Refractory Gauls, or the French politics thread

[Duque de Bragança]

So I hear mega Olympics security restrictions have started in Paris which is basically the 15 minute city conspiracy nonsense made real with needing QR codes to get into different parts of the city?
Gallic conspiracy nuts going off it?

I know I probably should not ask, but what is this 15 minute city conspiracy theory?

QR codes are needed in some parts of the city, along the Seine namely, specially on the inauguration ceremony day, i.e 26th.

[Gups]

So I hear mega Olympics security restrictions have started in Paris which is basically the 15 minute city conspiracy nonsense made real with needing QR codes to get into different parts of the city?
Gallic conspiracy nuts going off it?

I know I probably should not ask, but what is this 15 minute city conspiracy theory?

QR codes are needed in some parts of the city, along the Seine namely, specially on the inauguration ceremony day, i.e 26th.

Don't. It's linked to the world economic forum conspiracy. The 15 minute city idea is that everyone shoudl be able to access shops, green space, public facilities within a 15 minute walk/bike ride/bus journey. The conspiracy is that the forces of evil are going to stop people travelling outside their designated areas. Jon Ronson did a good episode on it in his podcast.

[Duque de Bragança]

So I hear mega Olympics security restrictions have started in Paris which is basically the 15 minute city conspiracy nonsense made real with needing QR codes to get into different parts of the city?
Gallic conspiracy nuts going off it?

I know I probably should not ask, but what is this 15 minute city conspiracy theory?

QR codes are needed in some parts of the city, along the Seine namely, specially on the inauguration ceremony day, i.e 26th.

Don't. It's linked to the world economic forum conspiracy. The 15 minute city idea is that everyone shoudl be able to access shops, green space, public facilities within a 15 minute walk/bike ride/bus journey. The conspiracy is that the forces of evil are going to stop people travelling outside their designated areas. Jon Ronson did a good episode on it in his podcast.

Yeah, I had heard about the 15 minute city idea, not that it prepared me for this new conspiracy theory.

  All hail long commutes and long shopping trips, car only!

[Josquius]

As said I've not heard anyone linking the two. But I have heard a lot of people are pissed off and the setup does sound a bit like what the conspiracists were saying - obvious why they'd be doing it in Paris at the moment but you know how the crazies get in general and  France seems quite ripe at the moment.
Good if links aren't being made!

Saw one amusing video of a delivery driver having to pass a parcel over a security fence to somebody as he didn't have the right code. Can't find it again

[grumbler]

If Napoleon had really cared about succession, he would have followed the Roman example who forms he parroted and named an adopted successor from one of his leading marshals or statesmen.  Instead, there was a revolving door of his Corsican mafia siblings, with Joseph effectively out when installed in Spain and Louis being banished. Louis was probably the best of them but committed the unforgivable crimes of not groveling to his brother. Statesmanlike concern for the good of the commonwealth does not seem to have been the key motivating factor.

His creation of an office where he could name a successor was defensive: it removed (or, at least, he believed it removed) a lot of motivation to assassinate him. 

[grumbler]

But Britain existed and had interests, just like Austria and Russia. The interests were different as an off-shore imperial power but I think Napoleon was far less able to ever accept them (or understand them possibly).

As I say any durable peace would need to involve reconciliation and a role for the British in Europe - denying that or attempting to freeze them out was an inevitable path to war. And if you manage to get the British and Russians to ally then you've fucked up in some way.

This sounds very much like the Russian argument as to why they invaded Ukraine:  "they were mean so they forced me to invade."  The UK had peace after the Treaty of Amiens and they unilaterally broke the peace.

Russia and the UK allied wasn't the deal in 1805 that it was in 1914.  The two nations had no competing interests in 1805, and, in fact, the UK was the major customer for Russia's brisk trade in naval material (hard wood).

[Syt]

naval material (hard wood).

[The Minsky Moment]

This sounds very much like the Russian argument as to why they invaded Ukraine:  "they were mean so they forced me to invade."  The UK had peace after the Treaty of Amiens and they unilaterally broke the peace.

I don't think the analogy in the first sentence holds although I definitely agree with the second sentence.

The war party in Britain feared the growth in French power under Bonaparte, viewed conflict with the traditional rival as inevitable and were worried that waiting further could result in further consolidation of power by France and a weakening of Britain's relative position.

[Valmy]

The war party in Britain feared the growth in French power under Bonaparte, viewed conflict with the traditional rival as inevitable and were worried that waiting further could result in further consolidation of power by France and a weakening of Britain's relative position.

I mean I guess they weren't wrong. Though they could have just waited and seen how Napoleon's ignorance about the world outside Europe was going to result in his disastrous colonial policies.

[The Minsky Moment]

The British got worked up over the collapse of the Swiss satellite state, while much of the rest of Europe justifiably saw that episode as a nothingburger. It wasn't the 15th century, the Swiss had long since ceased being a key strategic piece on the board, and it's not like the Helvetic Republic was pursuing a vigorously independent foreign policy in the first place.

[Josquius]

The British got worked up over the collapse of the Swiss satellite state, while much of the rest of Europe justifiably saw that episode as a nothingburger. It wasn't the 15th century, the Swiss had long since ceased being a key strategic piece on the board, and it's not like the Helvetic Republic was pursuing a vigorously independent foreign policy in the first place.

Wasn't Switzerland before the French revolution basically a French satellite though?
Weird it would matter

[Crazy_Ivan80]

Apparently some serious sabotage on the TGV network.

[Duque de Bragança]

Sabotage, well coordinated. Only the high-speed South-East lines from Paris were unaffected. Linked to the Olympic Games I'd say.


https://www.lefigaro.fr/conjoncture/en-direct-jo-2024-attaque-massive-a-la-sncf-peripherique-tres-perturbe-journee-noire-dans-les-transports-avant-la-ceremonie-d-ouverture-20240726

Blue lines are high-speed lines. Blank explosion sign means a sabotage attempt was thwarted.

[Crazy_Ivan80]

Russians?

[Duque de Bragança]

https://www.lefigaro.fr/conjoncture/en-direct-jo-2024-attaque-massive-a-la-sncf-peripherique-tres-perturbe-journee-noire-dans-les-transports-avant-la-ceremonie-d-ouverture-20240726

Russians? Could be.

https://rmc.bfmtv.com/actualites/societe/transports/sabotage-a-la-sncf-c-est-un-mode-operatoire-prise-des-russes-selon-un-specialiste-du-terrorisme_AP-202407260280.html


There was a Russian arrested a couple days ago, charged with opening ceremony sabotage attempt:
https://www.lejdd.fr/societe/jo-paris-2024-un-russe-soupconne-de-preparer-des-actions-de-destabilisation-politique-ete-mis-en-examen-147849