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Post by bjd on Feb 23, 2018 7:54:42 GMT
It sounds as though Wauquiez is just trying to act like Trump by pretending he is not just an ordinary politician but talking "honestly" to his fans.
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Post by lagatta on Mar 5, 2018 15:32:17 GMT
I doubt either Merkel (who has never claimed or tried to be charismatic - she's a nerdy scientist) or Trudeau will be very upset. The serious criticism of Trudeau is that there is sometimes very little substance behind his pronouncements, and some (not only Conservatives)say he isn't very qualified nor the sharpest knife in the drawer.
And it was really stupid of that guy to say nasty things in public (yes, nowadays that is public) about his ally Sarko.
Oh well, it isn't as horrible as the current situation in Italy.
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Post by kerouac2 on Mar 5, 2018 16:23:13 GMT
Justin Trudeau has been quite popular in France until now, but his recent visit to India was widely covered here, and opinions about him have plummeted. The headlines ranged from "absolute fiasco" to "dipomatic catastrophe." Part of it was indeed political due to Sikh issues in Canada, including the presence in the official Canadian delegation of a Sikh who attempted to assassinate an Indian government minister and who had been sentenced to 20 years in prison in 1986. Not the sort of person whom one would normally invite to an official visit to India. The other part was simply the style of the visit. Trudeau came with all of his family and seemed more interested in tourism than diplomacy, as well as dressing up as though it were carnival season. For example: a bit of a jokeThis is of course not the Canadian politics thread, but I bring it up because the next visitor is Emmanuel Macron on a State visit at the end of this week (9-12 March). However, I don't think that Macron and his wife are planning on wearing costumes. French President Macron to visit India next week
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Post by patricklondon on Mar 5, 2018 16:53:01 GMT
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Post by kerouac2 on Apr 4, 2018 21:18:53 GMT
Today the prime minister Edouard Philippe announced that the number of MPs and senators is going to be reduced by 30%. President Macron had already made this part of his campaign promises last year, but it is always difficult to believe. The lower house will be reduced from 577 to about 400 members and the senate will go from 348 to about 244. 15% will henceforth be elected on proportional lists.
Try to imagine the upcoming battles for 1) drawing up the new electoral districts and 2) deciding who gets to stand for election among the current incumbents. Blood will flow.
And with a little luck, taxpayers will save money.
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Post by patricklondon on Apr 5, 2018 6:24:21 GMT
The UK is still working its way through David Cameron's reduction of the House if Commons to 600; the Electoral Commission is due to complete its final proposals by September. All the fun and games of selecting new candidates will begin then. Any effort for further reform of the upper house has petered out, now that government has its hands full dealing with the consequences of Cameron's other back-of-an-envelope clever wheeze. Not that he ever had much intention of doing anything about the Lords anyway: besides, the chance of a consolation prize place in the Lords would probably be the best way of persuading the surplus of Commons candidates to go quietly. My blog | My photos | My video clips | My Librivox recordings"too literate to be spam"
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Post by bjd on Apr 5, 2018 6:29:38 GMT
Macron's idea of reducing the number of MPs was one of his good political ideas. I can just see the opposition yelling about the lack of representation of the public if the number is reduced. And of course, putting in some proportionality will increase the number of far right representatives. As reasonable as this is, so that everyone feels represented, it's a bit problematic.
Last time proportionality was tried, under Miterrand, was when the FN became better known, I believe.
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Post by kerouac2 on Apr 5, 2018 7:04:09 GMT
Yes, but that was a total proportional election with no longer any districts at all. Obviously it was a foolish naïve mistake.
This was the result:
Socialists : 212 RPR (Gaullists): 155 UDF (right of centre) : 131 Communists : 35 Front National : 35 independents : 9
The alliance of RPR + UDF took power under prime minister Jacques Chirac.
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Post by kerouac2 on Apr 21, 2018 18:56:41 GMT
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Post by kerouac2 on Apr 21, 2018 19:32:19 GMT
This is the longest and probably the most complete article that I have ever read in the English language press about Emmanuel Macron: The Irish Times
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Post by bixaorellana on Apr 22, 2018 2:16:35 GMT
I found it an absolutely fascinating piece in that it attempts to give a true picture of his character. More power to the writer for conveying that slight scariness -- the scariness of a completely focused intellect -- that I think Macron has. It very much appears that he will continue to be a player on the world stage -- in fact, it almost seems as though the presidency is a mere stepping stone for him. It feels as though those who look closely at him inevitably feel admiration, but also some unease.
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Post by kerouac2 on Jun 2, 2018 6:04:56 GMT
The Front National changed name yesterday. Henceforth, its toxic ideas will be hiding under the name Rassemblement National.
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Post by bjd on Jun 2, 2018 9:01:55 GMT
There is also the party that is an offshoot of the FN led by Philipon(?). Calls it Les Patriotes, as though anyone else is not patriotic.
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Post by kerouac2 on Jun 2, 2018 9:13:21 GMT
Philippot is gay and eats couscous, so he had no place in the FN to begin with.
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Post by whatagain on Jun 2, 2018 10:37:52 GMT
Les Rzpublicains are becoming quite toxic too but let us rejoice that le FN is getting nowhere between the split, marine not recovering and Marion focusing on Maréchal. Good.
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Post by kerouac2 on Sept 13, 2018 6:02:54 GMT
There has been a new poll in France concerning which countries (among the big ones) are considered to be our closest allies.
Germany 89% United Kingdom 61% United States 44% India 41% China 31% Russia 22%
The United States was at 77% in 2014. I wonder if it will dip below India by next year.
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Post by bixaorellana on Sept 13, 2018 6:17:29 GMT
I'm surprised that it's still as high as 44%. Really sad.
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Post by kerouac2 on Sept 13, 2018 6:29:54 GMT
The same poll said that 80% of the French disapprove of current American politics, but there is enough good will left concerning Americans in general that it keeps the numbers from going even lower... for the moment.
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Post by bixaorellana on Sept 13, 2018 7:11:30 GMT
What is the French for "those poor bastards", which is probably how the French & much of the rest of the world refer to the American public now.
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Post by mossie on Sept 13, 2018 7:48:43 GMT
A quote from The Times this morning. "The greatest strategic threat to Britain comes from President Trump's dismantling of the rules based international order"
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Post by mickthecactus on Sept 13, 2018 15:28:17 GMT
There has been a new poll in France concerning which countries (among the big ones) are considered to be our closest allies. Germany 89% United Kingdom 61% United States 44% India 41% China 31% Russia 22% The United States was at 77% in 2014. I wonder if it will dip below India by next year. Rather pleased we are at 61! Thanks.
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Post by lagatta on Sept 13, 2018 16:55:06 GMT
I guess Canada isn't big enough (in terms of population and influence, obviously not land area) to be on the list, nor Belgium. They are both countries French people tend to like, but with a vaguely superior air.
There is a Belgian fellow round the corner for me who put up a large Belgian flag during the World Cup and has left it there think. Probably sick of people assuming he's French. I'd never confuse a Belgian with a Parisian (nor anyone farther south), but I might confuse people from, say, Lille and Liège... but I tend to keep my mouth shut. Learnt from facilitating at conferences.
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Post by kerouac2 on Sept 13, 2018 17:18:21 GMT
If "less important" countries were included, I am quite sure that Canada, Australia and Belgium would be about as high as Germany. Switzerland, Italy and Spain would not be far behind -- but of course when we are talking about actual "allies," you need to concentrate on the useful ones.
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Post by kerouac2 on Sept 15, 2018 5:24:48 GMT
Each president of France has an official emblem, which is displayed on correspondence and all sorts of souvenir objects. Macron's emblem was unveiled today (almost certainly because heritage weekend starts tomorrow, and the presidential palace is opening a major gift shop). The first thing that one notices are the oak and olive branches. These are classics to represent France, north and south. What is creating controversy is the "croix de Lorraine" in the centre, the emblem of Charles de Gaulle. While almost no political group in France will dare to say that it is a negative symbol, many are perplexed concerning the use of a symbol from more than 70 years ago. imageshack.com/a/img923/180/towqpS.jpg
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Post by patricklondon on Sept 15, 2018 5:55:33 GMT
And I'd imagine there are a fair few who think he's got a cheek appropriating the cross of Lorraine anyway. It does seem a rather odd and unnecessary thing to do, to risk annoying both sides of old arguments. My blog | My photos | My video clips | My Librivox recordings"too literate to be spam"
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Post by kerouac2 on Sept 15, 2018 7:26:04 GMT
It annoys me a bit, in any case. Not that I am against the cross of Lorraine (after all, my family is from there), but it seems to be a very obsolete symbol for a president who prides himself for being modern. The circle of stars from the European flag would have been more appropriate.
Then again, nobody can deny that he is more than a bit Machivellic, so this could just be a defence against accusations that he has opened the floodgates of Islam. It still irks me, because there should be no religious symbol of any kind on a French republican coat of arms.
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Post by patricklondon on Sept 15, 2018 14:03:28 GMT
so this could just be a defence against accusations that he has opened the floodgates of Islam Strikes me Louis Philippe and his ministers might be a better target for that, for taking over Algeria in the first place.
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Post by kerouac2 on Sept 25, 2018 11:38:33 GMT
Dammit, Trump confirmed to Macron this morning that he is definitely coming to France on November 11th. He even found a way to get the special treatment that he most certainly does not deserve, because he has asked to be taken to an American battlefield. That way he won't have all of those annoying Europeans in the way.
Well, Macron still has time to enrage him this afternoon with his speech to the UN General Assembly.
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Post by bixaorellana on Sept 25, 2018 16:14:38 GMT
I hope Macron sends some highly decorated French veteran in full uniform to take the phony wet shit to a battlefield, accompanied by no entourage -- only an interpreter if necessary. Actually, they don't even need to go to an American battlefield. Just pick some field somewhere, preferably a wet one with lots of cow shit and take him there. He won't know the difference.
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Post by patricklondon on Sept 25, 2018 17:12:59 GMT
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