http://www.newsweek.com/frances-front-national-accepts-eu9m-loan-russian-bank-286999
Honi soit qui mal y pense?
QuoteFrance's Front National Accepts €9m Loan From Russian Bank
France's nationalist Front National took out a €9 million loan from a Moscow-based First Czech Russian Bank, the party's treasurer told French radio on Monday.
Front National, which has surged in the polls, with leader Marine Le Pen now a serious contender for president, explained they took out the loan from a bank owned by Kremlin ally Roman Popov, because the party were denied a loan from European lenders.
"What is scandalous is that French banks aren't lending," Le Pen told French daily newspaper Le Monde.
"We asked everyone for a loan, lenders from Spain, Italy, the US, Asia and Russia," Le Pen added.
Some are more sceptical about the nature of the transaction from the Moscow bank to Front National.
The party has been vocal in advocating pro-Russian policies in France, with Le Pen famously proposing the abolition of the EU creation of a 'pan-European' union to include Russia, but not Turkey, during her presidential candidate speech in Paris in 2011. She has also criticised the suspension of a deal to deliver French-built warships to Russia over the Ukraine crisis.
"The explanation for the loan is a bit ridiculous," Peter Kreko director of Budapest's Political Capital Institute told Newsweek.
"This would be a high risk loan for a bank to lend to a political party. When it is such a huge amount of money I can't imagine the transaction was purely economic and had no political dimension," Kreko added.
Kreko explained that it is not coincidental that pro-Russian parties like Front National are receiving support from Moscow, rather that they are part of a Kremlin-backed initiative to impact European policy by supporting pro-Russian parties in the European parliament.
Parties like Hungary's Jobbik, Italy's Northern League and Bulgaria's Ataka all have close ties with Moscow and some, as in Jobbik's case, have ongoing investigation over ties with Russian government funding.
"If you add together the pro-Russian radical left and right parties in Europe they make up about 20% of the European Parliament," says Kreko.
"Add mainstream supporters such as Hungary's Fidesz or the Czech Republic's Social Democratic Party and the pro-Russian bloc in Europe is even bigger," Kreko added.
The European Alliance for Freedom, the joint EU parliament alliance between, Ukip and Swedish, Belgian and Austrian anti-immigration parties told Newsweek that, before leaving the alliance in September, Front National were the only party in the group to not be funded by their respective state.
The alliance would not speculate on how Front National was or is currently funded. Le Pen has denied there is anything illegal about the loan her party took out.
Hardly surprising, given how extreme right wing movements within the EU, such as Front National, UKIP or the New Right (the party of the bow-tie-sporting Polish racist) are trying to dismantle the union, which is clearly in Russia's interest. The only question is whether we are dealing with useful idiots or traitors.
http://www.thelocal.at/20141125/right-wing-freedom-party-visits-moscow-for-talks
QuoteAustria's far-right 'courting' Russia
The leader of Austria's right-wing Freedom Party (FPÖ), Heinz-Christian Strache, is in Moscow for a discussion on "overcoming the crisis in Europe".
This comes amid speculation as to whether the FPÖ might have received financial support from Russia, after a Moscow strategy paper seen by German media revealed that Russian President Vladimir Putin has been advised to influence Europe through right-wing populist parties including Alternativ für Deutschland (AfD).
The round-table discussion is being chaired by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
Strache is accompanied by the chairman of the Vienna FPÖ Johann Gudenus, the party's foreign policy spokesman Johannes Hübner, and science spokesman Andreas Karlsböck. In a press statement the FPÖ said that the meeting was being attended by politicians, scientists and experts from across Europe.
After France's far-right National Front party admitted to securing a €9 million Russian bank loan in what appears to be a Kremlin bet on the future of French politics, Austrian newspapers speculated as to whether the FPÖ might also have benefited financially from its open support for Putin. Gudenus immediately denied this.
The national manager for the social democrats, Norbert Darabos, said that he found "the extent to which the FPÖ has recently courted Russia very striking". He called on Strache to speak out, rather than relying on Gudenus, and explain the nature of the "strategic friendship".
On Tuesday Strache released a statement from Moscow saying "we are confident of our neutrality and do not receive any financial contributions". He added that he was keen to know if the SPÖ was getting any money from the US for its anti-Russian, pro-Nato position.
It's funny how Russia can't help being the empire of the dark side in any global political struggle. It didn't work with communism so they are now trying to do it with a fascist internationale (no matter how ridiculous it sounds).
Parties like UKIP or Front National are the modern day equivalent of communist parties in the 1950s.
Time for a McCarthy to emerge.
Honni soit qui mal y pense :P
To think Le Pen started used to be a hardcore anticommunist...
Quote from: Duque de Bragança on November 26, 2014, 04:26:20 AM
Honni soit qui mal y pense :P
To think Le Pen started used to be a hardcore anticommunist...
It beats me why people think that Putin's Russia has anything to do with communism. :huh:
Quote from: Martinus on November 26, 2014, 04:56:59 AM
Quote from: Duque de Bragança on November 26, 2014, 04:26:20 AM
Honni soit qui mal y pense :P
To think Le Pen started used to be a hardcore anticommunist...
It beats me why people think that Putin's Russia has anything to do with communism. :huh:
If you prefer, Jean-Marie was very anti-soviet in the old days.
Comintern has been reborn has an ultra right wing group>?
Quotewith leader Marine Le Pen now a serious contender for president,
How serious?
Quote from: Peter Wiggin on November 26, 2014, 08:12:29 AM
Quotewith leader Marine Le Pen now a serious contender for president,
How serious?
They were the biggest party in the Euro elections and dhe's ahead in the polls. She has been moving party policy away from the fringes (to the disgust of dad)
Recent releases from the Mitrovkhin archive have shown that some of the leadership in the Norwegian No to EEC campaign from the 1970s were paid KGB agents.
I think that people who get paid by the KGB to keep doing what they are already doing are the prime example of Lenin's useful idiots.
Quote from: Gups on November 26, 2014, 08:18:05 AM
Quote from: Peter Wiggin on November 26, 2014, 08:12:29 AM
Quotewith leader Marine Le Pen now a serious contender for president,
How serious?
They were the biggest party in the Euro elections and dhe's ahead in the polls. She has been moving party policy away from the fringes (to the disgust of dad)
Not a real contender for president, but she's the last hope of Hollande to be president again, if she makes it to the run-off, which is very likely, since it will become a vote against Le Pen and not a vote pro-Hollande. This would work for the conservatives as well, as in 2002, but they are not in such as desperate position, unlike Hollande who is the worst president of the 5th Republic.
Quote from: Martinus on November 26, 2014, 04:56:59 AM
Quote from: Duque de Bragança on November 26, 2014, 04:26:20 AM
Honni soit qui mal y pense :P
To think Le Pen started used to be a hardcore anticommunist...
It beats me why people think that Putin's Russia has anything to do with communism. :huh:
No communism of course, but he is definitely playing on a bit of USSR, authoritarian nostalgia. It is often quite present when you see man-on-the-street Russians speaking in glorious terms about taking back Crimea and such. Example:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jRqnhdOvwys#t=157
Interestingly, I don't know if it ever really went away, but a Russian news item I saw a couple weeks ago, showcasing a military air unit, had the officers using the 'ol "comrade-major" form of address.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YEt41bYQBgE
I wonder if we can get a reaction from Claude Rains?
Quote from: Sheilbh on November 26, 2014, 10:07:24 PM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YEt41bYQBgE
I wonder if we can get a reaction from Claude Rains?
The Russian commies at least were adept at inspiring music. :P
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Ali04XRq88
Quote from: Martinus on November 26, 2014, 03:28:41 AM
Hardly surprising, given how extreme right wing movements within the EU, such as Front National, UKIP or the New Right (the party of the bow-tie-sporting Polish racist) are trying to dismantle the union, which is clearly in Russia's interest. The only question is whether we are dealing with useful idiots or traitors.
The New Yorker article on Merkel in the other thread has this quote on Merkel's view of Putin:
Quote from: German Official"The Chancellor thinks Putin believes that we're decadent, we're gay, we have women with beards"—a reference to Conchita Wurst, an Austrian drag queen who won the 2014 Eurovision song contest. "That it's a strong Russia of real men versus the decadent West that's too pampered, too spoiled, to stand up for their beliefs if it costs them one per cent of their standard of living. That's his wager. We have to prove it's not true."
If that is true, it kind of makes sense that those within the West who agrees with Putin's assessment of us are drawn to him.
Quote from: Jacob on November 26, 2014, 11:15:39 PM
Quote from: German Official"The Chancellor thinks Putin believes that we're decadent, we're gay, we have women with beards"—a reference to Conchita Wurst, an Austrian drag queen who won the 2014 Eurovision song contest. "That it's a strong Russia of real men versus the decadent West that's too pampered, too spoiled, to stand up for their beliefs if it costs them one per cent of their standard of living. That's his wager. We have to prove it's not true."
If that is true, it kind of makes sense that those within the West who agrees with Putin's assessment of us are drawn to him.
In my amateur analysis, I think that is definitely part of it. But the authoritarian manipulation is very much there as well, and the desire to bring back some of the old territory into the Russo-sphere.
I could have loaned them a million. I'd want concessions though if they won.
Quote from: Ed Anger on November 26, 2014, 11:22:20 PM
I could have loaned them a million. I'd want concessions though if they won.
How many nannies are enough? :rolleyes:
Quote from: Tonitrus on November 26, 2014, 11:29:07 PM
Quote from: Ed Anger on November 26, 2014, 11:22:20 PM
I could have loaned them a million. I'd want concessions though if they won.
How many nannies are enough? :rolleyes:
NEED MOAR.
Quote from: Duque de Bragança on November 26, 2014, 05:16:30 AM
Quote from: Martinus on November 26, 2014, 04:56:59 AM
Quote from: Duque de Bragança on November 26, 2014, 04:26:20 AM
Honni soit qui mal y pense :P
To think Le Pen started used to be a hardcore anticommunist...
It beats me why people think that Putin's Russia has anything to do with communism. :huh:
If you prefer, Jean-Marie was very anti-soviet in the old days.
Your comment still makes no sense. Despite being a former KGB apparatchik and bemoaning the fall of the Soviet Union as the "greatest tragedy", Putin's Russia is anything but Soviet. It is a reincarnation of the old Tsarist Russia down to a T, with its return to traditional religion, social conservatism, authoritarianism and imperialism. The extreme right wing, nationalist/fascist anti communists should find such a government a paradise.
It's the fact that some of the nationalists/fascists do not like Putin that is illogical (and stems from historical prejudices), not the opposite.
Quote from: Jacob on November 26, 2014, 11:15:39 PM
Quote from: Martinus on November 26, 2014, 03:28:41 AM
Hardly surprising, given how extreme right wing movements within the EU, such as Front National, UKIP or the New Right (the party of the bow-tie-sporting Polish racist) are trying to dismantle the union, which is clearly in Russia's interest. The only question is whether we are dealing with useful idiots or traitors.
The New Yorker article on Merkel in the other thread has this quote on Merkel's view of Putin:
Quote from: German Official"The Chancellor thinks Putin believes that we're decadent, we're gay, we have women with beards"—a reference to Conchita Wurst, an Austrian drag queen who won the 2014 Eurovision song contest. "That it's a strong Russia of real men versus the decadent West that's too pampered, too spoiled, to stand up for their beliefs if it costs them one per cent of their standard of living. That's his wager. We have to prove it's not true."
If that is true, it kind of makes sense that those within the West who agrees with Putin's assessment of us are drawn to him.
Well, yes. Just as those in the West who agreed with the Soviet assessment of the West in the 1950s were drawn to Stalin. Doesn't make them any less of fools and/or traitors.
And by the way, Stalin was "right" and Putin is "right" - in that this is how the West has been and is. Only that what they see as weakness is in fact and has always been our strength. Stalin is already on the dumpster of history and Putin is heading there as well (along with Le Pen, Farage and Korwin-Mikke).
Quote from: Martinus on November 27, 2014, 03:34:06 AM
It's the fact that some of the nationalists/fascists do not like Putin that is illogical
Only if they're Russian nationalists.
Quote from: Martinus on November 27, 2014, 03:34:06 AM
Quote from: Duque de Bragança on November 26, 2014, 05:16:30 AM
Quote from: Martinus on November 26, 2014, 04:56:59 AM
Quote from: Duque de Bragança on November 26, 2014, 04:26:20 AM
Honni soit qui mal y pense :P
To think Le Pen started used to be a hardcore anticommunist...
It beats me why people think that Putin's Russia has anything to do with communism. :huh:
If you prefer, Jean-Marie was very anti-soviet in the old days.
Your comment still makes no sense. Despite being a former KGB apparatchik and bemoaning the fall of the Soviet Union as the "greatest tragedy", Putin's Russia is anything but Soviet. It is a reincarnation of the old Tsarist Russia down to a T, with its return to traditional religion, social conservatism, authoritarianism and imperialism. The extreme right wing, nationalist/fascist anti communists should find such a government a paradise.
It's the fact that some of the nationalists/fascists do not like Putin that is illogical (and stems from historical prejudices), not the opposite.
Putin is playing the post-Soviet politics very wisely. As you said, he is incorporating all of the traditional Tsarist elements, and at the same time, embracing enough elements of Soviet nostalgia to his side. Really only alienating, and nipping in the bud, the more well-off emerging liberal middle-class, which probably needed at least another generation or two to become a significant force.
Putin will be annoying enough through at least 2024. After that, who the hell knows...I haven't seen any real youthful successors in the wings...except maybe his sycophants. And any of those types are sure to be far more dangerous or unstable.
Quote from: Martinus on November 27, 2014, 03:34:06 AM
Your comment still makes no sense. Despite being a former KGB apparatchik and bemoaning the fall of the Soviet Union as the "greatest tragedy", Putin's Russia is anything but Soviet. It is a reincarnation of the old Tsarist Russia down to a T, with its return to traditional religion, social conservatism, authoritarianism and imperialism. The extreme right wing, nationalist/fascist anti communists should find such a government a paradise.
It's the fact that some of the nationalists/fascists do not like Putin that is illogical (and stems from historical prejudices), not the opposite.
I don't think it's about what Putin is for, but what he's against. By standing up against the US he gets the support of the Europe old Reds. Opposing gay and Muslims appeals to the right wing. Hostility to the EU gets approval from the Euro-skeptics.
Quote from: Razgovory on November 27, 2014, 05:44:45 AM
Quote from: Martinus on November 27, 2014, 03:34:06 AM
Your comment still makes no sense. Despite being a former KGB apparatchik and bemoaning the fall of the Soviet Union as the "greatest tragedy", Putin's Russia is anything but Soviet. It is a reincarnation of the old Tsarist Russia down to a T, with its return to traditional religion, social conservatism, authoritarianism and imperialism. The extreme right wing, nationalist/fascist anti communists should find such a government a paradise.
It's the fact that some of the nationalists/fascists do not like Putin that is illogical (and stems from historical prejudices), not the opposite.
I don't think it's about what Putin is for, but what he's against. By standing up against the US he gets the support of the Europe old Reds. Opposing gay and Muslims appeals to the right wing. Hostility to the EU gets approval from the Euro-skeptics.
Well, it's splitting hairs, especially as most politics these days is more about what you are against than what you are for.