French election thread
 

since the election is this sunday, I thought we could start a thread.

I speak French fluently and because of that can keep up with the reporting.

I always liked their system for choosing a President, a first round where everyone runs, basically a "jungle primary" and a second round where the two top contenders square off.

Usually, the race is between the left-leaning "Socialist" candidate and the center-right "Republicain" candidate, but 2017 is a free for all.

The current President François Hollande is so unpopular, he did not even run for re-election.

His replacement, the official "Socialist" candidate Benoit Hamon is so far behind in the polls, he will not make the second round.

The official "Republicain" UMP candidate, former PM François Filion is in the middle of a huge scandal and also will probaly not make the 2nd round.

The leading contenders are:

-Emmanuel Macron, 40 year old Boy wonder. Former "Socialist" minister who left to found his own party. He seems to be center-left. Think JFK, Bill Clinton.

-Marine Le Pen, the Front National candidate. Extreme right-wing. Think Alt-right/white-nationalist/Trump.

-Jean-Luc Melenchon, also has his own party, has been rising in the polls and has a real shot. Extreme left. Think Bernie Sanders.

predictions for First round results?

I will go with:

Macron - 1st
Le Pen - 2nd

Apparently, some Banks are so worried about the result, they have asked their staff to be at their desks Sunday night so they can react quickly depending on the results.

I should imagine the EU will be watching developments extremely closely.

My prediction for a few weeks now has been Macron 1st and Le Pen 2nd but after yesterdays Paris gun attack it is hard to guess just what effect that will have on the voters.

The two traditional parties (both of whom lost in the first round for the first time) are now appealing to their supporters to side with Macron in an effort to keep Le Pen out.

Not much too say as we all knew Le Pen would get though round one but all the smart money is on Macron to win round two.

Polls are giving Macron around 60% for the second round, but this is not 2002. I was watching the coverage on TV5 and the "Front National" spokesmen are much more polished these days. Le Pen will do better than her father.

I should imagine the other 26 EU members (not including the UK) will be hoping the same way.

Foregone conclusion or I will eat a slice of pizza, not a fan of pizza just to add. :)

Well, if I'm to be honest, I'd like to see Le Pen win because she reminds me of Thatcher and May....the potential to be a strong leader, even in the face of adversity. Something which is sadly lacking in many a countries leadership nowadays.

Here's something for those of you who aren't quite sure what's going on.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hkZir1L7fSY

I would kek if Le-Pen would win.

Personally i would rather Le Pen win, mainly because of the serious issues that her country faces something we haven't endured because of the Channel, time the EU broke up i cannot stand it i hate the EU with a passion.

I don't hate the EU, but if I were a citizen of EU member state I would campaighn to my Government to either force reform of the EU or leave EU, as EU in it's current form while beneficial in a number of ways appears to be un democratic in nature.

However if such a reform did pass I would support partial transfer of soverenity to EU for the economies of scale, as the EU authorities would be accountable to me, as their voter.

The French are pissed of the two main parties ( at least for the time being, i think next elections in five years we are back to business as normal). If their candidates now urge the French not to vote for LePen, but Macron, this could result in exactly the opposite of what they hope to acchieve - a backfiring, and people turning towards LePen right because the main parties told them not to vote for her.

I will tolerate whoever does the bigger damage to the EU. I cannot stand the FN and LePen, but I would stay put and silent if they win.

The EU will be knocked for six if France left but remains standing, only Germany withdrawing will see the collapse and i don't see France or Germany leaving in the next 10 years. NF is like our UKIP nothing more than a protest vote.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-39695686

Hopefully France can take back their country, and fill up some internment camps. :salute:

So is it as easy to vote illegally in Europe as it is in the US?

I have never liked the format i quote the president of Europe "There will be no reforms" how can you work in a system that cannot reform or adapt? eventually people will grow sick and tired of stagnation as they did in the soviet union.

I do not like the fact that a foreign court can over rule our own sovereign courts the supreme court should be the final step not Strasbourg.

I do not like the fact they have a flag my country has one and its quite a nice flag i have no need for a bit of blue with some gold on it.

I have a Monarch who is head of state whom i respect whom i swore allegiance too, i never have or will ever support that idea for Europe

I cannot stand the fact that Europe is trying to present itself as a united state or super state i want no part of that full stop I am British I have my country my island i do not want some ponce in a foreign land telling me i'm doing it wrong (hypocritical i know)

My family fought and some died to ensure that we have the freedom of today

I see Europe as a new form of a "Communist socialist state" in terms of Mr Junker who elected you? oh right no one in Europe.

I see Europe as a want to be country, a want to be state, one that does away with national identity, does away with things a lot of people still hold dear to them regardless of the country they are in.

France is the 3rd largest economy in the EU behind Germany and Britain i cant see the EU lasting should France pulls out because you have the leech countries still draining money away Greece Spain are two of the culprits, yet i pass by many signs in those countries that says "sponsored by the EU" oh wait that means mugs like me, yet i have never seen such a sign in the UK it just seems we put in we get sod all out.

Bring back the borders a lot of the terrorist problems in France and Germany were caused because of the free movement idea, thank god we never signed shengen ! its easy to commit a crime in Paris and skip across to Poland and then out of the EU how the heck would you ever be found ?

Do people in the EU parliament not get the ordinary man the working class of all Europe are sick and tired of being told were better off when in reality we are not?

My industry has suffered hugely because of the EU before the implementation of the DCPC certification in my industry we were thriving the day it came in we lost nearly 15,000 highly skilled workers we went from having around 12,000 short to over 35,000 in the proceeding years and its the same across all of the EU the same thing.

The EU even bars us from fining people who flout EU laws in the UK ! come on they can do it in France Germany Belgium but the UK oh no!

What about Sweden ? members of Shengen oh wait because of the problems with migrants they withdrew does that not tell you there is a massive issue that needs to be solved? when i was in Malmo a few months back the Swedish prime minister announced publicly that 16,000 refugees will be returned home in 2017 due to their false statements and false applications this is after Sweden stated it would take 100,000 of them that's a big portion in one year and nope the EU bods stick head firmly in the sand.

A lot of people would label me racist (which would be incorrect the definition of racist is the belief that one ethnic race (not religion) is superior to another) and Xenophobic (the fear of foreigners and foreign influence), neither is true i believe that if you have a genuine claim and you are at risk you should be granted asylum no matter where you are from, however the majority who make false claims label and tarnish this and those who genuinely do need the assistance suffer because of other peoples selfish acts.

For me the EU is one bad apple and it does need to be cast out with something better in place the EU went wrong when it became political the concept of free market system free movement is a good one but its being used as a loaded gun to members heads and that is not right.

I hope France votes for Le Pen and i hope she does exit the EU the British have shown you the light and the way follow us.

The only core issue that I see in the EU is it's un-democratic nature and that issue would be a deal breaker for me (if I was a citezens of EU member state). However I would be for federalised United States of Europe if that issue was solved and the EU leadership was accountable to me as a voter, either directly or indirectly.

Majority of other problems people see with such system (ie internal migration) can be solved (ie by barriers to said internal migration). However one must first solve the core issue and probably change the ideology behind EU leadership, because without the later it would be hard to solve lesser problems (ie internal migration).

I have no issue with EU citizens coming and taking jobs in the UK because we go over there and do the same so its a fair game, it also gives a lot of diversity and choice a lot of my guys are Romanian simply because British people don't want to do the work any more its a bit like the old commonwealth when Jamaicans came to the UK to fill the vacancies for Bus drivers in the 50's and 60's

I myself have worked in many EU and Non EU countries and found it a nice challenge and change. it can only be said though it has to work both ways and unfortunately it doesn't.

The real problem came when the EU opened its doors to countries like Romania and said no controls the value of the £1 does go a long way in Romania many of my lads have 6-8 bedroom houses and acres of land back home through British wages they live on £40 per week send it home that no good for a domestic economy, what i am paying them does not get reinvested into the British system its being farmed out and theirs only so much farming out you can do before you crash.

Can i blame the people for doing it? nope absolutely not who wouldn't want to work hard for a better life?

As I have said - you can have internal migration controls.

Just not with current EU elites.

Some of the press are now saying that Macron is just another Hollande but in a different suit.

Was it just a coincidence Macron threw a rather lavish celebratory party after his first round victory at the same outrageously expensive cafe Hollande celebrated in when he won the first round back during his election? :hmmm: