French Right and Centre Primary Election 1st round

[celedhring]

everyone but Germany?!

They are coming along.

Damn maybe 2007 was the new Great Depression in more ways than we thought.

Who is left to play the Allies though? Us and Portugal?

[Duque de Bragança]

Spanish media say Fillon wants detente with Russia, wants to ban gay adoption, is an immigration hardliner, wants to ban the burkini...  I guess he'd be better than Le Pen, but color me unexcited 

There are not nearly enough kids to adopt for heteros, let alone homos so that's not a big deal anyways. I suppose the ban of surrogate mothers will be enforced but not even the left is excited at this great civilization advance. 
As for the rest, it was primary election time to fire up the base. What will be left after he is elected? Détente with Russia? Good question, he was Sarko's prime minister and was noted for his moderation.

He is just another provincial conservative, the kind the Parisian right used to make fun of in the '80s. Probably more open-minded than Ségolène Royal.

[garbon]

There are not nearly enough kids to adopt for heteros, let alone homos so that's not a big deal anyways.

[Valmy]

Um the Burkini and Immigration stuff though? That is just going to be ignored when going up against the FN? Doubtful.

[Valmy]

There are not nearly enough kids to adopt for heteros, let alone homos so that's not a big deal anyways.

I was about to say. If France needs kids to adopt we have some for export.

Just FYI "kids" includes more than just babies.

[celedhring]

After seeing this and post-Brexit tory government, I guess that's how it's gonna be. Become assholes in order to beat the bigger assholes. Not particularly encouraging.

As an aside, I don't have any problem with the concept of lowering tensions with Russia. I just don't think there's a honest bargainer at the other side of the table.

[Eddie Teach]

I was about to say. If France needs kids to adopt we have some for export.

Just FYI "kids" includes more than just babies.

Yeah, but then you can't lie to them and say they're your biological children.   

[Valmy]

After seeing this and post-Brexit tory government, I guess that's how it's gonna be. Become assholes in order to beat the bigger assholes. Not particularly encouraging.

As an aside, I don't have any problem with the concept of lowering tensions with Russia. I just don't think there's a honest bargainer at the other side of the table.

The Putin Regime's entire reason for existence is an anti-Western crusade. Only if lessening tensions with the West would somehow massively increase the living standards of the average Russian would they be cool with it. Otherwise all it would do is leave nobody left to blame for Putin's failures except Putin.

[Zanza]

everyone but Germany?!

Germany is structurally very conservative and social trends just take ten years longer here than in other Western countries. I hope that the tide will be over then, but let's see. The AfD will win between 10-15% next year.

[Duque de Bragança]

There are not nearly enough kids to adopt for heteros, let alone homos so that's not a big deal anyways.

I was about to say. If France needs kids to adopt we have some for export.

Just FYI "kids" includes more than just babies.

And kids older than babies are much less sought by would-be adopting parents, Monsieur Je sais tout. 
Plus for some reason, not even would-be adopting homosexual couples are interested by US kids, in France at least.

As for immigration, French laws are much more liberal than current US or Canadian hardline immigration laws, the green card system would be called racist by the left-wing luminaries we have here who favor unlimited and unchecked immigration. Is that hardline for you? Not to mention the high unemployment and housing shortages which don't call exactly for mass immigration of low-skilled and hard to assimilate immigrants because that's what France gets and what iss meant by Fillon and others. Again, I will wait to see what's done instead of getting outraged at some empty rhetoric.

Regarding the burkini ban, given how lax the enforcement of the ban of face covering is in some areas, even during the emergency state, I would not lose any sleep over it if some local practitioners of identity politics and their useful idiots get outraged for a while.

The Thatcher part I just don't see how it could be applied with strong unions able to block the country if need be.

The pro-Putin rhetoric I admit is more worrying since that's one of the differences with Juppé or even Sarkozy but then Germany survived Schröder who gave such a strong base for Merkel to do nothing.

[Eddie Teach]

Plus for some reason, not even would-be adopting homosexual couples are interested by US kids, in France at least.

Why not? They'll be French when they're done with them.

[Valmy]

And kids older than babies are much less sought by would-be adopting parents, Monsieur Je sais tout. 

Indeed. Which is why it is a good idea to let gays adopt them. See where I was going there?

[Zanza]

The German conservatives also chose their candidate for next year's election on Sunday. The principle was simple: One person, one vote. The person was Angela Merkel and she declared that she would run again.

[Duque de Bragança]

Plus for some reason, not even would-be adopting homosexual couples are interested by US kids, in France at least.

Why not? They'll be French when they're done with them.

Go ask them. I have no idea why. Maybe it's just that the US is not perceived as a country with lots of orphans and children (since kids triggered some people here  ) for adoption.

Just had a look at Juppé's program. He is in favour of restricting somewhat the Jus Soli. Fillon says nothing on the matter. So much for a hardliner.

Even Le Monde, left of centre if not champagne left nowadays, noted it:
http://www.lemonde.fr/les-decodeurs/article/2016/11/21/primaire-de-la-droite-ce-qui-differencie-fillon-et-juppe-dans-leurs-programmes_5034820_4355770.html

Le droit du sol
Alain Juppé s'est prononcé pour une restriction du droit du sol, qui serait conditionné à la régularité du séjour d'au moins un des deux parents au moment de la naissance. François Fillon n'a pas pris position sur le sujet.

En savoir plus sur http://www.lemonde.fr/les-decodeurs/article/2016/11/21/primaire-de-la-droite-ce-qui-differencie-fillon-et-juppe-dans-leurs-programmes_5034820_4355770.html#BTVMb8CqaPuq0lx5.99

[Duque de Bragança]

And kids older than babies are much less sought by would-be adopting parents, Monsieur Je sais tout. 

Indeed. Which is why it is a good idea to let gays adopt them. See where I was going there?

Yes, to a dead end. Homos are not really interested by them too, at least around here.