French presidential election 2017

southendkid · May 12, 2017

Shrimpers are Magic said:
No, but if I had it, I'd stick it on her winning next time around if things don't change in France. France voted Macron to stop Le Pen being elected - a victory yes but hardly a glowing endorsement. What about the millions that voted for her, are they all raging right wing racists or people concerned with how the landscape is rapidly changing? The left have already been kicked out - carry on ignoring ordinary people and ordinary people have a habit of biting you hard on the arse.

It's not quite Brexit or the US Election where the vote was very close, she lost by over 10 million votes, and considering only 31 million votes were cast properly that's a very big difference, if someone as unpopular as Macron can win by a landslide I can't see Le Pen getting in any time soon.

I suspect if Macron does a poor job most people will be keen to get back to the status quo and elect someone from the mainstream parties rather than Le Pen.

Tangled up in Blue · May 12, 2017

southendkid said:
It's not quite Brexit or the US Election where the vote was very close, she lost by over 10 million votes, and considering only 31 million votes were cast properly that's a very big difference, if someone as unpopular as Macron can win by a landslide I can't see Le Pen getting in any time soon.

I suspect if Macron does a poor job most people will be keen to get back to the status quo and elect someone from the mainstream parties rather than Le Pen.

Yes.There's always that possibility.Don't discount Mélechon, on the far left, getting enough votes in 5 years time to make the second round though.Now that would be interesting.

yogi bear up the cagire · May 14, 2017

southendkid said:
It's not quite Brexit or the US Election where the vote was very close, she lost by over 10 million votes, and considering only 31 million votes were cast properly that's a very big difference, if someone as unpopular as Macron can win by a landslide I can't see Le Pen getting in any time soon.

I suspect if Macron does a poor job most people will be keen to get back to the status quo and elect someone from the mainstream parties rather than Le Pen.

That supposes that the mainstream still exists. Macron and division in the opposition party's has shaken up the whole political landscape. On the left the old socialist party is, like in the UK, is in turmoil, with the fight for the soul of the party between the moderate left and the far left. How much harm Macron will do by attracting the more moderate socialists remains to be seen. It's a difficult tightrope for him to walk, avoiding the accusation that he is just taking the old socialists under his wing. Mélenchon risks, like Le Pen, having the problem of a ceiling to his vote. The real nightmare would be in five years time, if both extremes got to the second round, neither commanding mass support and both risking the total fracture of French society.
On the right there is a split beween the moderate Republicans, who ended up supporting Macron and the far, catholic fundementalist right, which lent towards Le Pen in the second round. There is also a split in the Front National between Marine Le Pen's more national socialist wing and the the more catholic fundementalist Mediterranean wing, which was led by the dangerous Marie-Marechal Le Pen, until her shock resignation from politics last week (don't count on her not coming back)........she's still very young.
To answer Shrimpers are Magic, FN supporters are not neccesarily rabid rascists, unlike much of the hierachy of the party. Many are desperate people (echoes of northern Brexit voters) who felt abandonned by traditional parties. The larger margin of Macron's eventual victory could be explained by Le Pen's car crash final television debate which really exposed the hollowness of her policies and the nasty side of her party, she had spent so much time trying to hide.

Tangled up in Blue · May 14, 2017

yogi bear up the cagire said:
That supposes that the mainstream still exists. Macron and division in the opposition party's has shaken up the whole political landscape. On the left the old socialist party is, like in the UK, is in turmoil, with the fight for the soul of the party between the moderate left and the far left. How much harm Macron will do by attracting the more moderate socialists remains to be seen. It's a difficult tightrope for him to walk, avoiding the accusation that he is just taking the old socialists under his wing. Mélenchon risks, like Le Pen, having the problem of a ceiling to his vote. The real nightmare would be in five years time, if both extremes got to the second round, neither commanding mass support and both risking the total fracture of French society.
On the right there is a split beween the moderate Republicans, who ended up supporting Macron and the far, catholic fundementalist right, which lent towards Le Pen in the second round. There is also a split in the Front National between Marine Le Pen's more national socialist wing and the the more catholic fundementalist Mediterranean wing, which was led by the dangerous Marie-Marechal Le Pen, until her shock resignation from politics last week (don't count on her not coming back)........she's still very young.
To answer Shrimpers are Magic, FN supporters are not neccesarily rabid rascists, unlike much of the hierachy of the party. Many are desperate people (echoes of northern Brexit voters) who felt abandonned by traditional parties. The larger margin of Macron's eventual victory could be explained by Le Pen's car crash final television debate which really exposed the hollowness of her policies and the nasty side of her party, she had spent so much time trying to hide.

It must do.I see newly elected President Macron's off to Berlin tomorrow to get his orders.:winking: