need a history lesson.

Whitewavemark2

Graphics of result.

The hyperbole of a right takeover wrong.

The centre holds

Thank you for that WWM - I hope this continues, as I've said above we need co-operation to continue in Nato, to have strong combined forces against people smugglers.

Urmstongran

Hiraeth

I live in Germany . It’s a lot to do with our coalition . Our Democracy is in danger 🙈

In what way did things disappoint? Does the coalition not work now Hiraeth?

Its far beyond "disappointing", its dangerous to all of us who are close to memories of WW2.

Demonstrations against the far right in Germany: make no mistake, the German far right is not a Farage or a Le Pen: it's a return to a shady past.

"The AfD was expelled from a far-right group within the European Parliament after its top candidate Maximilian Krah made comments minimising the crimes of the Nazis' SS guards."

"AfD made headlines in January when it became known that its members held secret meetings with German and Austrian far-right figures, including the neo-Nazi leader of the Identitarian movement Martin Sellner"

www.thelocal.de/20240608/in-pictures-tens-of-thousands-join-election-rally-against-german-far-right

www.euronews.com/my-europe/2024/05/28/why-is-german-youth-so-easily-seduced-by-afds-ideas#:~:text=It%20could%20also%20help%20integrate,parties%20such%20as%20the%20AfD.

Graphics of result.

The hyperbole of a right takeover wrong.

The centre holds

vegansrock

People do realise that Macron is not standing for election, that he will remain president till 2027, when he will have served 2 terms, which is the maximum. He can overrule the French parliament anyway, so it s a bit of posturing.

Whatever happens, Macron won't be out of a job. Unlike Rishi Sunak.

Hiraeth

I live in Germany . It’s a lot to do with our coalition . Our Democracy is in danger 🙈

In what way did things disappoint? Does the coalition not work now Hiraeth?

ayse

Le Pen family have been going since the 80s. I remember seeing signs for them when going to France camping. This is just an aside as I haven’t read the thread.

Europe moving to the right is disturbing to say the least.

Can't stop, I'm rather busy, see photo!
Marine's father was born in Brittany and studied at the school where I later taught (Vannes).
Brittany votes for the far right were actually low in comparison yesterday, but this is a region less affected by immigration. Marine often canvasses in the area and attracts the support of those in the fishing industry.
Back for the nitty gritty later.

I think we are talking at cross purposes here. I wasn’t particularly thinking of Farage and the right, more the ignorance of the young ones about the past. Probably different over there but here it is not even taught in schools.

nanna8

Memories are short and there are few alive today that actually lived through it. They don’t teach it much in schools, the younger generation have,literally, no idea. Frightening for us who were raised with veterans and saw bomb sites etc. You can’t tell them anything.

That's all very well, nanna8, but Reform, our furthest right party, is getting votes from our generation.

We had the hints in the tory government of the past few years, clamping down on protest, imposition of voter ID to manipulate who is able to vote, transfer of powers from parliament to the government (which are definitely not the same thing), 'othering' a section of humanity, e,g immigrants and benefit claimants, disregard of international law...

Most of which has been applauded by some on here...

Polling has been putting the under 55s as mostly supporting Labour, not the far right...

Germany has big problems with immigration, however I don’t think for a minute it will be like it was in the thirties. What is needed is to set limits and those that do come to swear allegiance to that country, learn the language and pledge to work before become a citizen.