Marine Le Pen

[Vegansausageroll]

Is anyone else concerned that far right Marine Le Pen is looking a distinct contender for French President? Having a Putin supporter in power in France could lead to untold issues. A worrying trend of far right politics in Europe is on the rise once again, I think it will just add to the instability going forward at a time when Europe desperately needs a strong and united front.

@queenofarles
You can say what you want about macron but economically he knew what needed to be done and the result is a %7 in growth , right now France has never been this open and flexible. It certainly feels it’s recovered quicker than most countries post pandemic.
But the year before, during the pandemic, the same economy saw a historic dip of 8 per cent, so it actually hasn't recovered yet.

I know very little about french politics, but from what I do know it appears they have the same problem as British voters; there's literally no one worth voting for.
I wonder if there will be loads of spoilt ballot papers?

The electorate in general can be very stupid sometimes

Labeling people who vote in a way you feel is "wrong" as stupid is part of the problem. Unless you think that sneering at and being condescending to people is going to make them see sense then it's probably better to look at why so many people feel they are being failed by their current leaders.

@Linguini, Macron is not handing out any money to his mates. He may be arrogant but is not corrupt.
She is totally pro-Putin.
Bannon ans friends etc did as good a job in France as in the UK and the US apparently... Trying to put off the left from voting for Macron... He is a former banker but was not born especially rich, and is essentially centre-left, believes in social safety nets etc, was part of Holland's socialist government, and praised by Varoufakis in his role as finance minister during the Greece crisis.
Incidentally her name is Le Pen - you're not much of an actual expert, are you...

Sorry for the rudeness. As a French person this is making me sick, the thought she might win. I've agreed to carry several proxy votes for Macron voters. It will be my pleasure to drop their three votes as well as mine for him tomorrow.

Misspelling Hollande's name too 🤦‍♀️

@FromEden

The electorate in general can be very stupid sometimes

Labeling people who vote in a way you feel is "wrong" as stupid is part of the problem. Unless you think that sneering at and being condescending to people is going to make them see sense then it's probably better to look at why so many people feel they are being failed by their current leaders.

Indeed.

The same happened here, with voters being labeled stupid, both in the Brexit Referendum and the GE. I suppose it's easier than trying to work out why the shift to the right is happening.

It's condescending and shortshited behaviour from the losing parties.

It's condescending and shortshited behaviour from the losing parties.

This sounds like weak blackmailing, tbh. 'Shortsighted', as if we were soon going to regret dismissing the Brexit/Le Pen voters.
And it be a lot less 'condescending' if we tilted our heads and tried to 'understand why the shift to the right happened'?
I think in any population there's always 30% of people with authoritarian/paranoid tendencies who will vote accordingly if the conditions are right. It is/would be especially pointless to pander to them.
It's when circumstances align to suppress liberal votes that the far-right wins imo.
I also remember when Brexiters used to justify their vote by saying 'look at all the racist parties on the continent! Look at how they treated Greece and how they treat refugees, we don't have anything in common with this lot!' And now here they are, ranting at Macron being the elite like the average National Front voter

And *would it be a lot less condescending

Yes, but in addition to the usual far right nutters we now have many more voter, usually more centric or even left, joining. It doesn't happen by suppressing the liberal vote.

Unless this is addresses without the usual dismissal it will get worse. Calling it pandering doesn't help.

No, Zemmour + LP combined still aren't polling above 30% of the population as far as I can see.
The final result can be a 50/50 share without LP getting more than 30% of registered voters.
Last time, Macron got a 66% share of the second vote and LP got 33, but for Macron that was 40% of registered voters and for LP, 22%.
If they get 50/50 this time, it may not be more than 30% of registered voters.
In the same way that Brexit got 52% of votes for a 37% share of the registered population

I think labelling voters stupid is wrong. The word you're looking for is racist. Racist people aren't stupid or my personal favourite 'ignorant'. They know exactly what they're doing.

Not overly hopeful, but go Marine!

@Linguini

The problem is Macron, not Le Penn.

Le Penn isn't a "Putin supporter" she took a Russian loan which she's currently paying back but name anyone in politics who hasn't received Russian money. That's pretty much how Putin achieved global support until now.

Le Penn has always kept him at arms length and referred to Russia neurally, not supportively.

Macron however is a detached elite banker who hands millions out to his elite friends for no reason and let's Putin wrap him around his little finger. Macron has no connection to real working people of France.

Le Penn is actively trying to address the cost of living crisis. This speaks to the real people of France while Macron is too remote.

If Le Penn isn't a Putin supporter then she wouldn't have put pictures of him in her manifesto and then pulped thousands of copies when he invaded Ukraine. Whatever you think of Macron, Le Penn is not the answer. He's done good things. She is dangerous.

@Usou

People are obviously being taken in by the "far-right" descriptions in the MSM.

Regarding Putin, he previously made a number of points that would have found considerable sympathy around the west - that would have evaporated with the invasion of Ukraine.

Many people have followed Le Penn and her family for years. We don't need to read the MSM to understand her motives.

@Viviennemary

I think its up to the French who they elect. Its none of our business.

Doesn't stop it being a worry

@Linguini

It's worryingly similar to how Trump beat Clinton.

It wasn't because Trump was great in the slightest but because Clinton was so awful.

Macron is looking like The Clintons now and it's not popular.

I agree. This is starting to look very like Trump vs Clinton. It also has obvious echoes of the Brexit referendum in the U.K.

In both cases millions of ordinary working class people became disillusioned with out of touch ‘establishment’ politicians who governed in the interests of their billionaire paymasters, exported skilled manufacturing jobs in the name of ‘green’ dogma and imposed uncontrolled mass immigration on communities who were never asked if that was what they wanted. Eventually those people felt they had nothing left to lose and voted for change. France may be about to have its Trump / Brexit moment, and if it does it will be exactly what its political elite deserves.

establishment’ politicians who governed in the interests of their billionaire paymasters, exported skilled manufacturing jobs in the name of ‘green’ dogma and imposed uncontrolled mass immigration on communities who were never asked if that was what they wanted.

Well Macron did none of that, so...
I don't think people in France are complaining about out of control immigration, that's your country's tune, sorry.
in France it's more that some people are upset by Muslims being Muslims.
People are complaining about the cost of living, which is far less than here, incidentally, and say he's arrogant. That's the main complaint.
As for skilled jobs outsourced 'due to the green mantra', as you know outsourcing manufacturing started in the 80s and the aim was for people in the West to be able to buy more crap for less, it sure as hell want for green credentials. I'm not going to elaborate. It's Farage's latest idea to blame all current ills on the green agenda, and your post is the first one I see on social media that is laying this ground work for that narrative.

@IpanemaFleur

She recently had to dump 5 million campaign leaflets because it showed a picture of her and Putin together. She is very much pro Putin.

I think there is a picture of the Queen with Putin in a carriage on a state occasion. Other world leaders pictured with Putin include:

Macron
Angela Merkel
Tony Blair
George W Bush
Chirac
Theresa May
Joe Biden

Do you think the story about Le Pen pulping pictures of her and Putin might be propaganda? Why would she need to that when pictures exist of all those I've listed with Putin exist-including Macron!

Have some wit.

Yes but she isn't a world leader, she went to see him as she aligns with him and admired him, she got a loan, he endorsed her, she talked about what a great man he is in 2017

I'm trying to post a picture of a loved up Macron and Putin. I've downloaded it to my computer and I've pressed choose file but it won't upload it.

That was in 2017.

I think you'll find, @Fawful that, as well as dozens of pictures of smiling world leaders-and lowly politicians- with Putin you'll also find that it is probably rarer to find a hen's tooth than a leader who hasn't got into bed with Putin.

Shocking ain't it and easier to stick fingers in the ears while whistling, "Say it ain't so!"

Well you can, but Macron doesn't want to exit NATO, and he imposed sanctions on Russia.
He's a world leader so it's in his job description to meet Putin.
Le Pen was so proud of that pic she had it in her leaflet.
And I remember her Putin love-in from when it happened - I was hoping it would count against her, but she's keeping quiet now, obvs.

I think Macron’s economic reforms aren’t very popular, wants to raise the retirement age etc.