This French election thing. I#d like Marine to win. Not because of any of her policies or even because of the whiff that surrounds the political philosophy.
But because it looks like it would piss off large numbers of people who I’d like to see being pissed off.
Does that make me a naughty boy?
I must admit, the time in 2017 when it looked like it could be a choice between Marine and Melanchon did have me giggling away. I suspect that Marine would rapidly self destruct anyway, given her policies are mainly socialist insanity.But you are very much a naughty boy 🙂
I have exactly the same thinking. Even though she seems to be something of a Putin supporter, rather her than Macron and to generally upset those who need upsetting. Not going to bet the mortgage on it though.
Can’t they both come second? That works for me.
I suspect that Marine would rapidly self destruct anyway, given her policies are mainly socialist insanity.
You seem to be implying that politicians pursue when elected the policies they stand for election on. How often is that true? I’ve a suspicion an elected Marine will be a somewhat different animal to a campaigning Marine. At the moment she incentivised to get elected. Elected she’ll be incentivised to stay elected.
Such thinking informs 90% of my political opinions.
When Corbyn was going for leader of Labour I was hoping that he would win. Knowing that it would all end in disaster for Labour. I was a naughty bot.
*boy but either is valid.
I’d say Marine is a pragmatist. Her father was an idealist & see where that got him. Same could be said of Melanchon. So the question is whether Marine would continue to be a pragmatist if elected. Micron was a pragmatist to get elected but has turned out to be an idealist in office.
If France left the EU I’d probably laugh myself to death. There’d be a race on to generate renewable power from the mass hand-wringing.
I would think Marine’s game plan would be to stay in the EU, holding the threat of a Frexit referendum to intimidate Brussels. She’ll want to destroy it from within. She wouldn’t want a rEU united against France in the same way it’s been united against the UK. So she’ll sow discord with both hands.
The mystery of Macron is that he devised the policies that destroyed Hollande’s government and he got elected on the very same platform. Once he started trying to enact his programme, the country went wild. What do the people who vote for him expect if he gets a 3rd bite of the cherry? Perhaps the answer is that French politics is some kind of logico-philosophical blackhole, where meaning doesn’t exist
Actually castrate’s a more apt term than destroy.
Feminine charm & all that.
Marine winning relies on enough people disliking Macron sufficiently to vote for anyone else. She is in with a good chance.
BiS: She wouldn’t want a rEU united against France in the same way it’s been united against the UK.
Wouldn’t you agree, however, that the rEU antagonism towards the UK was largely Macron-driven? If Macron loses, will the EU struggle to sustain its political project.
I guess that makes two of us. The REEEEEEEEE will probably echo around the world if she wins
Bookies will offer you 7:1 on a Marine victory. Can’t see it happening myself.
Diogenes
problem is that France has been like that for decades. Pompidou is probablythe last president that one could point at and say that “He wasn’t a crook.” It is like France has to be seen giving a lead to its ex-colonies and so is also run by kleptocrat.
I have an ex-friend who lives down in the south along the Midi canal. We were colleagues and foolishly went on a date a few years ago. It was a disaster. Her twitter feed is Remoaner Central, she has become so deranged that she even quotes Spud and Al Campbell. I have a mind to get a plane down to Toulouse (or wherever) just to see if her head explodes on election night like in Scanners.
For me ideally I would chose between two candidates thinking which one Jesus would vote for.
Sadly in this case I don’t know. However I know which one Muhammad would vote for – and it is not Le Pen
AndyF said:
“Marine winning relies on enough people disliking Macron sufficiently to vote for anyone else.”
Actually it doesn’t. All she needs is for the voters who hate both her and Macron to abstain rather than turn out to vote for him. And that needs them to stop being scared of her, which is what she has been working on for the last few years.
If enough of the Left stay at home, she’ll have enough votes from the Right to win (and she’ll be helped by some votes from the anti-globalisation Left).
But that’s a big if; so far when it’s been a centrist vs a Le Pen, the Left has always turned out to vote against Le Pen.
From this side of the Channel, Macron has caused us a lot of problems over Brexit. Le Pen would not be a friend either, but she would have far less influence against us in the EU (and she’ll be busy with her own battles with Brussels).
So a Le Pen victory would weaken two of our enemies, France and the EU. But that’s living up to the French stereotype of Perfidious Albion.
Plus the evil fun of what Tim says.
Tim, I was hoping for a Zemmour v Le Pen run off, so I’m possibly even naughtier than you.
Seriously, what would the euro elite make of that. And YTF didn’t the bloody French vote that way?! It could have been glorious.
#metoo 🙂
I would think Marine’s game plan would be to stay in the EU, holding the threat of a Frexit referendum to intimidate Brussels.
Nicole Esturgeon.
You and me both Tim.
I have the same attitude as I did to the announcement of C4 privatisation. I couldn’t care less either way, but enjoying seeing the exploding heads makes me inclined to privatisation/Le Pen.