French presidential electio

[longfingernails]

Can they both lose please?

Sarkozy is a disgrace to the conservative cause. We had such high hopes when he came in.

Hollande would be fantastic for Britain in the short-term because of the exodus of talented people towards our shores his policies would cause. But medium-term his socialist policies would be bad for Europe (Sarkozy's socialist policies are already bad enough).

Neither candidate has a plan for France to halt her unfortunate decline.

"We"?.... are you French? Did you vote for Sarkozy?

The Royal We probably. Or she refers to the Randian cabal straddling the globe of which she fantasises she's a member.

If Sarkozy's a socialist in her book I now err on the side of believing OP to be an Ayn Rand disciple in which case she should know the cruel capitalist cow lived her entire old age ON BENEFITS.

Why did she grow old on benefits? not because the socialists took pitty but because the capitalist cow and her sociopathic chums create a political and economic environment where there is such inequality, without benefits we might die or worse.......rebel.

Any french government of any type will still have it's hands tied by the IMF.
At least Sarkozy gives great value entertainment.

Yes sadly since the political demise of Berlusconi the world is running low on political comedy.

It will be interesting to see how the election is affected by the Front National under Marine Le Pen, and the Front de Gauche, under Jean-Luc Mélenchon.

Both these parties seem to have more popular appeal, and more charismatic leaders, than any British counterparts.

Exit polls have started to come out.

Looks like Hollande has won the 1st round, but not by much - around 27.5% to 25.5%.

Melenchon is much lower than expected, Le Pen has done far better than expected (not much behind Sarkozy).

It's clearly going to be Hollande winning the 2nd round.

I think Sarko will win. I thought it all along, even when the pundits were telling us otherwise. It looks like the right's vote is bigger than the left's if you include the 20% odd of Le Pen.

I am surprised that the greens got as much as 2%.

I am also not surprised by the poorer than expected showing of the far left. I think the French public saw through the act and the media polls.

Many Le Pen voters are left-wing - for the same reason that the BNP only really gets strong results in ex-Labour heartlands.

I think you are wrong. If they were left, they would vote for the left in order to stop Sarkozy. But Sarkozy will win, I think.

Low on political comedy , let me introduce you to Dwiddle dee and Dwiddle dum(ber) aka Dave and George.

Many Le Pen voters are left-wing - for the same reason that the BNP only really gets strong results in ex-Labour heartlands.

That's the dumbest thing I've ever read. You think fascism is a left-wing disease?

It is a fact that the BNP do well in ex-Labour heartlands - like Barking and Dagenham.

Barking & Dagenham are back in Labour hands now - but for a while I think it had about a dozen BNP councillors.

It is a fact that the BNP do well in ex-Labour heartlands - like Barking and Dagenham.

So, from this you conclude that fascism is left wing?

But we are mnot talking about the BNP. We are discussing the Front National. Do you really think that the approx. 20% who voted for Le Pen are working class?

First of all, Labour isn't 'left-wing'. It hasn't been for decades.

The reason the BNP will perform better in Labour areas than Conversative, is because Labour votes are traditionally - surprise surprise - concerned with labour and labour conditions.

The BNP - and fascism generally - provide a convenient scapegoat for high unemployment and low wages.

Since Labour voters are more likely to be working class, rather than have comfortable middle-class lifestyles or be 'independently wealthy', it is not surprising that more ex-Labour voters will vote BNP than Conservative voters when there is high unemployment and people are afraid of jobs, job losses, and working conditions.

To claim that this means that the BNP is 'left wing' is a sort of fantastical and twisted Alice in Wonderland logic.

The BNP are economically left-wing. In fact they are generally an authoritarian left-wing party.

Here is some short analysis which says it far more cogently

iaindale.blogspot.co.uk/2009/02/why-bnp-is-left-wing-and-fascist.html

Anyway - back to France - I am puzzled as to why Jean-Luc Melenchon did so much worse than expected. He barely beat Bayrou.

'I am puzzled as to why Jean-Luc Melenchon did so much worse than expected'

I think the pollsters and media boosted him up. The public never fell for the act.

Yes - it is reminiscent of the way the BBC continually give publicity to the Greens and essentially ignore UKIP.