Refractory Gauls, or the French politics thread

[Grey Fox]

He wins now, someone destructive in 2027 wins & Macron is back for 2033.

[Duque de Bragança]

Or Jupiter could use the promised seven-year term reform to get two more mandates. 

[Valmy]

Or Jupiter could use the promised seven-year term reform to get two more mandates. 

It was seven years before, so it is not so much a reform but a restoration.

[Duque de Bragança]

Or Jupiter could use the promised seven-year term reform to get two more mandates. 

It was seven years before, so it is not so much a reform but a restoration.

So much for Macron's Nouveau Monde. 

https://www.francetvinfo.fr/politique/emmanuel-macron/desintox-nouveau-monde-les-marcheurs-ont-la-memoire-courte_2826151.html

[Sheilbh]

I think last polls before the election Macron in the lead as you'd expect with a range from 57-53%. I think he might do better than that. Perversely I think there's so much dislike of Macron that France may have shy centrists

[alfred russel]

I think this has been a good election for memes. My favourite - but I love a 36 plot political compass - was the Macron political compass

Did he really say all htose things?

[Sheilbh]

Did he really say all htose things?

All of them at one point or other

He gives a lot of interviews and ranges pretty widely. Plus he's famous for slightly off the cuff remarks that don't always land - like telling an unemployed young person the "all you have to do to find a job is cross the road."

Honestly it's the side of Macron I quite like.

[Duque de Bragança]

Yes.

[Duque de Bragança]

Interesting statistic about people watching the pre-second round debate:

30 millions de téléspectateurs en 1981 et 1988, 20 millions en 2007, 16,4 millions en 2017, et 15,5 millions en 2022.

https://www.lefigaro.fr/vox/medias/herve-beroud-et-marc-olivier-fogiel-debat-d-entre-deux-tours-le-changement-c-est-maintenant-20220423

That's half less people watching with 10 million more people in 40 years.

[Valmy]

I think this has been a good election for memes. My favourite - but I love a 36 plot political compass - was the Macron political compass

He doesn't believe in the Amish system? I mean he is not some reactionary anti-modern Christian fanatic so I guess he doesn't...

And what was the context of that random monarchist remark?

[Habbaku]

I think this has been a good election for memes. My favourite - but I love a 36 plot political compass - was the Macron political compass

He doesn't believe in the Amish system? I mean he is not some reactionary anti-modern Christian fanatic so I guess he doesn't...

And what was the context of that random monarchist remark?

https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/article/emmanuel-macron-policies-beliefs-philosophy

"Democracy is always presented as if it were incomplete, because democracy is not enough by itself," says Macron, elaborating that there is always something missing in the democratic process; some sort of void.

"In French politics, this absence is the presence of a King, a King whom, fundamentally, I don't think the French people wanted dead," said Macron. "The Revolution dug a deep emotional abyss, one that was imaginary and shared: the King is no more!" According to Macron, since the Revolution France has tried to fill this void, most notably with Napoleon and then Charles de Gaulle, which was only partially successful. "The rest of the time," said Macron, "French democracy does not manage to fill this void."

Vive le Roi!

[Duque de Bragança]

Macro, after murdering Tiberius Flanby claimed he wanted to be a "Jupiterian" (sic) president since he did not believe in a "normal" president claimed and incarnated by Hollande.

So in that aspect, Macron did not really flip-flop unlike most of the time.

Priest and nun stabbed today in Nice, but not islamist-motivated it seems.

[Duque de Bragança]

La Libre Belgique claims Marine is ahead in the French colonies overseas departments.    or

https://www.lalibre.be/international/europe/elections-france/2022/04/24/presidentielle-2022-voici-les-premiers-resultats-definitifs-DGWXCHEVXJCD7IAIQ4GHZ5GKWI/

Marine Le Pen termine en tête dans différents départements d'Outre-mer, ressort-il de résultats définitifs que La Libre et LN24 ont pu recouper, peu avant 13h30, auprès de plusieurs sources.

La candidate du Rassemblement national remporte 69,60% des voix (92 106 votes) contre 30,40% (40 229 votes) pour Emmanuel Macron en Guadeloupe. Le taux de participation y est de 47,18%.

En Martinique, la politique d'extrême droite obtient 60,87%, contre 39,13% pour le président sortant. Dans ce département, le taux de participation est de 45,45%.

En Guyane, Marine Le Pen est toujours la plus plébiscitée avec 60,70% (21 734 voix), contre 39,30% (14 073 voix) pour le candidat de la République en marche. Le taux de participation est de 38,89%.

La candidate extrémiste arrive également en tête à Saint-Martin et Saint-Barthélemy, avec 55,42%, contre 44,58 % pour son rival. La participation y est de 38%.

Being ahead in Mayotte would be no surprise, since that territory suffers from huge illegal immigration from Comoros.

If true, it could be the anti-Covid vaccine movement voting against Macron since the vaccination campaign was quite unpopular in French West Indies.

[Duque de Bragança]

French version of the meme posted by Sheilbh. Even better, for the eagle-eyed. 

[Sheilbh]

Turnout so far looks like it's only a point or two below the same time in 2017, which is probably good for Macron.

One thought on normalisation of Le Pen is that I don't think I've seen Macron use the "Republican Front" style politics or rhetoric at all in this election. I'm not sure if that's a choice by him, or if it's a political constraint that it just wouldn't work any more or it's impossible for him? But it is striking that Le Pen and RN are treated as another party rather than a force that you rally all "Republican" politics against.